A Complete Catechism of the Catholic Religion/Chap. III. The Six Commandments of the Church
CHAPTER III.
The Six Commandments of the Church.
1. Are there, besides the Commandments of God, any others which Christians are bound to keep?
Yes, the Commandments of the Church.
2. Whence has the Church a right to give Commandments?
From Jesus Christ Himself, who has commissioned His Church to guide and govern the faithful in His name (pages 142-3, quest. 42-44).
Therefore, to despise the Commandments of the Church is to despise Christ Himself. 'He that heareth you, heareth me; and he that despiseth you, despiseth me' (Luke x. 16).
3. Has the Church no further right than to give Commandments?
She has also a right to watch over the observance of these Commandments, and to punish those who break them; for instance, to refuse them the Holy Sacraments (Matt, xviii. 18), and finally to exclude them from the Church, and to deprive them of Christian burial when they die (1 Cor. v. 3-5). (See page 133, quest. 10.)
4. Which are the general or chief Commandments of the Church?
These six:
1. To abstain from servile work and to hear Mass on all Sundays and Holy days of obligation.
2. To fast and to abstain on the days appointed by the Church.
3. To confess our sins at least once a yearly.
4. To receive worthily the Blessed Eucharist at Easter or within the time appointed.
5. To contribute to the support of our pastors.
6. Not to marry persons within the forbidden degrees of kindred or otherwise prohibited by the Church; nor to solemnize marriage at the forbidden times.
5. Why has the Church given us these Commandments?
To explain the Commandments of God more precisely, and to determine more particularly how they are to be kept; and 2. To lead us to a religious and penitential life, and thereby to secure our eternal salvation.
6. How do these Commandments of the Church bind us?
They bind us strictly — that is, under pain of grievous sin.
'If he will not hear the Church, let him be to thee as the heathen and publican' (Matt. xxi. 17). Even in the Old Law God had ordained: 'He that will be proud and refuse to obey the commandment of the priest, that man shall die, and thou shalt take away the evil from Israel; and all the people hearing it shall fear, that no one afterwards swell with pride' (Deut. xvii. 12, 13).
Application. Be determined always humbly and conscientiously to observe the Commandments and Ordinances of the Church, that one day Jesus Christ may own you as a faithful sheep of His flock, which He has charged St. Peter and his successors to feed.
THE FIRST COMMANDMENT OF THE CHURCH.
I. What are we commanded by the First Commandment of the Church?
By the First Commandment, we are commanded, in the first place, to keep holy the Sundays and the Holydays which the Church has instituted in honor of our Lord and of His Saints, by resting from servile work.
As in the Old Law, on certain occasions — for instance, after the victory gained by the Jews over Holofernes (Judith xvi. 31), and over Aman (Esther ix.) — festivals were instituted in memory of the blessings received from God; so also has the Christian Church, in different times, most justly commanded that several Holydays or anniversaries should be celebrated in honor of Jesus Christ, of His glorious Mother, and of the Saints, His glorified friends.
2. For what purpose were the Feasts of Our Lord instituted? certificates
They were instituted that we should, 1. Devoutly meditate on the mysteries of our Redemption; 2. Thank God for His graces; and 3. Renew our zeal in serving Him, and thus render ourselves worthy of the fruits of Redemption.
In the course of each Ecclesiastical Year, the whole life of Jesus Christ is so represented to us in its principal parts as if the mysteries which we commemorate were renewed before our eyes. Therefore it is the intention of the Church that we should every year contemplate with her the life of Christ from its beginning to its end. In Advent we should, by repentance and longing expectation, prepare the way for the coming of our Redeemer into our hearts; in Lent we should, by penance and mortification, participate in His sufferings, die to sin, and spiritually rise with Him to a new life at Easter. At the approach of the Feast of Pentecost we should ardently long for the gifts of the Holy Ghost, and then continually endeavor to co-operate with the graces received.
3. Why were the Feasts of the Saints instituted?
That we may, 1. Praise the Lord for the graces which He has bestowed upon them, and, through them, upon us also; 2. Represent to our mind their exemplary virtues upon earth and their eternal bliss in Heaven, and resolve to imitate them; and 3. Implore their intercession with God.
4. Can the Church also suppress Holydays?
As she has full power to institute Holydays, so she has also a right to suppress them again, to transfer them, or to limit them to certain places, when time and circumstances require it.
The doctrine of the Church always is, and must be, one and the same, because it comes from God; but it is not so with her regulations and laws of discipline, which she makes after the lapse of ages, and must adapt to variety of times and places. Therefore, without detriment to the unity of her doctrine, there may be a difference in the celebration of her festivals.
Besides the Sundays, the following festivals are Holydays of obligation in the United States: The Circumcision of our Lord, January 1; Ascension of our Lord; Assumption of the Blessed Virgin, August 15; All Saints, November 1; The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin, the Patronal Festival of the American Church, December 8; and Christmas, or The Nativity of our Lord, December 25.
Application. Prepare yourself, in conformity with the spirit of the Church, as fervently for every chief festival of the year as if it were the last in your life. Beware of profaning the Holydays of obligation by servile work, by excesses, or sinful amusements.
5. What are we further commanded to do by the First Commandment of the Church?
By the First Commandment we are further commanded to assist, on all Sundays and Holydays of obligation, at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass with due attention, reverence, and devotion.
6. Why are we commanded especially to hear Mass on Sundays and Holydays of obligation?
Because the Sacrifice of the Mass is the most holy and salutary of all Divine Services, and that in which the Most High is honored in the most worthy manner.
7. Who are obliged to hear Mass on Sundays and Holydays of obligation?
All who are seven years of age and have attained the use of reason (which is generally the case at that age) are strictly bound to hear Mass, unless weighty reasons, as illness, nursing the sick, etc., excuse them from it.
8. When do we sin against this command of the Church?
I. When through our own fault we lose either the entire Mass or a great part of it; and 2. When during Mass we give way to voluntary distractions, look about through curiosity, talk, laugh or otherwise behave so that we cannot follow the Mass.
9. Where should the faithful hear Mass on Sundays and Holydays?
In the parish church, when it is possible; also in any church or public oratory.
10. Why does the Church wish that the faithful should attend Divine Service especially in their parish church?
Because in the parish church the pastor preaches and offers the Sacrifice of the Mass principally for his parishioners.
11. Does this Commandment of the Church also command us to hear the sermon?
According to the letter it does not; but according to the spirit it certainly does; for the hearing of the word of God also belongs to the worthy celebration of the Sundays and Holydays, and is, in general, an essential duty of a Christian.
In the primitive Church the sermon was generally preached at Mass after the Gospel; therefore the Church, which commands us to hear Mass, had no occasion for giving a particular and express commandment to hear the sermon.
12. Why are all Christians bound to hear the word of God?
1. Because the word of God is for all a most powerful means of sanctification, ordained by God Himself; 2. Because it is indispensable to all to be repeatedly reminded of the truths of Religion, and to be admonished to live up to them; and 3. Because all are obliged to mutual edification, by setting one another an example of Christian piety.
'He that is of God, heareth the words of God; therefore you hear them not, because you are not of God' (John viii. 47). It is therefore a bad sign when people neglect to hear the word of God.
13. How should we hear the word of God?
We should, 1. Listen to it with earnest attention, and with an ardent desire of working out our salvation; and 2. We should reflect well upon it, apply it to ourselves, and faithfully follow it.
'Blessed are they who hear the word of God and keep it' (Luke xi. 28; comp. Luke viii. 5-15).
Application. Make it a rule to assist with devotion on Sundays and Holydays at the Divine Service in the morning and in the afternoon, and to prefer your parish church to any other.
Missions, retreats and Lenten courses of instructions are seasons of special grace and mercy, particularly for those who have been leading irregular lives: to neglect these opportunities is to despise the mercy of God.
THE SECOND COMMANDMENT OF THE CHURCH.
1. What does the Second Commandment of the Church oblige us to do?
The Second Commandment of the Church obliges us to observe the laws of abstinence and fasting laid down by the Church.
2. What does the law of abstinence forbid?
The law of abstinence forbids the eating of flesh meat and of broth or soup made of meat; but it permits the use of eggs, milk, cheese, and butter; also seasonings of food which are made from the fat of animals.
3. What does the law of fasting prescribe?
It prescribes that only one full meal a day may be taken. But it does not forbid a small quantity of food in the morning and evening, the quality and quantity to be regulated according to the approved custom of one's locality.
4. Is it permitted to eat both flesh and fish at the same meal on days of fasting which are not also days of abstinence?
Yes; we may eat flesh and fish at the same meal. Also, we may take the full meal in the evening and a collation in the middle of the day.
5. What days does the law of abstinence, as apart from the law of fasting, oblige us to observe?
The law of abstinence, apart from the law of fasting, obliges us to abstain on all the Fridays of the year.
6. On what days are both the laws of abstinence and of fasting to be observed?
The laws both of abstinence and of fasting are to be observed on 1. Ash Wednesday, The Fridays and Saturdays of Lent; 2. The Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays of the Ember days, 3. The Vigils of Pentecost, of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, of the Feast of All Saints and of Christmas Day.
The Forty Days of Lent are ordained in imitation of the forty days' fast of Jesus Christ, in remembrance of His bitter Passion and Death, and that we may worthily prepare ourselves for the celebration of Easter. The Ember Days are ordained that the faithful may thank God for the blessings they have received in each quarter of the year; that in each season they may be reminded to do penance; and also that they may obtain of God worthy priests, these being generally the days of their ordination. By the Vigils the faithful prepare themselves for the worthy celebration of great festivals. The four weeks preceding the feast of Christmas are called the holy season of Advent. It is time of special prayer and devotion.
7. On what days is the law of fasting, apart from the law of abstinence, to be observed?
The law of fasting, apart from the law of abstinence, is to be observed on all Week Days in Lent that have not been already mentioned. (See preceding question.)
8. Do the laws either of abstinence or fasting bind on Sundays or Holidays of obligation?
No; on Sundays and holidays of obligation neither fast nor abstinence need be observed; also the Lenten obligations of abstinence and fast end at noon on Holy Saturday, because the Lenten Season closes at the end of Mass on that day.
9. Who are bound by the laws of abstinence and of fasting?
The law of abstinencebinds all who have completed their seventh year; the law of fasting binds those who have completed their twenty-first year and have not yet entered upon their sixtieth year.
10. May any persons within these ages be excused from fasting or abstinence?
Yes; the sick, convalescent, those in feeble health, and those who would be unable properly to discharge their duties of life, if they were obliged to observe fast and abstinence, may be excused from either or both, according to circumstances.
11. What are they to do who believe they have a good reason to be excused from fulfilling the obligations of abstinence and fasting?
They ought to apply to their confessors or Pastors for counsel.
A bishop may, for special grave local reason, in his Diocese sometimes dispense from the general laws of abstinence and fasting on particular occasions; or order a fast or abstinence to be observed which is not imposed by the general laws.
While the faith of the Church remains the same in all ages, from time to time she introduces changes in her discipline. By her discipline is meant the laws and regulations which she prescribes for her own government and for the direction of Christian life. Her disciplinary laws and precepts comprise, among other matters, Divine worship, the administering and receiving of the Sacraments, the duties of fasting and abstinence. The collection of these disciplinary regulations is called the Canon Law. Owing to the changes which time brings about in the ways of life, habits, customs and conditions of the faithful, the Church, for the welfare of her children, introduces changes in her discipline to adapt it the better to the changed conditions. The Holy See has recently issued a complete Code of Canon Law in which is laid down some modifications of former discipline especially with regard to the laws of fasting and abstinence.
12. Is it not superstitious to abstain from certain kinds of food?
It is superstitious, if we abstain from certain food as if it were evil and unclean in itself, as some heretics asserted; 1 but it is not so by any means if we do it in the spirit of obedience and penance, as the Catholic Church prescribes. 2
1 St. Paul combated this heresy (1 Tim. iv. 1-4); and also the Catholic Church has at all times combated and condemned it. 2 God Himself forbade certain meats to the Jews (Levit. xi. 2, etc.), and the Apostles to the first Christians (Acts xv. 29). St. John the Baptist ate nothing but locusts and wild honey (Mark i. 6). Eleazar and the seven Machabean brothers, with their mother, chose to suffer the most painful death, rather than transgress the law of God by eating swine's flesh (2 Mach. vi. and vii.).
13. But does not our Saviour clearly say: 'Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man'?
Yes; but the disobedience which proceeds from the heart defiles him (Matt. xv. 11, 18), as it is proved by the fall of our first parents.
Let, however, no one believe that the breaking of the fast is only then a grievous sin when it proceeds from a contempt of the Commandment or from a deliberate resistance to the Church. This opinion is erroneous, and has been expressly condemned by the Church (Alexand. VII. Propos. 23). Nay, there is a culpable disobedience when one knowingly and deliberately does what the Church has forbidden, even though it be neither attended with obstinacy nor contempt of the Commandment, but is done either through gluttony or through a weak complaisance to others.
14. Should we, on fasting-days, content ourselves with abstaining from food?
No; we should, according to the intention of the Church, spend these days in the spirit of penance, and sanctify them by prayer and good works (Isaias lviii. 6,7).
Application. Respect the Commandment of fasting and abstinence as a Commandment which God Himself has given you through His Church, and consider it an honor to observe it strictly.
THE THIRD, FOURTH, AND FIFTH COMMANDMENTS OF THE CHURCH.
1. What are we commanded by the Third and Fourth Commandments of the Church?
By the Third and Fourth Commandments we are commanded, 1. To confess our sins faithfully at least once a year; and 2. To receive the Holy Communion worthily at Easter or during the Easter-time; that is, from the first Sunday in Lent till Trinity Sunday, inclusive.
2. To whom must the confession be made?
To any Priest authorized by the Bishop to hear confessions.
In former times the faithful were commanded by the Church to confess their sins once a year to their own Parish Priest, or to ask leave of him if they wished to confess to another Priest. Hence comes this form of the Commandment, which is still in use in some dioceses: 'Thou shalt confess thy sins once a year to thy Parish Priest, or, with his permission, to another. '
3. Where are we to receive Easter Communion?
Conformably to a precept of the Church, we are to receive it in the parish church, or at least notify our pastor if we receive it elsewhere.
4. At what age are we obliged to go to Confession and Communion?
Decrees of Popes and laws of the Church make it clear that at the age of reason, which is about seven years, all are bound by the precept of Easter Communion. The parents, as well as the confessor and pastor, are obliged to see that children make their first communion in time to fulfill this duty.
In a decree dated August, 1910, the Sacred Congregation of the Sacraments declares that the obligation of satisfying the precepts of both communion and confession begins when the child commences to reason, which, the decree says, is at the age of seven or thereabouts.
5. Why has the Church commanded that the Blessed Sacrament should be received during Easter-time?
1. Because Jesus Christ instituted the Holy Eucharist within this time; and 2. Because within this time He died, and rose again from the dead, and, therefore, we also should die to sin and lead a new life.
6. Ought we to think it sufficient to receive Holy Communion once in the year?
No; it is the intention and most earnest desire of Holy Mother Church that we should frequently, and even daily, partake of this august Sacrament.
The Church does not bind us under pain of sin to go oftener than once a year at Easter-time, but her laws manifest her fervent wishes for daily Communion among all the faithful irrespective of age or sex.
7. Why, then, does the Church not command us to communicate oftener?
1. Because the love of God and the care for our souls should alone be sufficient motives to induce us to do so; and 2. Because the Church wishes to prescribe, under pain of mortal sin, only what she deems absolutely necessary.
Application. Make it a rule to go to Confession and Communion at least once a month,
8. What are we commanded to do by the Fifth Commandment of the Church?
We are commanded to contribute cheerfully, according to our means, to the support of our Pastors and of our churches, schools, and religious institutions, and of Religion generally.
9. Are we bound in conscience and in justice to contribute to the support of our Pastors?
Yes; and by a Divine precept also. St. Paul says: ' So the Lord ordained, that they who preach the Gospel should live by the Gospel' (1 Cor. ix. 13, 14).
Under the Old Law God commanded the people of Israel to give tithes and offerings for the support of the priesthood and the maintenance of worship. In the Church, from the beginning, this was a sacred duty. 'For as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the price of the things they sold, and laid it down before the feet of the Apostles, and distribution was made to every one, according as he had need' (Acts iv. 34, 35).
10. Does this Commandment of the Church apply only to heads of families?
No: it applies also to all who earn or enjoy an income of their own.
(On the Sixth Commandment of the Church, 'Not to marry within certain degrees of kindred, or privately without witnesses, nor to solemnize marriage at the forbidden times,' see the Sacrament of Matrimony.)