When there is no Mass for Sunday

From Father Z's Blog

Reader:

I was just reading my parish’s bulletin and noticed that next week there is no Mass on Saturday or Sunday because the priest is away.

Instead the deacon is leading a Liturgy of the Word with a Communion Service in place of the Masses.

I live in a city that’s sufficiently large enough (around 20 Latin Rite parishes, and a number of Eastern Rite Churches) that the vast majority of parishoners could attend an actual Mass or Divine Liturgy on either day without any trouble.

This made me wonder if attending a Liturgy of the Word with a Communion Service when one can easily attend a Mass at another parish a few kilometers away would count as fulfilling one’s Sunday
Obligation? Does it have to be an actual Mass?

Father Z:

People are not bound to something that they cannot fulfill. If there is no Mass within a reasonable distance, then you cannot fulfill your obligation and therefore, you are not at fault.

That said, should a person chose to make a bit of a sacrifice, it would be commendable to drive somewhere more distant. Perhaps such a person could from goodness take someone with you.

In any event, Sunday remains the Lord’s Day, and divine positive law holds us always.

In your case, it is not hard to get to another Church for Mass. I would go to Mass elsewhere on Sunday rather than go to some liturgy of the word and Communion service.