Precepts of the Catholic Church

At a recent Priests’ Council meeting, a discussion came up about availability of Masses on Holy Days of Obligation. During the discussion, it was noted how so few Catholics actually attend Mass on these days. In rural areas, there is not always a Mass provided given distances, but in the larger communities, Mass is available, yet many parishioners simply opt out. It struck me that some Catholics do not appreciate the importance of following the Church teachings that are based on discipline. The reason why we have them is not to make life difficult, but to provide aids to overcome sin and to grow in holiness.

As an analogy, parents provide their children with rules. They do so not to make life difficult for their children, but as a guide to help their children eventually to become mature adults. St. Paul, addressing a situation of jealousy at the Church in Corinth, wrote: “I could not, friends, speak to you as spiritual persons but as fleshly people, for you are still infants in Christ. I gave you milk and not solid food, for you were not ready for it and up to now you cannot receive it for you are still of the flesh” (1 Cor. 3:1-2). St. Paul is not thinking of the Church there as being childish but as still needing to advance more in the way of Christian life. This is what the precepts of the Church are about, i.e., helping us to advance in the way of Christian life.

Last year, I sent a flyer to all parishes asking that they be inserted into bulletins. After the discussion at the Priests’ Council, I thought it would be helpful to reissue them as an article in the Harvest for this January. This way, all the households of the Diocese would receive them.

Precepts of the Catholic Church

1. Attend Mass on Sundays and on holy days of obligation, and rest from servile labor. Attendance at a weekly Sunday Mass and Holy Days of Obligation is mandatory for all Catholics. To excuse oneself without cause is a serious sin. While obligatory, there are a number of factors that would excuse Sunday Mass or Holy Day Mass attendance: for example, a personal illness or the need to take care of someone suffering illness; significant travel situations; certain jobs affecting public safety or welfare; a long distance from a church in a rural area. The lack of a priest to celebrate Mass at a parish is an obvious excusing cause though it is still important to try to gather as a community of faith with the Sunday Celebration in the Absence of a Priest.

Avoidance of servile labor is yet a precept of the Church. It is work primarily oriented to sustaining earthly existence. This is a bit complicated in today’s society and probably better understood, not so much in terms of the physical exertion, but rather in terms of the orientation of the work. An accountant, for example, might find digging in the garden or cutting the grass to be more recreational, than work. Basically, the Church’s prohibition of servile work on Sundays is fidelity to the divine commandment to keep holy the Sabbath. This means avoiding activities that would hinder renewal of soul and body, e.g., needless work or business, unnecessary shopping or housekeeping.

2. Confess your sins at least once a year. Catholics above the age of discretion, (about seven years of age) are required to confess their grave sins to a priest in individual confession at least once per year, at any time during the year, though usually during Lent. Strictly speaking, persons free of grave (mortal) sin are not required to make an annual confession, but all Catholics are strongly encouraged to bring even their venial sins to confession. Persons conscious of having committed grave sins should not delay in seeking absolution notwithstanding the annual nature of the precept. The Sacrament of Penance is a gift from the Lord to concretely address sin in our lives and know spiritual healing. If we are in a state of serious sin, our soul is dead. Christ wants us to be alive.

3. Receive the sacrament of the Eucharist at least during the Easter season. This precept may seem strange to Catholics now days, given that most Catholics receive communion at the Masses they attend. It is a precept because it is through the reception of the Eucharist that we are united most closely to Christ and sisters and brothers in the Church. This particular reception of the Eucharist during the Easter Season can take place within or outside of Mass (e.g., if a person is homebound), but it is best to receive at Mass. For Catholics in the United States, the period for satisfying this precept has been extended beyond what is the Easter season, to run from the First Sunday of Lent to Trinity Sunday (after Pentecost).

4. Observe the days of fasting and abstinence established by the Church. The Church’s laws of fast and abstinence have probably never been lighter, but Fridays throughout the year and especially the Season of Lent are still required. These are penitential disciplines for our spiritual benefit. Shortly after the Second Vatican Council, the external discipline of abstaining from meat on Fridays was adjusted to allow Catholics to perform some other self-imposed penance. Only on Fridays in Lent are Catholics, aged 14 and older, bound to abstain from meat. On Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, Catholics aged 18 to 59 inclusive, are bound to fast which means they may take one full meal during that day, and two smaller meals. Unknown to many Catholics, the requirement to do some form of penance on Fridays throughout the year is still a requirement.

5. Help provide for the needs of the Church. The Church has the divine right to seek from the faithful whatever is necessary to support the legitimate temporal activities of the Church. This is normally accomplished through financial appeals, the Sunday collection, etc. Catholics are prayerfully to discern precisely when and how they will assist the temporal needs of the Church. This lack of specificity should not be taken as a sign that, for all practical purposes, the precept may be ignored. Support of the Church on a parochial, diocesan and universal level, is a moral requirement for Catholics. Sunday collections, annual appeals, spontaneous offerings, bequests and wills, and so on are all ways by which Catholics have available to satisfy this precept of support. What should never be forgotten is sharing material resources with the poor and disadvantaged.

One last item while I’m writing on the precepts is the requirement to fast from food and drink (except water) prior to receiving Christ in Holy Communion. This includes chewing gum!