Precepts of the Church

The precepts, or laws, of the Church are applications of the laws of God. The Lord established the Church to prescribe whatever was necessary to carry out His teachings. Jesus said, “He who hears you, hears me; and he who rejects you, rejects me.” (Luke 10:16) The Church’s precepts then have the authority of Christ behind them. Their obligatory character is meant to guarantee to us the very necessary minimum in prayer, moral effort, and growth in charity.

 

The First Precept

To attend Mass on Sundays and holydays of obligation and rest from servile work.

• The obligation to assist at Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation is linked to the 3^rd Commandment of the Decalogue whereby we sanctify the Lord’s Day of Resurrection.
• The Sunday obligation can be fulfilled on Saturday evening. (The earliest the “anticipated” Sunday Mass can be celebrated is 4:00 .)
• “Holy Days of Obligation” have been established to remind us of the mysteries of our faith and important events in the life of Christ, the Blessed Virgin, and the Saints. In the US, there are six days:
  • Christmas—Dec. 25;
  • Mary, Mother of God—Jan. 1;
  • Ascension Thursday—40 days after Easter (in other parts of the country, this is observed on a Sunday);
  • Assumption—Aug. 15;
  • All Saints—Nov. 1;
  • Immaculate Conception—Dec. 8.
• Whenever Mary, Mother of God (Jan. 1); the Assumption (Aug. 15); or All Saints (Nov. 1) falls on a Saturday or Monday, the precept to attend Mass is abrogated, i.e. there is no obligation to attend Mass.
• This obligation is a serious one and those who fail to fulfill it, commit a grave sin unless excused for a serious reason (for example, illness, the care of infants, the elderly, dangerous weather conditions) or dispensed by their own pastor.
• Viewing a televised Mass does not fulfill one’s obligation. It serves as a way for those who are legitimately excused to participate in Mass in a remote way.
• This precept also enjoins us to rest from those works and activities that impede the sanctification of the day.

The Second Precept

Confess Your Sins at Least Once a Year

• This precept ensures preparation for the reception of the Eucharist by making a sacramental confession when one is aware of a grave (mortal) sin.

• The Church does not intend to say that yearly confession is sufficient for a practicing Catholic. The Church’s concern is that no one goes on indefinitely living in the state of mortal sin.

• In the US, the period set aside to fulfill this obligation (the Easter Duty) is anytime between the First Sunday of Lent and Trinity Sunday. But this can be fulfilled at another time for a just cause.

• Failure to meet this minimum requirement is a serious sin.

• Making Sacramental Confession a regular part of our spiritual life is strongly encouraged even if one has no mortal sins to confess. This practice helps us to address our venial (less serious) sins, overcome temptation, remain in the state of grace and grow in virtue.

The Third Precept

Receive the Sacrament of the Eucharist at least during the Easter Season.

• Faithful to the Lord’s admonition, “Unless you eat of the Son of Man and drink his Blood, you shall have no life in you,” (John 6:54), the Church has established an absolute minimum of once a year for the reception of Holy Communion.
• In the US, the period set aside to fulfill this obligation (the Easter Duty) is anytime between the First Sunday of Lent and Trinity Sunday. But this can be fulfilled at another time for a just cause.
• Failure to meet this minimum requirement is a serious sin.
• The Church has long encouraged frequent reception of the Holy Eucharist. Here we are speaking of the absolute minimum required of a Catholic.
• Catholics should avail themselves of the Sacrament of Penance (Confession) before receiving Holy Communion, if conscious of any mortal sin.
• Preparation for the reception of the Eucharist includes fasting from all food and drink (except for water and medicine) for one hour prior to Holy Communion. The one hour fast is reduced to 15 minutes for those who are ill.

The Fourth Precept

Observe the Days of Fasting and Abstinence Established by the Church

• The practice of fasting and abstinence ensures minimum times of asceticism and penance that prepare us for the liturgical feasts and help us master our instincts, raise our minds more freely to God, and make satisfaction for our sins.
• A day of fasting is a day on which only one full meal is allowed. In the morning and evening some food is allowed but these should not equal a meal and no food should be consumed at other times during the day.
• All Catholics between the ages of 21 and 59 are obliged to observe fast days unless they are excused or dispensed.
• A day of abstinence is a day on which we may not eat meat (exceptions: eggs, milk products, or condiments made of animal fat.
• All Catholics age 14 and older are obliged to abstain from meat unless excused or dispensed.
• Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are days of both Fasting and Abstinence
• All Fridays of Lent are Days of Abstinence
• The obligation to observe the laws of fasting and abstinence is a serious one. Failure to observe one penitential day in itself is not considered a serious sin. It is the failure to observe any penitential days at all, or a substantial number of penitential days, that must be considered serious.

The Fifth Precept

Help Provide for the needs of the Church

• The obligation to assist with the material needs of the Church (each according to his or her own ability) flows from the very nature of our membership in Christ’s mystical body. We are called by our baptism and confirmation to carry out the Lord’s work of salvation by our labors, prayers and by material means.
• Normally, we discharge this duty by giving, as generously as your means allow, to the various collections taken up in our own parish and in our diocese.
• Collections include not only offerings for the parish church, but also for world-wide needs, the poor, the sick, and homeless.

The Sixth Precept

Observe the Laws of the Church concerning Marriage

• The matrimonial covenant is the state in life by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole of life, until natural death. It is ordered toward the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of children.
• Catholics are obliged to marry before a duly authorized Catholic priest or deacon and two witnesses. This is referred to as the “canonical form” of marriage. There are certain cases, in which a dispensation from this “form” may be granted by the bishop, provided all other requirements for marriage preparation are fulfilled.
• Marriage must be public, entered into freely, without pressure, conditions, or reservations of any kind.
• The minimum age requirement in Canon Law is 16 for a man and 14 for a woman. Each state and country has its own laws regulating the minimum age. Parental permission is required for those wishing to marry under the age of 18.
• A couple must accept the obligation to be exclusively faithful to one another.
• A couple must give each other the right to have children if God grants such.
• The marriage of two baptized persons is sacramental. The marriage of a baptized Catholic and a non-baptized person is a true marriage but not sacramental.
• Permission of the diocesan bishop is required for a Catholic to marry a baptized, non-Catholic. A dispensation is required for the marriage of a Catholic and a non-baptized person.
• A person wishing to marry who has been in a previous marriage where the former spouse is still living, must obtain a decree of nullity from the Church before entering into another marriage.

The Seventh Precept

To Support the Missionary Apostolate of the Church

• The whole Church is missionary, and the work of evangelization is a basic duty of the People of God.
• All the faithful are duty bound to cooperate in the expansion of Christ’s Body.
• The laity cooperate in the work of evangelization by nurturing in themselves and in others a knowledge and love of the missions; by stimulating vocations in their own family, in Catholic associations, and in the schools; by offering subsidies of every kind, that they may offer to others that gift of Faith which they have received gratis.