Precepts of the Church

Precepts of the Church are something we don’t hear much about. A precept, according to Webster’s Dictionary, is “an injunction as to moral conduct; maxim.” An injunction says we must or must not do a certain thing. So the precepts of the Church are a list of the minimum things, as Catholics, we should or should not do (along with following the 10 Commandments). Hopefully we are not guilty of being minimalists. The precepts were given to us because, being the way we are, we need something by which to gauge our spiritual life, something to tell us this is the least we can do and still remain a practicing Catholic.

This is the first and foremost precept. This, for Catholics, or any Christian, is the most important aspect of our faith. We are called to have a personal relationship with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And we are called to worship him. We can certainly have a personal relationship with Him without going to Church. We can be close to Him while praying out at the wildlife refuge, watching the sunrise over the lake or just sitting in the peace and quite of our own home. However, we cannot give Him the worship He deserves in those places…worship is something we can only do in community. We are created to be a communal people, a people called to live and love together. What is the worst punishment someone can receive besides, of course, the death penalty? Isolation! That is how they punish prisoners who will not follow the rules in prison; they sent them off to solitary confinement. That should tell us something about how we are created. Ever since God’s chosen people were called out of Egypt and led to the promise land, they were called to worship God as a community of believers’ at/in His holy temple. When the Jews refused to recognize Jesus as the Messiah, they kicked the Christians out of the temples and synagogues so they were forced to find their own place to worship. In the beginning, while Christians were being persecuted and killed, they worshiped together in their homes or in the catacombs near the graves of the martyrs. But once Christianity was legalized in the year 313, magnificent churches were built as places to properly worship our God. So do not let anyone convince you that they can worship God better at home than they can at church…that makes it all about them and not about God. I believe the least we can do for the God who has given us all we have, is take one hour out of our 168 hour week to go to church and worship Him with a community of like mined believers (Acts 4:32) because we know that where two or three are gathered in His name, He will be there in the midst (Matthew 18:20) top

As I am writing this article, I am also preparing to hear the first confessions of 66 youth from our parish that are preparing to make their first communion. This is a great opportunity to teach these children at an early age that confession is not something we should fear. One thing that continues to amaze me is how reluctant some people are to go to confession. What is it that so many are afraid of? I believe it begins with the first words we say when we walk in the confessional, “Bless me father for I have sinned.” We do not like to admit we are sinners; we do not like to admit we do bad things. Just because we do bad things, it does not mean we are bad people. Another reason seems to be that some people think the priest will look down on them or judge them after they have confessed. Well, I can tell you from a personal perspective…I think a lot more of a person after they leave the confessional than I ever did before they came in. That is because I understand. I was the one sitting in the other chair for a long time and I know how hard it can be to confess our sins, especially serious ones. So I took the advice a wise old priest gave me in the seminary; he said, “Be a lion at the pulpit and a lamb in the confessional.” Something else, I hardly ever remember anyone’s confession…and that is the honest truth. I believe it is a grace that comes with the Sacrament for me as a priest. I have enough going on in my life…I do not need to spend time thinking about other people’s problems. Finally, I believe there is one other factor that figures into this phenomenon; many people today have lost a sense of what sin is. It is only by practicing regular confession that we begin to understand what our sins are and how to overcome them. As the old saying goes, practice makes perfect. Yet, many people believe they do not need to go to confession to be forgiven for their sins and, in a sense, they are right. God is not bound to the Sacraments…He instituted them as means for us to acquire His grace. God can forgive sins whenever He wants, He does not have to wait for a priest to say the words of absolution. However, if we look closely at Holy Scripture (such as, Matt 16:18 & 18:18, John 20:23, 2 Cor 5:18-20, James 5:16), we can see that God clearly entrusted His Church and her ministers with the ministry of reconciliation…and He must have a good reason for that. I find this incredible Sacrament not only a way to be assured of God’s mercy and forgiveness, but also a useful tool in helping me resist those same temptations in the future. top

(Note: The Sacrament discussed here may be known by several names or titles; Eucharist, Holy Communion, Blessed Sacrament and Bread from Heaven) This precept can be a bit perplexing, from a canonical standpoint (according to the code of canon law) and from the standpoint of the faithful. First of all, the Eucharist is the focal point of our Catholic faith; it is the “…source and summit of our faith.” It is one of the three Sacraments of Initiation (along with Baptism and Confirmation), which means it brings us into yet another aspect, or dimension of our faith. From the standpoint of the faithful, it is perplexing to me why someone would not receive Holy Communion as often as possible if they are properly disposed. The Sacraments are a means for us to receive God’s sanctifying Grace – Grace being a participation in God’s divine life. Why would anyone not want to receive this Grace as often as possible? Many surveys say that less than 30% of Catholics really believe Jesus is present in the Eucharist (real presence). This would certainly explain why some would not partake. But if you break that same survey down into those who attend Mass every, or most every week, the percentage goes up to nearly 70%. If you break it down even farther to those who attend Mass daily, the percentage goes up to an astounding 98%. This precept can be perplexing from a canonical standpoint as well unless you understand the requirements for receiving Holy Communion. The first and foremost condition for receiving Communion is that one believes that it truly is the body and blood of Christ (not symbolically, but actually). The second is that the one receiving is not in a state of mortal (serious) sin. St Paul talks about receiving the Body and Blood of Christ worthily in 1 Corinthians (see chapter 11:23-29). So, when the Church says that we should receive Holy Communion at least during the Easter season, they presume that we are properly disposed. If Easter is the only time you receive Communion, you should go to the Sacrament of Penance (confession) first…remember, that is precept number two. That is why we have communal penance rites at our parish every year, usually during Advent in preparation for Christmas and during Lent in preparation for Easter. Our Lenten Penance Rite will be on March 17th this year (through the intercession of St Patrick) and we will have several priests here to help. I know that most of you reading this attend Mass and receive Communion regularly. But if we know that the reason this precept was established by the Church in the first place (Eucharistic abuses in the Middle Ages) and understand the general meaning behind it (to encourage all the faithful to partake of the Bread from Heaven) it will help those of us who receive it regularly to appreciate it even more. top

This particular precept is significant with the onset of Lent just three weeks away. The definition of fasting is, “Limiting the intake of food and drink for a religious purpose.” We are called to imitate Christ in our lives and we strive to do that in many ways. Fasting is meant to help us do that by entering into His suffering (as if we need anything more than our daily lives to remind us of that). It is a discipline that allows us to express our commitment and devotion to God. Mandatory days of fasting are Ash Wednesday and Good Friday in which the Church requires her faithful to take one main meal and two lesser meals that together do not equal the main meal. (There is also, of course, the one-hour fast we are all to observe before receiving Holy Communion.) Abstinence, on the other hand, is, “Depriving oneself of meat or foods prepared with meat.” The prescribed days of abstinence are Ash Wednesday, Good Friday and all Fridays in Lent. The United States bishops also strongly recommend abstinence be observed on all Fridays of the year as Friday is the day we commemorate the death of our Lord (I remember when fish was served every Friday at school and, as I got older, seeing it as the “special of the day” in many restaurants). The Catholic Church considers her tradition of fasting and abstinence to be a positive discipline, not negative as is often portrayed in movies or presented by other denominations. Its purpose – and motivation – is not to deny ourselves the goodness of creation or to “punish” our body, but to help us unite ourselves, through a discipline of self-sacrifice, to enter more deeply into that sacrificial love Christ calls each of us to enter into. There is a long history of fasting and abstinence in the Church. As a matter of fact, if you read the lives of the saints you will see that many of the saints preferred these disciplines as a way to unite themselves more fully to Christ. Some even took it to an unhealthy extreme. But that these great men and women entered into this practice tells us there is something important for all of us to be gained there. So as we enter into this season of penance (Lent), let us also enter into our own penitential practice of fasting and abstinence (remember, it is only required of those ages 14 to 60 and those whose health will allow) so that we can also enter in to that deeper relationship with Christ we all desire. top

The term ascribed to this duty is often referred to as tithing. The word tithe comes from the Anglo-Saxon word teotha meaning “a tenth”. This tithing, or tenthing, is found in the Bible as early as Gen. 14:20 when Abraham gives Melchizedek “… a tenth of everything” after conquering the king of Sodom and those who were allied with him. However, this tithe does not seem to be a new practice but more of fulfilling an already established custom. This custom runs throughout the rest of the Old Testament and into the New. The early Church depended upon the contributions of the first converts to sustain the fledgling Bride of Christ. The collection for the Church in Jerusalem was a major undertaking of St. Paul’s ministry (Cf. Romans 15:25-29, 1Corinthians 16:1ff and all of chapters 8 & 9 of 2 Corinthians). This custom remained in place, for the most part, until the reformation and especially after the French revolution when government became so secularized. When we tithe, or provide for the financial needs of the Church, it should not be done begrudgingly, it should be done in a spirit of gratitude for all that God has done for us. It should also be a sacrifice, not just putting in a few bucks whenever the basket comes around. Remember the story of the poor widow who put in two small coins? Jesus said of her "I tell you truly, this poor widow put in more than all the rest; for those others have all made offerings from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has offered her whole livelihood." (Mk 12:38-40, Lk 21:1-4) And when we give, we should give with no strings attached and no expectations in return. I remember my dad used to give us things all the time but there were always strings attached. I finally said, “Dad, you are trying to control us by giving us something and then putting limits on what we can or cannot do with it. I will only accept it if you give it unconditionally with no expectations.” That is the way we are to give to the Church as well. It really should not matter what the Church spends our money on, we should be giving because that is what God wants us to do. If your money is not properly managed it will be the person in charge of the money that will be held accountable. However, in the Catholic Church, there are measures to make sure all money collected from parishioners is cared for properly. It is mandatory that every parish have a Finance Committee with people competent in finances to make sure all contributions are accounted for. In our parish, the Pastoral Council, a group of people elected by a parish vote, are also made aware of the spending of our parish proceeds. In the future we will have a stewardship fare to help us realize how to better use our time, talents and treasures for building up this wonderful parish of ours. top

As Catholics – in regards to our faith – we observe two laws, the Divine Law (the law we receive from God) and Canon Law (the law we receive from the Church). When discussing these two laws we must remember one thing, God’s law is always unchangeable…but the Church’s law is. God’s law is that law we have received directly from God through His Divine revelation – that is, Holy Scripture and Sacred Tradition. Church law, on the other hand, are laws that the Church has instituted for the good of the people (just as society has laws to protect the people – road signs & speed limits, age requirements for certain public actions, etc. – the Church, too, has laws to protect her people). There is no other Sacrament or Church teaching that receives more attention from Canon Law than does the Sacrament of Marriage. The reason for this is that marriage not only affects each of us personally, in some way, it is also at the heart and foundation of the stability of our society. There is an old saying that says, “As the family goes, so goes society.” So the Church has a great concern for marriage and, as an institution, the Catholic Church does more than any other institution to protect the dignity of marriage as a Sacrament. The Church has always, and always will, see marriage as a union between a man and a woman because that is the way God willed it to be (Gen 2:24) and Jesus Himself re-established His Father’s will when He instituted it as a Sacrament (Matthew 19:3-8, Mark 9:2-9). This is a Divine command…a Divine Law that cannot be changed. Over the course of two thousand years the Church has sought to strengthen marriage by enacting laws that help couple preserve their marriage. Yet, many people see it as the Church infringing of their rites as adults to do as they please. Our society, especially in the last half-century, has not fared so well in marriage…nearly 50% of all marriages end in divorce. However, that number is much lower for those who follow the Church’s teachings on marriage, especially those who practice the Church’s teaching on contraception and Natural Family Planning (NFP). The divorce rate for those who attend Mass regularly and practice NFP is under 2%. This is but one example of how the Church provides guidelines and teachings to help Catholics live a healthy, holy and happy faith…and know where is that more important than in the family. So please pray for our Church, for all of those who are preparing for marriage and those who are already married but may be struggling in that marriage, that the Grace of God that flows through this beautiful Sacrament will help stabilize this most basic and fundamental unit of our society…the family. top