December 9, 2024

Years ago, Cardinal James A. Hickey, archbishop of Washington, had a clock on his desk on which the engraved plate read, “Spiritual Alarm Clock.” Those words were in reference to the perspective he provided when the U.S. bishops discussed putting aside the obligation to attend Mass on holy days of obligation when those days fell on Saturdays and Mondays. The cardinal advocated for retaining the obligation even when those days fell on Saturdays or Mondays. He viewed them as a spiritual alarm clock. He felt strongly that if we started making exceptions, it might diminish the fervor in the key aspect of holy days, which is to awaken us spiritually. The U.S. bishops voted in 1991 to remove the obligation…