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May 6, 2021How are we to live? This is the question that the Church seeks to answer through its moral teaching. The Christian moral life often is misunderstood and frequently presented in a distorted manner.
Many imagine that it is merely a catalogue of prohibitions or simply abiding by a set of rules, which are often perceived as arbitrary and burdensome. The Church teaches something very different. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us that, “The moral life is spiritual worship” (CCC 2031). What does this mean?
Because of our communion with the Body of Christ through Baptism, the whole of our life, including our moral life, is linked with our liturgical offering of the Eucharist. It is what we present to God through, with and in Christ. The Church’s moral teaching enlightens us so that we can “discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect” in his sight (Rm.12:2). The Christian moral life is the way we live God’s loving plan for us and give him glory.
This is not to say that for a Christian there are no rules, laws or precepts. But, these are given to guide us in the way of truth and lead us to the fullness of life, according to the new law of love. We are guided in knowing God’s plan for our happiness and for our salvation through the law written in our human nature (natural law) and revealed to us in his word.
While Christ is the Teacher par excellence, he also has entrusted to his Church the authority to teach on matters of faith and morals. Jesus said to his Apostles, “Whoever listens to you listens to me” (Lk.10:16). This authoritative voice of Christ is heard through the teaching of the pope and bishops, successors of Peter and the Apostles, who form the magisterium, or teaching office of the Church. It is the duty of the Church’s magisterium (pope and bishops) to preach and teach the fullness of the faith that we must believe and put into practice in daily life.
Unfortunately, it is not enough just to know what is good for us. Experience reminds us that we often fail to do what we know we ought to do. We are weak and constantly in need of God’s grace to help us choose rightly what is truly good for us.
To faithfully live the moral life, it is necessary that Christians receive regular nourishment from the word of God, from prayer and the grace of the sacraments. Since the Church recognizes this connection between the moral life and the grace flowing from the liturgy as the “source and summit” of the Christian life, the Church proposes specific precepts to aid us. These are known as the Precepts of the Church.
The Precepts of the Church have been proposed as binding on all Catholics since the Middle Ages. Their formulation and number have varied slightly over the years. The Catechism of the Catholic Church presents five precepts (CCC 2041-2043).
They highlight the link between our moral life and the liturgical life. The Precepts of the Church are:- You shall attend Mass on Sundays and on holy days of obligation and rest from servile labor;
- You shall confess your sins at least once a year;
- You shall receive the sacrament of the Eucharist at least during the Easter season;
- You shall observe the days of fasting and abstinence established by the Church;
- You shall help to provide for the needs of the Church.
Clearly, these do not present the totality of the Christian life. They are intended to guarantee the necessary minimum in the spirit of prayer, sacramental life and moral commitment to ensure our growth in the love of God and love of neighbor. They present the “floor” beneath which we dare not descend if we are to continue moving forward as disciples in the Christian life.
In these upcoming columns, I will write on each of the Precepts of the Church exploring them in greater depth.