A while ago, I wrote an article titled Are Irreverent Masses Binding On Sundays? and the first paragraph of it reads:
The most common question I receive from my readers is: “Do I have to attend a Novus Ordo Mass on a Sunday when there is no Traditional Latin Mass nearby?” I was going to title this article that very question, but then I realized that question is only sixty years old. Then I thought to title this article: “Is it a mortal sin to skip an irreverent Mass on Sunday if I can’t get to a reverent Mass?” but that was too long. I then realized the entire topic of the Third Commandment was at stake. What does Church history tell us before 1960?
You can read it at the link above, so I’m not going to repeat my answer in this article. But I now believe the devil is again getting traditionalists into a minimalistic way of thinking about Sundays by only focusing on the liturgy wars.
Before getting started, let me be clear what I am not saying: I am not saying the TLM doesn’t matter. In fact, I have not offered the NOM in a decade. Also, I am not saying that Holy Mass is not a huge part of Sundays. Of course, I believe the Holy Mass is far-and-away the most important part of a Sunday for the Catholic. Below, I am simply saying that regardless of which Mass you go to (TLM, NOM or Divine Liturgy) Sundays are still made by God Himself to look very different from the other six days of the week.
