Since I was little, I have always heard that walking under a ladder or sweeping someone’s feet brings bad luck, that eating lentils on New Year’s brings prosperity, that in order to find a lost object you need to give three little hops for St. Longinus, and other such things. But a friend told me it is wrong to believe this. So I wanted to know if superstition is really a sin.
Maria Aparecida Ferreira – Brazil
Yes, superstition is a sin against the First Commandment of Divine Law, as taught by the Catechism of the Catholic Church (cf. CCC 2110-2111), which also explains that it is a deviation from religious feeling and the practices it imposes, and this deviation can adversely affect the worship we render to the true God.
Indeed, according to St. Thomas Aquinas (cf. Summa Theologiæ II-II, q.92, a.1), superstition is a vice that opposes, through excess, the moral virtue of religion, by leading people to wrong forms of divine worship or to render it to whom it is not due – that is, to mere creatures – by attributing to an object or gesture a supernatural power it does not possess. This is the case in the examples cited in your question and in so many other examples we know.
Instead of placing our hope in practices lacking even any rational foundation, let us grow in confidence in God and in the protection of Our Lady, the Angels, and the saints. We Catholics know what is pleasing to our Heavenly Father: avoiding occasions of sin, frequenting the Sacraments, praying… These are indeed actions that can bring us true happiness on this earth and, above all, eternal glory in Heaven.
Sometimes I arrive late for Sunday Mass and I am always unsure as to whether I have fulfilled the precept or not… Could you please clarify this for me?
Luigi Marino – Ribeirão Preto (Brazil)
We have many obligations in our lives, some easier, others more difficult to fulfil. We also have needs that we tend to meet with joy and satisfaction, such as eating, drinking, going for a walk, sleeping and taking vacations…
Now, what about our weekly encounter with God? This great precept also constitutes an immense need, does it not?
First, it is worth remembering that “On Sundays and other holy days of obligation, the faithful are obliged to participate in the Mass” (CIC, can. 1247); and that “A person who assists at a Mass celebrated anywhere in a Catholic rite either on the feast day itself or in the evening of the preceding day satisfies the obligation of participating in the Mass” (CIC, can. 1248 § 1).
Regarding arriving late for Mass, moralists have taught since ancient times that fulfilling the precept of attending the entire Mass on Sundays and holy days requires physical presence, from beginning to end.
However, when, through no fault of their own, the faithful arrive late for Mass or even fail to attend, they are not guilty. For example, when the failure is due to a traffic accident, the need to care for a sick person who requires continuous care, or the work legitimately necessary for their livelihood – in short, a motive that is not the result of personal whim, but a serious external factor beyond their control.
For those who wish to make a thorough examination of conscience in this regard, the following consideration will be very helpful. When I arrive late for work, my salary will be deducted, and when I produce little, I will receive little; on the other hand, if I am told that at the end of the month I will receive a large bonus if I am perfectly punctual, I will do my utmost to never be late. So, when it is a matter of gaining Heaven, is it worth making every effort to always be punctual or not?
