MISSING MASS IN ORDER TO FULFIL AN IMPORTANT CIVIC DUTY

On the Sunday of the General Elections, the faithful will do their utmost to reconcile the duty of hearing Mass with that of casting their vote; those for whom this would be impossible are exempt from the obligation to hear Mass, on the grounds of the paramount importance of their electoral duty. The parish priests will explain this article to them, and will schedule Mass at the most favorable times.

Pastoral letter from the Bishop of Marseilles, on the occasion of the general elections and the forthcoming opening of the National Assembly, March 20, 1848

REFLECTION

Fr. René Motte OMI commented on this:

“The elections were held in the chief town of the canton. This obliged the inhabitants of the villages to spend a lot of time going to the voting center and returning home, by cart or on foot. This is why Bishop de Mazenod exempted from Sunday Mass those who could not observe the double obligation, Sunday Mass and voting. Now this Sunday, April 23, 1848, was Easter Sunday. And we know that for Bishop de Mazenod Easter is the center of the liturgical year.

We can admire the freedom of St. Eugene who puts the responsibility for the poor, and thus their dignity, before the observance of a religious rite, even if that rite is of primary importance, the Easter Sunday Mass. This example is also an invitation to reflect on the scale of values that directs our lives: the dignity of the poor before a serious law. One must be truly free to make this choice.” (Unpublished writing)