Christian
Faith
A study of Saint Francis’s
religious belief shows unequivocally that it embraced the entire Catholic
dogma, neither subtracting from it nor adding to it. His
Rule, moreover, pledges “obedience and reverence
to the Lord Pope Honorius and his canonically elected successors, and to
the Roman Church.” Thus Francis’s life mirrored Sacred Scripture
itself:
I urge you therefore, brothers,
by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and
pleasing to God, your spiritual worship. Do not conform yourselves to this
age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern
what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect.
—Romans
12:1-2
The
Beatitudes
| 1. |
Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. |
| 2. |
Blessed are they who mourn,
for they shall be comforted. |
| 3. |
Blessed are the meek, for they
shall inherit the land. |
| 4. |
Blessed are they who hunger
and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. |
| 5. |
Blessed are the merciful, for
they will be shown mercy. |
| 6. |
Blessed are the clean of heart,
for they will see God. |
| 7. |
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called the children of God. |
| 8. |
Blessed are they who are persecuted
for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. |
| |
—Matthew 5:3–11 |
Chastity
If you properly understand
Christianity as life dedicated through Christ to ardent love for God, and
if you enter into this love joyfully and totally, as did Saint Francis, then
anything that offends the purity of this love causes deep spiritual pain.
Francis loved God’s creation, but he did not desire it for personal
fulfillment. Even marriage is a dedicated spiritual act of service to God
as Creator—not a vain psychological search for personal satisfaction
in the created. And so Francis admonished us to receive Christ “with
pure heart and chaste body.”
In the material below,
“grave,” as used by the Catechism, means “worse than a bad
idea”—that is, a mortal sin, an offense to divine holiness so great
that it separates us from God’s grace. The only recourse in such a case
is to confess the behavior, repent it, renounce it as wrong, and pay penance
for the injury you have inflicted on Christ’s Sacred Heart.
Offenses to
Chastity
| • |
“Lust is disordered
desire for or inordinate enjoyment of sexual pleasure. Sexual pleasure is
morally disordered when sought for itself, isolated from its procreative
and unitive purposes.” (Catechism of the Catholic
Church, 2351) |
| • |
“By
masturbation is to be understood the deliberate stimulation of the
genital organs in order to derive sexual pleasure. ‘Both the Magisterium
of the Church, in the course of a constant tradition, and the moral sense
of the faithful have been in no doubt and have firmly maintained that
masturbation is an intrinsically and gravely disordered action.’ ‘The
deliberate use of the sexual faculty, for whatever reason, outside of marriage
is essentially contrary to its purpose.’ For here sexual pleasure is
sought outside of ‘the sexual relationship which is demanded by the
moral order and in which the total meaning of mutual self-giving and human
procreation in the context of true love is achieved.’”
(CCC 2352) |
| • |
“Fornication is
carnal union between an unmarried man and an unmarried woman. It is gravely
contrary to the dignity of persons and of human sexuality which is naturally
ordered to the good of spouses and the generation and education of children.
Moreover, it is a grave scandal when there is corruption of the young.”
(CCC 2353) |
| • |
“Pornography
consists in removing real or simulated sexual acts from the intimacy of the
partners, in order to display them deliberately to third parties. It offends
against chastity because it perverts the conjugal act, the intimate giving
of spouses to each other. It does grave injury to the dignity of its participants
(actors, vendors, the public), since each one becomes an object of base pleasure
and illicit profit for others. It immerses all who are involved in the illusion
of a fantasy world. It is a grave offense. Civil authorities should prevent
the production and distribution of pornographic materials.”
(CCC 2354) |
| • |
“Prostitution does
injury to the dignity of the person who engages in it, reducing the person
to an instrument of sexual pleasure. The one who pays sins gravely against
himself: he violates the chastity to which his Baptism pledged him and defiles
his body, the temple of the Holy Spirit. Prostitution is a social scourge.
It usually involves women, but also men, children, and adolescents (The latter
two cases involve the added sin of scandal.). While it is always gravely
sinful to engage in prostitution, the imputability of the offense can be
attenuated by destitution, blackmail, or social pressure.”
(CCC 2355) |
| • |
“Rape is the forcible
violation of the sexual intimacy of another person. It does injury to justice
and charity. Rape deeply wounds the respect, freedom, and physical and moral
integrity to which every person has a right. It causes grave damage that
can mark the victim for life. It is always an intrinsically evil act. Graver
still is the rape of children committed by parents (incest) or those responsible
for the education of the children entrusted to them.”
(CCC 2356) |
Chastity for
those who are Single
| • |
“People should cultivate
chastity in the way that is suited to their state of life. Some profess
virginity or consecrated celibacy which enables them to give themselves to
God alone with an undivided heart in a remarkable manner. Others live in
the way prescribed for all by the moral law, whether they are married or
single. Married people are called to live conjugal chastity; others practice
chastity in continence.” (CCC 2349) |
| • |
“Those who are engaged
to marry are called to live chastity in continence. They should see in
this time of testing a discovery of mutual respect, an apprenticeship in
fidelity, and the hope of receiving one another from God. They should reserve
for marriage the expressions of affection that belong to married love. They
will help each other grow in chastity.” (CCC 2350) |
| • |
“Homosexuality refers
to relations between men or between women who experience an exclusive or
predominant sexual attraction toward persons of the same
sex. . . . Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents
homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity, tradition has always declared
that homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered. They are contrary to the
natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed
from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances
can they be approved. . . . Homosexual persons are called
to chastity.” (CCC 2357; 2359) |
Chastity in
Marriage
| • |
“Sexuality is ordered to
the conjugal love of man and woman. In marriage the physical intimacy of
the spouses becomes a sign and pledge of spiritual communion. Marriage bonds
between baptized persons are sanctified by the sacrament.”
(CCC 2360)
Between Man and Woman: Questions and Answers About Marriage
and Same-Sex Unions
(From the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, November
2003.)
|
| • |
“Called to give life,
spouses share in the creative power and fatherhood of God. Married couples
should regard it as their proper mission to transmit human life and to educate
their children; they should realize that they are thereby cooperating with
the love of God the Creator and are, in a certain sense, its interpreters.
They will fulfill this duty with a sense of human and Christian
responsibility.” (CCC 2367)
“For just reasons, spouses
may wish to space the births of their children. . . .
Periodic continence, that is, the methods of birth regulation based on
self-observation and the use of infertile periods, is in conformity with
the objective criteria of morality. . . . In contrast, every
action which . . . proposes, whether as an end or as a means, to
render procreation impossible [e.g., contraception, or “birth
control”—Shrine ed.] is intrinsically evil.”
(CCC 2368; 2370)
“Couples who discover that
they are sterile suffer greatly. . . . Techniques that
entail the dissociation of husband and wife, by the intrusion of a person
other than the couple (donation of sperm or ovum, surrogate uterus), are
gravely immoral. These techniques (heterologous artificial insemination and
fertilization) infringe the child’s right to be born of a father and
mother known to him and bound to each other by marriage. They betray the
spouses’ right to become a father and a mother only through each
other. . . . Techniques involving only the married couple
(homologous artificial insemination and fertilization) are perhaps less
reprehensible, yet remain morally unacceptable. They dissociate the sexual
act from the procreative act. The act which brings the child into existence
is no longer an act by which two persons give themselves to one another,
but one that entrusts the life and identity of the embryo into the power
of doctors and biologists and establishes the domination of technology over
the origin and destiny of the human person. Such a relationship of domination
is in itself contrary to the dignity and equality that must be common to
parents and children.” (CCC 2374–2377) |
| • |
“Adultery refers
to marital infidelity. When two partners, of whom at least one is married
to another party, have sexual relations—even transient ones—they
commit adultery. Christ condemns even adultery of mere desire.”
(CCC 2380) |
| • |
“Divorce is a grave
offense against the natural law. It claims to break the contract, to which
the spouses freely consented, to live with each other till death. Divorce
does injury to the covenant of salvation, of which sacramental marriage is
the sign. Contracting a new union, even if it is recognized by civil law,
adds to the gravity of the rupture: the remarried spouse is then in a situation
of public and permanent adultery. . . . Divorce is immoral also because it
introduces disorder into the family and into society. This disorder brings
grave harm to the deserted spouse, to children traumatized by the separation
of their parents and often torn between them, and because of its contagious
effect which makes it truly a plague on society.”
(CCC 2384; 2385)
“Yet there are some situations
in which living together becomes practically impossible for a variety of
reasons. In such cases the Church permits the physical separation
of the couple and their living apart. The spouses do not cease to be husband
and wife before God and so are not free to contract a new union. In this
difficult situation, the best solution would be, if possible,
reconciliation.”(CCC 1649)
“The consent [to marriage]
must be an act of the will of each of the contracting parties, free of coercion
or grave external fear. No human power can substitute for this consent. If
this freedom is lacking the marriage is invalid. For this reason (or for
other reasons that render the marriage null and void) the Church, after an
examination of the situation by the competent ecclesiastical tribunal, can
declare the nullity of a marriage, i.e., that the marriage never existed.
In this case the contracting parties are free to marry, provided the natural
obligations of a previous union are
discharged.”(CCC 1628–1629) |
| • |
“Human love does not tolerate
‘trial marriages.’ It demands a total and definitive gift
of persons to one another.” (CCC 2391) |
| • |
“Formal cooperation in
an abortion constitutes a grave offense. The Church attaches the canonical
penalty of excommunication to this crime against human life. A person who
procures a completed abortion incurs
excommunication . . . by the very commission of the
offense. . . . The Church does not thereby intend to restrict
the scope of mercy. Rather, she makes clear the gravity of the crime committed,
the irreparable harm done to the innocent who is put to death, as well as
to the parents and the whole of society.”
(CCC 2272) |
|
The Conditions
of Discipleship
Whoever loves father or mother more
than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than
me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up his cross and follow
after me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever
loses his life for my sake will find
it. (Matthew 10:37–39)
The
Confiteor
Confiteor, in Latin, means
“I confess,” and so The Confiteor is a penitential prayer in which
we acknowledge our sinfulness not just privately but to the entire Christian
community, and implore the help of all the saints in seeking God’s mercy
and forgiveness. The Confiteor is traditionally recited while striking the
breast as a sign of humility at the words mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima
culpa. The prayer below is the traditional form of the prayer; for the
contemporary form of the Confiteor used in the Penitential Rite during Mass,
see Musical Parts of the Mass, under
Kyrie.
CONFITEOR Deo omnipotenti,
beatae Mariae semper Virgini,
beato Michaeli Archangelo,
beato Ioanni Baptistae,
sanctis Apostolis Petro et Paulo,
et omnibus Sanctis,
quia peccavi nimis cogitatione, verbo et opere:
mea culpa, mea culpa,
mea maxima culpa.
Ideo precor beatam Mariam semper Virginem,
beatum Michaelem Archangelum,
beatum Ioannem Baptistam,
sanctos Apostolos Petrum et Paulum,
et omnes Sanctos,
orare pro me ad Dominum Deum nostrum.
Amen. |
|
I CONFESS to almighty God,
to blessed Mary ever Virgin,
to blessed Michael the Archangel,
to blessed John the Baptist,
to the holy apostles Peter and Paul,
and to all the saints,
that I have sinned exceedingly in thought, word, and deed:
through my fault, through my fault,
through my most grievous fault.
Therefore, I beseech blessed Mary ever Virgin,
blessed Michael the Archangel,
blessed John the Baptist,
the holy apostles Peter and Paul,
and all the saints,
to pray for me to the Lord our God.
Amen. |
The
Creed
The
Apostle’s Creed
The Apostle’s Creed is an ancient
baptismal symbol of the Church of Rome and is considered to be a true summary
of the apostles’ faith. It is broken here into its twelve points of
doctrine.
Listen
to the Latin
|
Credo
in Deum,
Patrem omnipotentum,
creatorem coeli et terrae;
|
I believe in God
the Father almighty
creator of Heaven and Earth;
|
et in Jesum
Christum,
filium ejus unicum,
Dominum nostrum,
|
and in Jesus
Christ,
his only son,
our Lord,
|
qui conceptus est
de Spiritu sancto,
natus ex Maria Virgine,
|
who was conceived
by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
|
passus sub Pontio
Pilato,
crucifixus, mortuus,
et sepultus.
|
suffered under
Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died,
and was buried.
|
Descendit ad
infernos;
tertia die
resurrexit a mortuis.
|
He descended into
hell;
on the third day
he rose again from the dead.
|
Ascendit ad
coelos,
sedet ad dexteram
Dei Patris omnipotentis.
|
He ascended into
Heaven,
and is seated at the right hand
of God, the Father Almighty.
|
Inde venturus est
judicare vivos et mortuos.
|
From thence he
will come
to judge the living and the dead.
|
Credo
in Spiritum sanctum,
|
I believe in the
Holy Spirit,
|
sanctam
Ecclesiam catholicam,
sanctorum communionem,
|
the holy catholic
Church,
and the communion of the saints,
|
remissionem
peccatorum,
|
the forgiveness
of sins,
|
carnis
resurrectionem,
|
the resurrection
of the body,
|
vitam
æternam. Amen.
|
and life everlasting.
Amen.
|
The
Nicene Creed
The Nicene Creed—also known
as the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed—was composed and refined during
the ecumenical Councils of Nicea and Constantinople in the early fourth century;
these councils defended the true nature of Jesus against heresies of the
time. This Nicene Creed (from the Latin word credo, “I
believe”) declares that Jesus was indeed both true God and true
man.
A more-or-less literal English
translation is provided here that, though not approved for liturgical use,
may help those not familiar with Latin to appreciate the original
text.
Listen to the Latin:
60 sec. music | Text not
available
|
| CREDO
in unum Deum, Patrem omnipotentem, factorem caeli et terrae,visibilium omnium
et invisibilium. |
I believe
in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and of all things
visible and invisible. |
| Et in unum Dominum
Iesum Christum, Filium Dei unigenitum, et ex Patre natum ante omnia saecula.
Deum de Deo, Lumen de Lumine, Deum verum de Deo vero, genitum non factum,
consubstantialem Patri; per quem omnia facta sunt. |
And in one Lord,
Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all
ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not
made, one in being with the Father; through Whom all things were made. |
| Qui propter nos
homines et propter nostram salutem descendit de caelis. Et incarnatus
est de Spiritu Sancto ex Maria Virgine, et homo factus est. |
Who for us men
and for our salvation came down from heaven. *He was brought into his
human flesh and form by the Holy Spirit from the Virgin Mary, and thus was
made truly man.
* All bow while reciting these words. |
| Crucifixus etiam
pro nobis sub Pontio Pilato, passus et sepultus est, et resurrexit tertia
die, secundum Scripturas, et ascendit in caelum, sedet ad dexteram
Patris. |
He was crucified
for us under Pontius Pilate; suffered, and was buried. On the third day he
rose again according to the Scriptures; He ascended into heaven and sits
at the right hand of the Father. |
| Et iterum venturus
est cum gloria, iudicare vivos et mortuos, cuius regni non erit finis. |
He will come again
in glory to judge the living and the dead, and of his kingdom there shall
be no end. |
| Et in Spiritum
Sanctum, Dominum et vivificantem, qui ex Patre Filioque procedit. |
And in the Holy
Spirit, the Lord and giver of Life, who proceeds from the Father and the
Son. |
| Qui cum Patre et
Filio simul adoratur et conglorificatur: qui locutus est per prophetas. |
Who, with the Father
and the Son, is adored and glorified: who has spoken through the
Prophets. |
| Et unam, sanctam,
catholicam et apostolicam Ecclesiam. |
And one, holy,
catholic and apostolic Church. |
| Confiteor unum
baptisma in remissionem peccatorum. Et expecto resurrectionem mortuorum,
et vitam venturi saeculi. Amen. |
I confess one baptism
for the remission of sins. And I look for the resurrection of the dead, and
the life of the age to come. Amen. |
|
The Decalogue
of Assisi for Peace
Pope John Paul II
24 February 2002
1. |
We commit ourselves to proclaiming
our firm conviction that violence and terrorism are incompatible with the
authentic spirit of religion, and, as we condemn every recourse to violence
and war in the name of God or of religion, we commit ourselves to doing
everything possible to eliminate the root causes of terrorism. |
2. |
We commit ourselves to educating
people to mutual respect and esteem, in order to help bring about a peaceful
and fraternal coexistence between people of different ethnic groups, cultures
and religions. |
3. |
We commit ourselves to fostering
the culture of dialogue, so that there will be an increase of understanding
and mutual trust between individuals and among peoples, for these are the
premise of authentic peace. |
4. |
We commit ourselves to defending
the right of everyone to live a decent life in accordance with their own
cultural identity, and to form freely a family of his own. |
5. |
We commit ourselves to frank
and patient dialogue, refusing to consider our differences as an insurmountable
barrier, but recognizing instead that to encounter the diversity of others
can become an opportunity for greater reciprocal understanding. |
6. |
We commit ourselves to forgiving
one another for past and present errors and prejudices, and to supporting
one another in a common effort both to overcome selfishness and arrogance,
hatred and violence, and to learn from the past that peace without justice
is no true peace. |
7. |
We commit ourselves to taking
the side of the poor and the helpless, to speaking out for those who have
no voice and to working effectively to change these situations, out of the
convinction that no one can be happy alone. |
8. |
We commit ourselves to taking
up the cry of those who refuse to be resigned to violence and evil, and we
are desire to make every effort possible to offer the men and women of our
time real hope for justice and peace. |
9. |
We commit ourselves to encouraging
all efforts to promote friendship between peoples, for we are convinced that,
in the absence of solidarity and understanding between peoples, technological
progress exposes the world to a growing risk of destruction and death. |
10. |
We commit ourselves to urging
leaders of nations to make every effort to create and consolidate, on the
national and international levels, a world of solidarity and peace based
on justice. |
|
The Forgiveness
of Sins
“Christ instituted the
sacrament of Penance for all sinful members of his Church: above all for
those who, since Baptism, have fallen into grave sin, and have thus lost
their baptismal grace and wounded ecclesial communion. It is to them that
the sacrament of Penance offers a new possibility to convert and to recover
the grace of justification.” (CCC 1446)
Contrition
| • |
“Among the penitent’s
acts contrition occupies first place. Contrition is sorrow of the soul and
detestation for the sin committed, together with the resolution not to sin
again.” (CCC 1451) |
| • |
“When it arises from
a love by which God is loved above all else, contrition is called
‘perfect’ (contrition of charity). Such contrition remits venial
sins; it also obtains forgiveness of mortal sins if it includes the firm
resolution to have recourse to sacramental confession as soon as possible.”
(CCC 1452) |
| • |
“The contrition called
‘imperfect’ (or ‘attrition’) is also a gift of God, a
prompting of the Holy Spirit. It is born of the consideration of sin’s
ugliness or the fear of eternal damnation and the other penalties threatening
the sinner (contrition of fear). Such a stirring of conscience can initiate
an interior process which, under the prompting of grace, will be brought
to completion by sacramental absolution. By itself however, imperfect contrition
cannot obtain the forgiveness of grave sins, but it disposes one to obtain
forgiveness in the sacrament of Penance.”
(CCC 1453) |
The Confession
of Sins
| • |
“The confession (or disclosure)
of sins, even from a simply human point of view, frees us and facilitates
our reconciliation with others. Through such an admission man looks squarely
at the sins he is guilty of, takes responsibility for them, and thereby opens
himself again to God and to the communion of the Church in order to make
a new future possible.” (CCC 1455) |
| • |
“Confession
to a priest is an essential part of the sacrament of Penance: All mortal
sins of which penitents after a diligent self-examination are conscious must
be recounted by them in confession, even if they are most secret and have
been committed against the last two precepts of the
Decalogue; for these sins sometimes wound the soul more
grievously and are more dangerous than those which are committed openly.”
(CCC 1456) |
| • |
“According to the
Church’s command, after having attained the age of discretion, each
of the faithful is bound by an obligation faithfully to confess serious sins
at least once a year. Anyone who is aware of having committed a mortal sin
must not receive Holy Communion, even if he experiences deep contrition,
without having first received sacramental absolution, unless he has a grave
reason for receiving Communion and there is no possibility of going to
confession. Children must go to the sacrament of Penance before receiving
Holy Communion for the first time.” (CCC 1457) |
| • |
“Without being strictly
necessary, confession of everyday faults (venial sins) is nevertheless strongly
recommended by the Church. Indeed the regular confession of our venial sins
helps us form our conscience, fight against evil tendencies, let ourselves
be healed by Christ and progress in the life of the Spirit. By receiving
more frequently through this sacrament the gift of the Father’s mercy,
we are spurred to be merciful as he is merciful.”
(CCC 1458) |
Satisfaction
| • |
“Many sins wrong our neighbor.
One must do what is possible in order to repair the harm (e.g., return stolen
goods, restore the reputation of someone slandered, pay compensation for
injuries). Simple justice requires as much. But sin also injures and weakens
the sinner himself, as well as his relationships with God and neighbor.
Absolution takes away sin, but it does not remedy all the disorders sin has
caused. Raised up from sin, the sinner must still recover his full spiritual
health by doing something more to make amends for the sin: he must ‘make
satisfaction for’ or ‘expiate’ his sins. This satisfaction
is also called ‘penance.’” (CCC 1459) |
| • |
“The penance the confessor
imposes must take into account the penitent’s personal situation and
must seek his spiritual good. It must correspond as far as possible with
the gravity and nature of the sins committed. It can consist of prayer, an
offering, works of mercy, service of neighbor, voluntary self-denial, sacrifices,
and above all the patient acceptance of the cross we must bear.”
(CCC 1460) |
|
The Gifts
and Fruits of the Holy Spirit
The Gifts
of the Holy Spirit
“The seven gifts of the Holy
Spirit . . . belong in their fullness to Christ, Son of David. They complete
and perfect the virtues of those who receive them. They make the faithful
docile in readily obeying divine inspirations.”
(CCC 1831)
| 1 |
Wisdom |
| 2 |
Understanding |
| 3 |
Counsel |
| 4 |
Fortitude |
| 5 |
Knowledge |
| 6 |
Piety |
| 7 |
Fear of the Lord |
The Fruits
of the Holy Spirit
The fruits of the Spirit are perfections
that the Holy Spirit forms in us as the first fruits of eternal glory. Saint
Paul (Galatians 5:22-23) listed nine of them; the later tradition of the
Church lists twelve of them (CCC 1832).
| St.
Paul |
|
Later
Tradition |
| 1 |
Love (charity) |
|
1 |
Charity |
| 2 |
Joy |
|
2 |
Joy |
| 3 |
Peace |
|
3 |
Peace |
| 4 |
Patience |
|
4 |
Patience |
| 5 |
Kindness |
|
5 |
Kindness |
| 6 |
Generosity |
|
6 |
Goodness |
| 7 |
Faithfulness |
|
7 |
Generosity |
| 8 |
Gentleness |
|
8 |
Gentleness |
| 9 |
Self-control |
|
9 |
Faithfulness |
|
|
|
10 |
Modesty |
|
|
|
11 |
Self-control |
|
|
|
12 |
Chastity |
The Greatest
Commandment
When the Pharisees heard that he
had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them [a scholar
of the law] tested him by asking, “Teacher, which commandment in the
law is the greatest?” He said to him, “You shall love the Lord,
your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.
This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You
shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend
on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:34–40)
The Mystery
of Faith
Christ has died, Christ is risen,
Christ will come again.
The Precepts
of the Church
“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 very necessary minimum
in the spirit of prayer and moral effort, in the growth in love of God and
neighbor.” (CCC 2041)
1. |
“The first precept
(‘You shall attend Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation and
rest from servile labor’) requires the faithful to sanctify the
day commemorating the Resurrection of the Lord as well as the principal
liturgical feasts honoring the mysteries of the Lord, the Blessed Virgin
Mary, and the saints; in the first place, by participating in the Eucharistic
celebration, in which the Christian community is gathered, and by resting
from those works and activities which could impede such a sanctification
of these days.” (CCC 2042)
Can. 1246 §1
The Lord’s Day, on which the paschal mystery is celebrated, is by apostolic
tradition to be observed in the universal Church as the primary holyday of
obligation. In the same way the following holydays are to be observed: the
Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Epiphany, the Ascension of Christ,
the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ, the feast of Mary the Mother of
God, her Immaculate Conception, her Assumption, the feast of St Joseph, the
feast of the Apostles SS Peter and Paul, and the feast of All Saints.
§2 However,
the Episcopal Conference may, with the prior approval of the Apostolic See,
suppress certain holydays of obligation or transfer them to a Sunday.
Can. 1247 On Sundays
and other holydays of obligation, the faithful are obliged to assist at Mass.
They are also to abstain from such work or business that would inhibit the
worship to be given to God, the joy proper to the Lord’s Day, or the
due relaxation of mind and body.
Can. 1248 §1
The obligation of assisting at Mass is satisfied wherever Mass is celebrated
in a catholic rite either on a holyday itself or on the evening of the previous
day.
§2 If it is
impossible to assist at a eucharistic celebration, either because no sacred
minister is available or for some other grave reason, the faithful are strongly
recommended to take part in a liturgy of the Word, if there be such in the
parish church or some other sacred place, which is celebrated in accordance
with the provisions laid down by the diocesan Bishop; or to spend an appropriate
time in prayer, whether personally or as a family or, as occasion presents,
in a group of families.
|
2. |
“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.” (CCC 2042)
Can. 989 All the
faithful who have reached the age of discretion are bound faithfully to confess
their grave sins at least once a year.
|
3. |
“The third precept
(‘You shall receive the sacrament of the Eucharist 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.” (CCC 2042)
Can. 920 §1
Once admitted to the blessed Eucharist, each of the faithful is obliged to
receive holy communion at least once a year.
Can. 919 §1
Whoever is to receive the blessed Eucharist is to abstain for at least one
hour before holy communion from all food and drink, with the sole exception
of water and medicine.
Can. 917 One who
has received the blessed Eucharist may receive it again on the same day only
within a eucharistic celebration in which that person participates.
Can. 916 Anyone
who is conscious of grave sin may not celebrate Mass or receive the Body
of the Lord without previously having been to sacramental confession, unless
there is a grave reason and there is no opportunity to confess; in this case
the person is to remember the obligation to make an act of perfect contrition,
which includes the resolve to go to confession as soon as possible.
|
4. |
“The fourth precept
(‘You shall observe the days of fasting and abstinence established
by the Church’) ensures the times of ascesis and penance which prepare
us for the liturgical feasts and help us acquire mastery over our instincts
and freedom of heart.” (CCC 2043)
Can. 1249 All
Christ’s faithful are obliged by divine law, each in his or her own
way, to do penance. However, so that all may be joined together in a certain
common practice of penance, days of penance are prescribed. On these days
the faithful are in a special manner to devote themselves to prayer, to engage
in works of piety and charity, and to deny themselves, by fulfilling their
obligations more faithfully and especially by observing the fast and abstinence
which the following canons prescribe.
Can. 1250 The days
and times of penance for the universal Church are each Friday of the whole
year and the season of Lent.
Can. 1251 Abstinence
from meat, or from some other food as determined by the Episcopal Conference,
is to be observed on all Fridays, unless a solemnity should fall on a Friday.
Abstinence and fasting are to be observed on Ash Wednesday and Good
Friday.
Can. 1252 The law
of abstinence binds those who have completed their fourteenth year. The law
of fasting binds those who have attained their majority, until the beginning
of their sixtieth year. Pastors of souls and parents are to ensure that even
those who by reason of their age are not bound by the law of fasting and
abstinence, are taught the true meaning of penance.
Fasting means that
one full meatless meal per day may be eaten. Two other meatless meals sufficient
to maintain strength may be taken, but together they should not equal more
than a full meal. Liquids, including milk and fruit juice, may be taken between
meals.
The whole point of fasting, by the
way, is to listen to your stomach crying out to be filled with worldly
allurements and then to say to it, “Yes, my friend, I hear you. But
remember, our true hunger is for Christ himself.” Use your fasting,
then, to lead you to the most simple prayer of all, as Saint Francis himself
prayed it: My God and my All!
|
5. |
“The fifth precept
(‘You shall help to provide for the needs of the Church’)
means that the faithful are obliged to assist with the material needs
of the Church, each according to his own ability. The faithful also have
the duty of providing for the material needs of the Church, each according
to his own abilities” (CCC 2043).
Can. 222 §1
Christ’s faithful have the obligation to provide for the needs of the
Church, so that the Church has available to it those things which are necessary
for divine worship, for apostolic and charitable work and for the worthy
support of its ministers.
§2 They are
also obliged to promote social justice and, mindful of the Lord’s precept,
to help the poor from their own resources.
|
|
Redemption
and Salvation
Redemption is a gift to us,
through the sacrifice of Christ; as Saint Paul said, “Christ died for
our sins in accordance with the scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3):
|
Through his
suffering, my servant shall justify many,
and their guilt he shall bear.
Therefore I will give him his portion among the great,
and he shall divide the spoils with the mighty,
Because he surrendered himself to death
and was counted among the wicked;
And he shall take away the sins of many,
and win pardon for their offenses. |
|
|
—Isaiah
53:11b–12 |
|
Redemption is given to all, as is
made clear in each of the Eucharistic Prayers (I–IV) of Mass: “Take
this, all of you, and drink from it: this is the cup of my blood, the blood
of the new and everlasting covenant. It will be shed for you and for all
so that sins may be forgiven” (cf. Matthew 20:28, 26:28; Mark 14:24;
note that the word many in these Gospel verses is a Semitism equivalent
to “all”).
But our salvation depends
on our willingly accepting that gift of our redemption; as Saint Paul said,
“work out your salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians
2:12b). Thus to achieve salvation we must change our lives accordingly, turning
away from our old ways of sin and faithfully keeping the commands Christ
gave us, so as to live as God created us to live.
|
Let the scoundrel
forsake his way,
and the wicked man his thoughts;
Let him turn to the LORD for mercy;
to our God, who is generous in forgiving. |
|
|
—Isaiah
55:7
|
|
And Saint Francis admonished us:
Woe to those who die in mortal sin! (Canticle
of All Creatures).
The Seven
Deadly Sins
| 1 |
Pride (Superbia) |
| 2 |
Envy (Invidia) |
| 3 |
Wrath (Ira) |
| 4 |
Sloth (Acedia) |
| 5 |
Avarice
(Avaritia) |
| 6 |
Gluttony (Gula) |
| 7 |
Lust (Luxuria) |
The Seven
Joys of Mary
| 1 |
The Annunciation |
| 2 |
The Visitation |
| 3 |
The Nativity |
| 4 |
The Adoration by the Magi |
| 5 |
The Finding of Our Lord in the
Temple |
| 6 |
The Resurrection |
| 7 |
The Assumption of the Blessed
Virgin into Heaven and Her Coronation as Queen of Heaven
|
| For details
about the Seven Joys of Mary, see
The Franciscan Crown and the Rosary |
The Seven
Sacraments
| 1 |
Baptism |
| 2 |
Confirmation (or
Chrismation) |
| 3 |
Eucharist |
| 4 |
Penance |
| 5 |
Anointing of the Sick (commonly
called “Last Rites” when administered near death) |
| 6 |
Holy Orders |
| 7 |
Matrimony |
The Seven
Sorrows of Mary
| 1 |
The Prophesy of Simeon at the
Presentation (Luke 2:33-35) |
| 2 |
The Flight into Egypt (Matthew
2:13-15) |
| 3 |
The Loss of Jesus at Jerusalem
(Luke 2:41-45) |
| 4 |
The Meeting with Jesus on His
Way to the Crucifixion (Luke 23:26-31) |
| 5 |
Standing at the Foot of the
Cross (John 19:25) |
| 6 |
Taking Jesus Down from the Cross
(Matthew 27:57-61) |
| 7 |
Burying Jesus in the Tomb (Matthew
27:57-61)
|
| For images
of the last four sorrows of Mary, see
The Stations of the Cross |
| For the
text of the hymn Stabat Mater, in Latin and English, see
Stabat Mater |
The Ten
Commandments, or Decalogue
1. |
I am the LORD
your God; you shall not have other gods before me. |
2. |
You shall not take the name
of the LORD your God in vain. |
3. |
Remember to keep holy the
LORD’s day. |
4. |
Honor your mother and
father. |
5. |
You shall not kill. |
6. |
You shall not commit
adultery. |
7. |
You shall not steal. |
8. |
You shall not bear false witness
against your neighbor. |
9. |
You shall not covet your
neighbor’s wife. |
10. |
You shall not covet your
neighbor’s goods. |
The True
Disciple
Not everyone who says to me,
“Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one
who does the will of my Father in heaven. (Matthew 7:21)
The
Virtues
The Cardinal
Virtues
“Four virtues play a pivotal
role and accordingly are called cardinal; all the others are grouped
around them. They are: prudence, justice, fortitude, and
temperance. . . . These virtues are praised under other names
in many passages of Scripture.” (CCC 1805)
| • |
“Prudence is the
virtue that disposes practical reason to discern our true good in every
circumstance and to choose the right means of achieving
it. . . . Prudence is ‘right reason in action,’
writes St. Thomas Aquinas, following Aristotle. It is not to be confused
with timidity or fear, nor with duplicity or dissimulation. It is called
auriga virtutum (the charioteer of the virtues); it guides the other
virtues by setting rule and measure. It is prudence that immediately guides
the judgment of conscience. The prudent man determines and directs his conduct
in accordance with this judgment. With the help of this virtue we apply moral
principles to particular cases without error and overcome doubts about the
good to achieve and the evil to
avoid.” (CCC 1806) |
| • |
“Justice is the
moral virtue that consists in the constant and firm will to give their due
to God and neighbor. Justice toward God is called the ‘virtue of
religion.’ Justice toward men disposes one to respect the rights of
each and to establish in human relationships the harmony that promotes equity
with regard to persons and to the common good. The just man, often mentioned
in the Sacred Scriptures, is distinguished by habitual right thinking and
the uprightness of his conduct toward his neighbor. ‘You shall not be
partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you
judge your neighbor.’ ‘Masters, treat your slaves justly and fairly,
knowing that you also have a Master in
heaven.’” (CCC 1807) |
| • |
“Fortitude is the
moral virtue that ensures firmness in difficulties and constancy in the pursuit
of the good. It strengthens the resolve to resist temptations and to overcome
obstacles in the moral life. The virtue of fortitude enables one to conquer
fear, even fear of death, and to face trials and persecutions. It disposes
one even to renounce and sacrifice his life in defense of a just cause.
‘The Lord is my strength and my song.’ ‘In the world you have
tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the
world.’” (CCC 1808) |
| • |
“Temperance is the
moral virtue that moderates the attraction of pleasures and provides balance
in the use of created goods. It ensures the will’s mastery over instincts
and keeps desires within the limits of what is honorable. The temperate person
directs the sensitive appetites toward what is good and maintains a healthy
discretion: ‘Do not follow your inclination and strength, walking according
to the desires of your heart.’ Temperance is often praised in the Old
Testament: ‘Do not follow your base desires, but restrain your
appetites.’ In the New Testament it is called ‘moderation’
or ‘sobriety.’ We ought ‘to live sober, upright, and godly
lives in this world.’” (CCC 1809) |
The Theological
Virtues
“[T]he theological virtues
. . . adapt man’s faculties for participation in the divine
nature: for the theological virtues relate directly to God. They dispose
Christians to live in a relationship with the Holy Trinity. They have the
One and Triune God for their origin, motive, and
object.” (CCC 1812)
| • |
“Faith is the
theological virtue by which we believe in God and believe all that he has
said and revealed to us, and that Holy Church proposes for our belief, because
he is truth itself. By faith ‘man freely commits his entire self to
God.’ For this reason the believer seeks to know and do God’s will.
‘The righteous shall live by faith.’ Living faith ‘work[s]
through charity.’” (CCC 1814) |
| • |
“Hope is the theological
virtue by which we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our
happiness, placing our trust in Christ’s promises and relying not on
our own strength, but on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit. ‘Let
us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised
is faithful.’ ‘The Holy Spirit . . . he poured out upon
us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that we might be justified
by his grace and become heirs in hope of eternal
life.’” (CCC 1817) |
| • |
“Charity is the
theological virtue by which we love God above all things for his own sake,
and our neighbor as ourselves for the love of
God.” (CCC 1822) |
For more information:
The Catechism
of the Catholic Church
Code of
Canon Law
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