THE TRUTH OF THE

CATHOLIC FAITH

CATHOLIC

PRECEPTS

(Or, what I need to do as a Catholic)

"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light." -Mt 11:28-29.

So, you're a Roman Catholic. That's Great! God's only Son has redeemed you so that you may attain eternal life. You belong to the only church which can trace its history back to the moment Christ established his church on the "rock" of the Apostle Peter (See Mt 16:18). You share this exciting and true faith of Jesus Christ with over one billion fellow believers worldwide.

But what exactly does the Holy See (The Roman Catholic Church) ask of you so that we can pass on our Sacred Tradition? The answer is found in the "Catholic Precepts" section of any Catechism of the Catholic Church.

What Are the Precepts of the Church?

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church "precepts" are, "the obligatory . . . positive laws decreed by the pastoral authorities . . . 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" (CCC 2041). In other words, to be a Catholic there are certain things-6 in all-we must do which are not optional.

1) "You shall attend Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation." Community is of fundamental importance to Catholics. Religion is not a solitary endeavor because nobody can love alone . . . God did not create anyone to be alone. The Letter to the Hebrews implores the faithful, "not to neglect to meet together, as is the habit of some, but to encourage one another" (Heb 10:25).

Furthermore, the Catholic Church did not dream up this precept. The Last Supper was the first Mass and Jesus commanded "Do this in memory of me" (Lk 22:19). One of the Ten Commandments given from God to Moses about 3,500 years ago was to keep the Sabbath day holy. And remember, our Savior Jesus Christ rose from the dead on the Sabbath day-Sunday. That is why Catholics have Mass together on Sundays.

2) "You shall confess your sins at least once a year." The sacrament of reconciliation dates back to the time of Christ and the Bible clearly states that we must both ask the Lord for forgiveness of sins and forgive those who sin against us to receive salvation.

"Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed"

-Jas 5:16

Furthermore, Christ clearly vested Church clergymen of the apostolic lineage (Bishops, Priests, etc.) with the power to bind and loose sins (See John 20:23, Mt 16:18-19, 2 Cor 5:18). It is because of this God-given authority that the Church maintains, "Reconciliation with the church is inseparable from reconciliation with God (CCC 1445)." And that is why it is so important to confess one’s sins to a priest, who is the means by which God grants His divine forgiveness.

Contemporary practice is to confess mortal sins through reconciliation ("sin whose object is grave matter and which is also committed with full knowledge and deliberate consent," CCC 1857). Venial or everyday sins may be confessed privately.

3) "You shall humbly receive your Creator in Holy Communion at least during the Easter season." The Sacrament of the Eucharist is necessary to be in full union with Christ.

"Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink."

-Jn 6:54-55

Most "Christmas and Easter Catholics" meet this obligation well, but they forget the first precept is to go to Mass every Sunday. Most practicing Catholics, on the other hand, sometimes error by receiving the Eucharist too much rather than not enough. If you are conscious of having committed a mortal sin you cannot (or at least should not) receive the Eucharist until you receive the sacrament of reconciliation.

"Whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will have to answer for the body and blood of the Lord" -1 Cor 11:27

4) "You shall keep the holy days of obligation." These days are the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Ascension of Christ, the feast of Mary the Mother of God, her Immaculate Conception, her Assumption, and the feast of All Saints. If we do a good job of keeping the first precept to attend Mass every Sunday, our parish priests will make sure we are informed as to when these holy days of obligation are.

5) "You shall observe the prescribed days of fasting and abstinence." This beautiful rule helps us "acquire a mastery over our instincts and a freedom of heart" (CCC 2043). Think of your favorite sports team. Now think how poorly they would perform if the players were not willing to endure some physical sacrifices in training to better prepare themselves and the team. Christ was also very clear that the faithful were to fast for the Lord (see, for example, Mark 2:20 and Acts 13:3).

-In addition, "The faithful also have a duty of providing for the material needs of the Church, each according to abilities." Think of all the money you spend on alcohol, movies, music, and hobbies when these things offer only temporary satisfaction. But "the gates of Hell shall not prevail" the Catholic Church Jesus established . . . So which is a better investment?

A good rule of thumb is to donate at least 10% of your earnings (yes, your pre-tax earnings!) to the Church and/or Charity. In fact, the definition of "tithe" is to give 10% of one's annual income to the Church. It probably wouldn't hurt wealthy people to give a lot more than 10% away either.

Remember, too, what the Holy Scriptures tell us. The Lord gives us the following stern warning, recorded in Malachi 3:8-10: "Dare a man rob God? Yet you are robbing me! And you say, ‘How do we rob you?’ In tithes and in offerings! You are indeed accursed, for you, the whole nation, rob me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse."

Furthermore, in 2 Corinthians 9:6, St. Paul informs us that, "whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully." Then in Galatians 6:7 we read, "make no mistake: God is not mocked, for a person will reap only what he sows . . ."

Some people are disenchanted with the Church because they do not like being told what to do . . . but aren't these small measures worth it to gain salvation and be a part of the church Christ established? And just look how fulfilled the people are around you who do go to Mass every week, who confess their sins to a Priest, and who tithe generously to Church and the charities of their choice! Finally, the United States tells everyone to pay taxes, go to school when they are young, and abide by countless laws, and most of us follow these duties to a man-made institution. How much more important for us to follow the instructions of a God-made institution!

THE ROCK

P.O. Box 218

Arvada, CO 80001-0218

www.rockofinspiration.org

"Thou art Peter and upon this Rock I will build my Church" -Mt 16:18

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