The other day, I wrote on my Facebook Page that “Catholics who attend Mass, and still go to other Churches to worship afterwards are in ERROR,” and many Catholics came under the post to disagree with me.
It made me realise that I had taken it for granted that Catholics know that the Mass itself is COMPLETE. Why would anyone want to worship elsewhere after eating the Flesh and drinking the Blood of Jesus Christ Himself at the altar of Sacrifice?
Many of the reactions on that post made me realise that I had to do a follow up post ASAP. It is Catholic teaching that it is inappropriate for Catholics to make a HABIT of attending other Churches for worship as though the Mass itself were insufficient. This is without prejudice to such celebrations as funerals, weddings, or properly organised ecumenical services in those other Churches.
In John 6:51-56, Jesus declares that He is the living bread that came down from heaven and that whoever eats His Flesh and drinks His Blood has eternal life. At the Last Supper, Jesus Christ instituted the Eucharist and commanded His disciples to do this in remembrance of Him (Luke 22:19-20).
St Paul reinforces this understanding in 1 Corinthians 10:16-17, where he explains that the cup of blessing is a sharing in the Blood of Christ and the bread we break is a sharing in His Body. Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body. This is what we recall on Holy Thursday.
In Acts 2:42, we read that the early Christians devoted themselves to the teaching of the Apostles, the communal life, the breaking of bread and prayers. The Eucharist was central to their life as Christians. It was not one religious activity among many, nor did they treat the breaking of bread as an incomplete experience that needed to be supplemented by another community’s worship.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church, in paragraph 1324, teaches that the Eucharist is “the source and summit of the Christian life.” The other sacraments, ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate are bound up with the Eucharist and oriented towards it because Christ Himself is contained in the Blessed Sacrament. This is not my personal opinion. It is the teaching of the Church.
The Mass is not just another prayer meeting, or another worship experience. It is the celebration of the Eucharistic Sacrifice, in which the one Sacrifice of Christ is made present in the Sacrament of His Body and Blood. In the Mass, we listen to God’s Word, participate in the offering of Christ, receive Holy Communion when in the state of grace, and are sent forth to live what we have celebrated.
I have heard many say that some of us priests do not preach well. They say that we make the Mass so dry and boring. There are indeed cases where these complaints may be factual. Nonetheless, the Mass does not become incomplete because the homily was not exciting; beacuse the choir did not sing our favourite songs, or because the priest did not make us highly emotional. Our faith is built on Christ, not on our preferred styles of worship.
Within the Catholic Church, there are many apostolates, including the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, with varying approaches to prayer, praise and worship. But none replaces the Eucharistic Sacrifice, and we must not behave as though the Mass needs to be supplemented by another Church’s worship before we can be spiritually satisfied.
From the earliest centuries, Christians understood the breaking of bread as central to their identity and communion. St Ignatius of Antioch, writing in the early second century, emphasised the unity of the Church around the bishop and the Eucharist. This ancient understanding reminds us that Christian worship is not simply about finding whichever gathering offers the most exciting spiritual experience. It is more about belonging to the Church and remaining in communion with her.
Our Catholic faith is not something we can assemble from different religious communities according to our personal preferences. We receive the faith handed down by the Apostles, celebrated in the Church’s liturgy and faithfully taught by her legitimate pastors. And for those who argue that God does not care about denominations, I completely agree, for how can the Catholic Church be a Christian denomination if she predates them all?
Furthermore, the Second Vatican Council’s Unitatis Redintegratio recognises that Christians who are not in full communion with the Catholic Church nevertheless share a real, though imperfect, communion with us through Baptism. The Church encourages appropriate ecumenical cooperation and prayer. However, this does not mean that all differences between Christian communities are irrelevant or that Catholics can participate indiscriminately in every form of worship.
Again, the Directory for the Application of Principles and Norms on Ecumenism, particularly paragraphs 108–119, provides guidance on common prayer and participation in the worship of other Christian communities. Such participation must be governed by the circumstances and the Church’s norms. Paragraph 115 also makes clear that participation in an ecumenical service does not remove a Catholic’s obligation to attend Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation.
At this point, it suffices to say that the Catholic Church does not forbid every visit to another Christian community. Attending a wedding, funeral, civic or national prayer, or properly organised ecumenical celebration is not the same as making a habit of attending another denomination’s regular worship service because one considers the Catholic Mass insufficient.
In like manner, the mere fact that a Catholic attends a service in another Christian community does not automatically establish that the person has sinned. The circumstances, purpose, nature of the service and the person’s participation matter.
My concern is with Catholics who attend Mass and then deliberately make a habit of attending another denomination’s worship service, particularly because they believe the Catholic Mass is not enough or wish to combine religious teachings and practices that are incompatible with their Catholic faith.
Hence, the question is not whether God can work outside the visible boundaries of the Catholic Church. He certainly can. Neither is the question whether there are sincere Christians in other denominations. Of course, there are. The question is whether we understand the fullness of the faith we profess and remain faithful to it.
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