Precepts of the Church: Difference between revisions

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:4. You shall '''observe the days of fasting and abstinence''' established by the Church.
:4. You shall '''observe the days of fasting and abstinence''' established by the Church.
:5. You shall '''help to provide for the needs of the Church'''.
:5. You shall '''help to provide for the needs of the Church'''.
== Age for Fasting and Abstinence ==
; Canon 1250 
: All Fridays through the year and the time of Lent are penitential days and times throughout the entire Church.
; Canon 1251 
: Abstinence from eating meat or another food according to the prescriptions of the conference of bishops is to be observed on Fridays throughout the year unless they are solemnities; abstinence and fast are to be observed on Ash Wednesday and on the Friday of the Passion and Death of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
; Canon 1252 
: All persons who have completed their fourteenth year are bound by the law of abstinence; all adults are bound by the law of fast up to the beginning of their sixtieth year. Nevertheless, pastors and parents are to see to it that minors who are not bound by the law of fast and abstinence are educated in an authentic sense of penance.
; Can. 1253 
: It is for the conference of bishops to determine more precisely the observance of fast and abstinence and to substitute in whole or in part for fast and abstinence other forms of penance, especially works of charity and exercises of piety.


== References ==
== References ==

Revision as of 02:13, 25 February 2012

Catechism of the Catholic Church

CCC #2041-2043
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:
  • 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.[1]
  • 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.[2]
  • 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.[3]
  • 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.[4]
  • 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.[5] The faithful also have the duty of providing for the material needs of the Church, each according to his own abilities.[6]

Summary form

1. You shall attend Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation and rest from servile labor.
2. You shall confess your sins at least once a year.
3. You shall receive the sacrament of the Eucharist at least during the Easter season.
4. You shall observe the days of fasting and abstinence established by the Church.
5. You shall help to provide for the needs of the Church.

Age for Fasting and Abstinence

Canon 1250
All Fridays through the year and the time of Lent are penitential days and times throughout the entire Church.
Canon 1251
Abstinence from eating meat or another food according to the prescriptions of the conference of bishops is to be observed on Fridays throughout the year unless they are solemnities; abstinence and fast are to be observed on Ash Wednesday and on the Friday of the Passion and Death of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Canon 1252
All persons who have completed their fourteenth year are bound by the law of abstinence; all adults are bound by the law of fast up to the beginning of their sixtieth year. Nevertheless, pastors and parents are to see to it that minors who are not bound by the law of fast and abstinence are educated in an authentic sense of penance.
Can. 1253
It is for the conference of bishops to determine more precisely the observance of fast and abstinence and to substitute in whole or in part for fast and abstinence other forms of penance, especially works of charity and exercises of piety.

References

  1. ↑ Cf. CIC, cann. 1246-1248; CCEO, cann. 881 § 1, § 2, § 4.
  2. ↑ Cf. CIC, can. 989; CCEO, can. 719. "The faithful are obliged to confess any serious sins at least once a year" (Kevin E. McKenna, A Concise Guide to Canon Law: A Practical Handbook for Pastoral Ministers [Notre Dame: Ave Maria Press, 2000], 50).
  3. ↑ Cf. CIC, can. 920; CCEO, cann. 708; 881 § 3.
  4. ↑ Cf. CIC, cann. 1249-1251; CCEO, can. 882.
  5. ↑ Cf. CIC, can. 222; CCEO can. 25; Furthermore, episcopal conferences can establish other ecclesiastical precepts for their own territories (Cf. CIC, can. 455).
  6. ↑ Cf. CIC, can. 222. [This last sentence seems redundant, but the duplication exists both in the online and the printed version of the Catechism.]
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