Dear Jane:

I am rather confused about your post. You express a lack of desire to participate in Mass, a refusal to talk to a priest, a refusal to go to the Sacrament of Confession, an admission that you are not in a State of Grace, and yet you attend Mass out of "obligation" and are wondering whether or not you are "obligated" to participate in Mass?

These things are contradictory. Firstly, given your attitude and intentions why do you care what is or is not obligatory?

Secondly, if you are concerned about what is and what is not obligatory, then why are you only concerned about "some" obligatory requirements and not others?

As stated in the Catechism, as a Catholic you have several basic obligations:

2041 The precepts of the Church are set in the context of a moral life bound to and nourished by liturgical life. The obligatory character of these positive laws decreed by the pastoral authorities is meant to guarantee to the faithful the indispensable minimum in the spirit of prayer and moral effort, in the growth in love of God and neighbor:

2042 The first precept ("You shall attend Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation.") requires the faithful to participate in the Eucharistic celebration when the Christian community gathers together on the day commemorating the Resurrection of the Lord.

The second precept ("You shall confess your sins at least once a year.") ensures preparation for the Eucharist by the reception of the sacrament of reconciliation, which continues Baptism's work of conversion and forgiveness.
The third precept ("You shall humbly receive your Creator in Holy Communion at least during the Easter season.") guarantees as a minimum the reception of the Lord's Body and Blood in connection with the Paschal feasts, the origin and center of the Christian liturgy.

2043 The fourth precept ("You shall keep holy the holy days of obligation.") completes the Sunday observance by participation in the principal liturgical feasts which honor the mysteries of the Lord, the Virgin Mary, and the saints.

The fifth precept ("You shall observe the prescribed days of fasting and abstinence.") ensures the times of ascesis and penance which prepare us for the liturgical feasts; they help us acquire mastery over our instincts and freedom of heart.

(the sixth precept) The faithful also have the duty of providing for the material needs of the Church, each according to his abilities.

In addition to this, you are obligated to NOT receive the Eucharist anytime you are not in a State of Grace and you are obligated to believe all the teachings that the Church presents as required for belief.

These are obligations, yet you have no problem violating the obligation to go to Confession or the obligation to receive the Eucharist ONLY if you are in a State of Grace, while at the same time having a curious worry about an obligation to participate in Mass. This make no sense.

Concerning the Eucharist: To receive the Eucharist when not in a State of Grace is about the worse sin you can commit. It is the sin of sacrilege. You are assaulting the Body of our Lord by doing this. It is a gross offense against God. St. Paul in the Bible observes that some people become sick and some even die who receive the Eucharist unworthily (not in a State of Grace).

You need to immediately STOP receiving the Eucharist and STOP IT NOW. You are not in communion with the Church and apparently do not want to be. To receive communion (which is a sign of unity) when you are not in communion (unity) with the Church constitutes a lie in addition to the severe sin of sacrilege.

The reason the priest will give you the Eucharist when you present yourself in Mass is because he is required to by Church law -- he has no choice. If the priest were to deny you the Eucharist he would be revealing your sinful state to the rest of the people present at the Mass. He has no right to reveal your sin to others. The only time a priest can refuse the Eucharist to someone is if that person has been excommunicated, received an interdict, or is a publicly known sinner who has certainly committed objectively grave sin and refuses to repent. Otherwise the priest has no choice but to give you the Eucharist.

IT IS YOUR OBLIGATION to not present yourself to receive the Eucharist when you are not in a state of Grace. STOP receiving our Lord in the Eucharist until such time as you make a "good" confession in the Sacrament of Confession.

As for your question about an obligation to participate, canon law states:

Can. 898 Christ's faithful are to hold the blessed Eucharist in the highest honor. They should take an active part in the celebration of the most august Sacrifice of the Mass; they should receive the sacrament with great devotion and frequently, and should reverence it with the greatest adoration. In explaining the doctrine of this sacrament, pastors of souls are assiduously to instruct the faithful about their obligation in this regard.

I have no idea what your problem is, but there is no excuse of any sort to justify not going to Confession. There is no excuse of any sort to justify receiving the Eucharist when you are not in a State of Grace. There is no excuse or reason of any sort to justify not participating at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

You say that you are not barred from the Sacraments. Okay, that must mean that you have some personal grip or complaint with the Church. Were you molested by a priest? Even if that is so, that is the sin of the priest, not of the Church, and even so, why risk your own soul to hell because some priest abused you? The same holds true if the grip or complaint you have with the Church is something else. We are talking about your own soul here.

But....

... as long as you are NOT in a State of Grace you ARE barred from receiving the Eucharist and are in GRAVE and most SERIOUS sin if you do receive. The priest will not prevent you from receiving because he is not allowed to, but YOU are to prevent yourself from receiving.

You are risking your soul to hell. I pray that you will come to your senses and seek Confession, get right with God and His Church, receive the Eucharist worthily, and participate gladly and with devotion in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass of our Lord.

I also pray that you will be healed of whatever wounds you have that have lead you to this precarious position.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary