Leaving Right After Communion

Is It Wrong to Leave Mass Early?

by Father Edward McNamara, LC | Source: Zenit.org

Questions: Unfortunately some in the parish have developed the poor habit of leaving Mass
immediately after Communion. I estimate around 30%, or approximately 225 people, leave early.
Our church holds 750, so the disappearance is definitely noticeable. Could you provide a
theological discourse on why this is not appropriate behavior? -- D.S., Port Charlotte, Florida

Answer: This is a perennial problem, but one which must be faced with patience, insisting, as
St. Paul would say, "Opportune et inopportune" (in season and out of season), until the message
reaches home.

After Communion, each person must give thanks for the precious gift received and allow
the grace to fill our souls. How tragic it is to see people leave Mass right after
Communion, not because of an emergency, but because they want to get out of the
parking lot first. I can only think of Judas, who was the first person ever to leave Mass
early. To give the Lord one hour — and usually less — for the holy sacrifice of the Mass
is really not much of a sacrifice. I wonder how these same people would feel if someone
left their own home in the middle of the meal without even saying thank you.

LEAVING
MASS*
EARLYLeav
ing Mass
Early

The
following
question
was
posed
during a
Catholic
Forum
discussio
n group:

Is it a sin to
leave mass
right after
receiving
communio
n before
the closing
prayers?

If it is, is it
a mortal
sin or
venial sin?

Here is
the
answer
given by
a Roman
Catholic
priest:

In most
cases it is
not a sin,
but it is
very
disrespectf
ul. You
should
remain and
give thanks
for His
Presence
within you.
There is no
greater gift
in all of
creation.
Holy
Communio
n is a time
for
intimacy
with Him.
At least
thank Him
for all that
He suffered
for you on
your
behalf.
How many
people
have ever
died for
you? Thank
Him, thank
Him and
thank Him
some
more!

How would
you feel if
someone
came to
your house
for dinner,
then
suddenly
got up
before
dinner was
over, didn't
even wait
for dessert,
but just got
up and left
and didn't
bother to
say thank-
you or
even
goodbye?
Wouldn't
you
consider
them to be
rude and
ungrateful?
Think for a
moment
about the
Last
Supper: did
anyone
leave
early,
before the
meal
ended?

It's time
now to
break old
habits and
stay until
mass is
over. Just
decide to
do it. Stay
to the end
and say
thank you.
Pray. Sing.
Reflect. Be
grateful for
the
opportunity
to spend
such a
precious
time in
God's
presence in
His house,
after just
having
received
the Body
and Blood
of His Son.
Is there
anywhere
else or
anything
else that
can
compare?
What could
possibly be
more
important?
If you don't
make a
change in
your life
now and
train
yourself to
stay for the
entirety of
mass, then
when will
you? Take
good care
now about
your
spiritual
well-being.
The Spirit
of God
dwells
within you!

If you are
among the
many who
do come to
mass on
time, and
you stay all
the way
through
until the
dismissal,
then God
bless you,
and keep it
up. By your
good and
faithful
example,
may you
encourage
others
toward this
commenda
ble goal as
well.

Leaving right after Holy Communion: Where we have just received the Body, Blood,
Soul and Divinity of Jesus, Our Lord, it is extremely disrespectful, and shows others
you may not believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. Led by the Father or
Mother of the family, all members should be encouraged to set some time aside,
immediately after receiving the Eucharist, for a prayer of thanksgiving and prayer for
help and assistance for the coming week.

Faith in the Eucharist is an ongoing challenge to the Catholic Christian. The world
doesn't understand it. We live in a world, preordained by the Lord, of the senses.
Nevertheless, doctrines and dogmas of the Church are not believed with the senses, but
with the intellect and faith.
I believe a sad problem in our Church today is that many of our Holy Communion songs
can be perceived as intellectually heretical.

One example is a popular Communion song that is sung while receiving Blessed
Sacrament. Most, if not all, of the lyrics are:

Taste and See, Taste and See, the Goodness of the Lord.

 What?

The Eucharist has nothing to do with tasting, seeing or any of the five senses. It is
despite our five sense of seeing, tasting, touching, smelling, or hearing, that we believe,
with our intellect, the consecrated host is Jesus!, not because of the consecrated host's
taste, touch, smell, or appearance.

I brought this issue up on the Liturgy commission I was participating on and within a few
months they changed the words to:

Take and eat, take and eat, the Goodness of the Lord.

Pardon the sermonette.

For short, the Judas Shuffle is not recommended!!

Firstly, it is important that they be at Mass. Pope John Paul II in his Apostolic Letter Dies
Domini said: "It is crucially important that all the faithful should be convinced that they
cannot live their faith or share fully in the life of the Christian community unless they
take part regularly in the Sunday Eucharistic Assembly." (n. 81)

The Second Vatican Council called the Sunday Mass the "summit and the font" from
which we derive our strength to live our lives and make our world a better place.

I imagine if people had this understanding, this same sense of obligation and love of God,
they would always be on time for Mass, participate as well as they could in the prayers
and the hymns and would stay after Mass to make a good, sincere thanksgiving.

Early Christian martyrs thought it important enough to die to ensure their attendance at
Mass.

We are there to worship our creator, people shouldn't be in a hurry to make for the door.
The priest is representing Christ. If Christ himself was standing on the altar or even the
Pope was there would you be in a rush to get out.
__________________

I never understand why people can't just stay that extra 5 minutes! You've been there for
45 min-1 hr. What's 5 extra minutes? (In all seriousness, I do think people start letting
their minds wander and start to worry about "getting out" well before Mass is over.