The Word of God
Catholics are bound under pain of sin to hear the word of God preached by the Priest.
Hence, those who always go to a Low Mass on Sunday, at which the word of God is not preached, and avoid the principal Mass on account of the sermon, are guilty of sin.
There is usually a five-minute sermon, however, preached at the Low Masses. This is in favor of those who are not able to attend the High Mass either on that particular Sunday, or regularly, through their peculiar occupations; but this short sermon is not intended to supply the average Catholic with the word of God throughout the year. Hence the obligation to attend also the High Mass and principal sermon of the Sunday from time to time.
Some are fond of a good sermon, but do not care for plain instructions. The latter, as a rule, are more necessary for most Catholics than eloquent sermons.
The Pastor is bound under pain of sin to give such instructions, both in favor of those who have not yet heard them, as well as for others, in order to keep the doctrines and practices of religion fresh in the minds of the faithful. Hence all parishioners should attend them, whether they are familiar with them or not.
Some attend sermons only when preached by this or that Priest whom they are fond of hearing, but neglect the word of God on other occasions. This is wrong. We should hear the word of God regularly as a duty, independently of the preacher.
Some Catholics do not like to attend sermons because they always seem dry and old to them. They always want to hear something new. They forget, however, that God, truth, religion, heaven and hell remain always the same; that the same sins are always being committed, and that the same remedies must be applied. They should not forget that the poor Priest’s life is always more or less the same on their account. Indeed, is not the life of the average Christian in its everyday duties more or less always the same? Such Christians, tired of the ordinary sermons, and desiring always new and sensational ones, are liable to be the very people who are responsible for sameness in sermons. They are generally Christians of the most monotonous and stereotyped character. They never make a change in their prayers and devotions, always commit and confess the same sins and make no progress in virtue whatever. Yet, they would have the priest always to give them something new. It is usually the lukewarm who complain of the dryness of sermons. The devout Catholic always loves to hear the word of God; and he usually finds something new in it as often as it is preached to him. The trouble is not so much with the sermons, as with the hearers.
The late Mass, usually a High Mass with sermon, should always be attended by one or more members of the family. It is well for the members of the household to go to the different Masses in turn, unless an employment obliges one always to go to the same Mass.
Those who cannot come to church to hear the word of God, must try to read it at home in the Sacred Scriptures and in other religious books.
