458. Subsidiarity

458. What are the duties that society has toward the family? 2209-2213 2250 Society, while respecting the principle of subsidiarity, has the duty to support and strengthen marriage and the family. Public authority must respect, protect and foster the true nature of marriage and the family, public morality, the rights of parents, and domestic prosperity.

457. Foundation

457. What place does the family occupy in society? 2207-2208 The family is the original cell of human society and is, therefore, prior to any recognition by public authority. Family values and principles constitute the foundation of social life. Family life is an initiation into the life of society.

456. Marriage

456. What is the nature of the family in the plan of God? 2201-2205 2249 A man and a woman united in marriage form a family together with their children. God instituted the family and endowed it with its fundamental constitution. Marriage and the family are ordered to the good of the spouses and to the procreation and education of children. Members of the same family establish among themselves personal relationships and primary responsibilities. In Christ the family becomes the domestic church because it is a community of faith, of hope, and of charity.

455. Authority

CHAPTER TWO “You Shall Love Your Neighbour as Yourself” THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT: HONOR YOUR FATHER AND YOUR MOTHER

 455. What does the fourth commandment require? 2196-2200 2247-2248 It commands us to honor and respect our parents and those whom God, for our good, has vested with his authority.

454. Civil

454. Why is the civil recognition of Sunday as a feast day important? 2186-2188 2194-2195 It is important so that all might be given the real possibility of enjoying sufficient rest and leisure to take care of their religious, familial, cultural and social lives. It is important also to have an opportune time for meditation, for reflection, for silence, for study, and a time to dedicate to good works, particularly for the sick and for the elderly.

453. Holy

453. How does one keep Sunday holy? 2177-2185 2192-2193 Christians keep Sunday and other days of obligation holy by participating in the Eucharist of the Lord and by refraining from those activities which impede the worship of God and disturb the joy proper to the day of the Lord or the necessary relaxation of mind and body. Activities are allowed on the Sabbath which are bound. How does one keep Sunday holy? 2177-2185 2192-2193 Christians keep Sunday and other days of obligation holy by participating in the Eucharist of the Lord and by refraining from those activities which impede the worship of God and disturb the joy proper to the day of the Lord or the necessary relaxation of mind and body. Activities are allowed on the Sabbath which are bound up with family needs or with important social service, provided that they do not lead to habits prejudicial to the holiness of Sunday, to family life and to health.

452. Sunday

452. For what reason has the Sabbath been changed to Sunday for Christians? 2174-2176 2190-2191 The reason is because Sunday is the day of the Resurrection of Christ. As “the first day of the week” (Mark 16:2) it recalls the first creation; and as the “eighth day”, which follows the sabbath, it symbolizes the new creation ushered in by the Resurrection of Christ. Thus, it has become for Christians the first of all days and of all feasts. It is the day of the Lord in which he with his Passover fulfilled the spiritual truth of the Jewish Sabbath and proclaimed man’s eternal rest in God.

451. Sabbath - man

451. How did Jesus act in regard to the Sabbath? 2173 Jesus recognized the holiness of the Sabbath day and with divine authority he gave this law its authentic interpretation: “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath” (Mark 2:27)

450. Sabbath

THE THIRD COMMANDMENT: REMEMBER TO KEEP HOLY THE LORD'S DAY

 450. Why did God “bless the Sabbath day and declare it sacred” (Exodus 20:11)? 2168-2172 2189 God did so because on the Sabbath day one remembers God’s rest on the seventh day of creation, and also the liberation of Israel from slavery in Egypt and the Covenant which God sealed with his people.

449. Perjury

449. What is perjury? 2152-2155 Perjury is to make a promise under oath with the intention of not keeping it or to violate a promise made under oath. It is a grave sin against God who is always faithful to his promises.

48. Swear

448. Why is a false oath forbidden? 2150-2151 2163-2164 It is forbidden because one calls upon God who is truth itself to be the witness to a lie. “Do not swear, whether by the Creator or by any creature, except truthfully, of necessity and with reverence.” (Saint Ignatius of Loyola)

447. Name

THE SECOND COMMANDMENT: YOU SHALL NOT TAKE THE NAME OF THE LORD YOUR GOD IN VAIN

 447. How does one respect the holiness of the Name of God? 2142-2149 2160-2162 One shows respect for the holy Name of God by blessing it, praising it and glorifying it. It is forbidden, therefore, to call on the Name of God to justify a crime. It is also wrong to use the holy Name of God in any improper way as in blasphemy (which by its nature is a grave sin), curses, and unfaithfulness to promises made in the Name of God.

446. Images

446. Does the commandment of God, “You shall not make for yourself a graven image” (Exodus 20:3), forbid the cult of images? 2129-2132 2141 In the Old Testament this commandment forbade any representation of God who is absolutely transcendent. The Christian veneration of sacred images, however, is justified by the incarnation of the Son of God (as taught by the Second Council of Nicea in 787AD) because such veneration is founded on the mystery of the Son of God made man, in whom the transcendent God is made visible. This does not mean the adoration of an image, but rather the veneration of the one who is represented in it: for example, Christ, the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Angels and the Saints.

445. Other Gods

445. What does God prohibit by his command, “You shall not have other gods before me” (Exodus 20:2)? 2110-2128 2138-2140 This commandment forbids: Polytheism and idolatry, which divinizes creatures, power, money, or even demons. Superstition which is a departure from the worship due to the true God and which also expresses itself in various forms of divination, magic, sorcery and spiritism. Irreligion which is evidenced: in tempting God by word or deed; in sacrilege, which profanes sacred persons or sacred things, above all the Eucharist; and in simony, which involves the buying or selling of spiritual things. Atheism which rejects the existence of God, founded often on a false conception of human autonomy. Agnosticism which affirms that nothing can be known about God, and involves indifferentism and practical atheism.

444. Forced

444. In what way does a person exercise his or her proper right to worship God in truth and in freedom? 2104-2109 2137 Every person has the right and the moral duty to seek the truth, especially in what concerns God and his Church. Once the truth is known, each person he has the right and moral duty to embrace it, to guard it faithfully and to render God authentic worship. At the same time, the dignity of the human person requires that in religious matters no one may be forced to act against conscience nor be restrained, within the just limits of public order, from acting in conformity with conscience, privately or publicly, alone or in association with others.

443. Adore

443. What is the meaning of the words of our Lord, “Adore the Lord your God and worship Him alone” (Matthew 4:10)? 2095-2105 2135-2136 These words mean to adore God as the Lord of everything that exists; to render to him the individual and community worship which is his due; to pray to him with sentiments of praise, of thanks, and of supplication; to offer him sacrifices, above all the spiritual sacrifice of one’s own life, united with the perfect sacrifice of Christ; and to keep the promises and vows made to him.

442. First command

442. What is implied in the affirmation of God: “I am the Lord your God” (Exodus 20:2)? 2083-2094 2133-2134 This means that the faithful must guard and activate the three theological virtues and must avoid sins which are opposed to them. Faith believes in God and rejects everything that is opposed to it, such as, deliberate doubt, unbelief, heresy, apostasy, and schism. Hope trustingly awaits the blessed vision of God and his help, while avoiding despair and presumption. Charity loves God above all things and therefore repudiates indifference, ingratitude, lukewarmness, sloth or spiritual indolence, and that hatred of God which is born of pride.

441. Possible

441. Is it possible to keep the Decalogue? 2074 2082 Yes, because Christ without whom we can do nothing enables us to keep it with the gift of his Spirit and his grace

440. Fundamental

440. Why does the Decalogue enjoin serious obligations? 2072-2073 2081 It does so because the Decalogue expresses the fundamental duties of man towards God and towards his neighbor.

439. Entire

439. Why does the Decalogue constitute an organic unity? 2069 2079 The Ten Commandments form an organic and indivisible whole because each commandment refers to the other commandments and to the entire Decalogue. To break one commandment, therefore, is to violate the entire law.

438. Obliged

438. What importance does the Church give to the Decalogue?

2064-2068

The Church, in fidelity to Scripture and to the example of Christ, acknowledges the primordial importance and significance of the Decalogue. Christians are obliged to keep it.

437. Bond

437. What is the bond between the Decalogue and the Covenant? 2058-2063 2077 The Decalogue must be understood in the light of the Covenant in which God revealed himself and made known his will. In observing the commandments, the people manifested their belonging to God and they answered his initiative of love with thanksgiving.

437.

436. Decalogue

436. What does “Decalogue” mean? 2056-2057 Decalogue means “ten words” (Exodus 34:28). These words sum up the Law given by God to the people of Israel in the context of the Covenant mediated by Moses. This Decalogue, in presenting the commandments of the love of God (the first three) and of one's neighbor (the other seven), traces for the chosen people and for every person in particular the path to a life freed from the slavery of sin.

435. Love

435. How did Jesus interpret the Law? 2055 Jesus interpreted the Law in the light of the twofold yet single commandment of love, the fullness of the Law: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And the second is like it: you shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 22:37-40

434. Rediscover

434. “Teacher, what good must I do to have eternal life?” (Matthew 19:16). 2052-2054 2075-2076 To the young man who asked this question, Jesus answered, “If you would enter into life, keep the commandments”, and then he added, “Come, follow Me” (Matthew 19:16-21). To follow Jesus involves keeping the commandments. The law has not been abolished but man is invited to rediscover it in the Person of the divine Master who realized it perfectly in himself, revealed its full meaning and attested to its permanent validity.

433. Indispensable

433. Why is the Christian moral life indispensable for the proclamation of the Gospel? 2044-2046 Because their lives are conformed to the Lord Jesus, Christians draw others to faith in the true God, build up the Church, inform the world with the spirit of the Gospel, and hasten the coming of the Kingdom of God.

432. Precepts

432. What are the precepts of the Church? 2042-2043 They are: 1) to attend Mass on Sundays and other holy days of obligation and to refrain from work and activities which could impede the sanctification of those days; 2) to confess one's sins, receiving the sacrament of Reconciliation at least once each year; 3) to receive the sacrament of the Eucharist at least during the Easter season; 4) to abstain from eating meat and to observe the days of fasting established by the Church; and 5) to help to provide for the material needs of the Church, each according to his own ability.

431. Minimum

431. What purpose do the precepts of the Church have? 2041 2048 The five precepts of the Church are meant to guarantee for the faithful the indispensable minimum in the spirit of prayer, the sacramental life, moral commitment and growth in love of God and neighbor.

430. Necessary

430. Why does the Magisterium of the Church act in the field of morality? 2032-2040 2049-2051 It is the duty of the Magisterium of the Church to preach the faith that is to be believed and put into practice in life. This duty extends even to the specific precepts of the natural law because their observance is necessary for salvation.

429. Learn

429. How does the Church nourish the moral life of a Christian? 2030-2031 2047 The Church is the community in which the Christian receives the Word of God, the teachings of the “Law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2), and the grace of the sacraments. Christians are united to the Eucharistic sacrifice of Christ in such a way that their moral life is an act of spiritual worship; and they learn the example of holiness from the Virgin Mary and the lives of the Saints.

428. Holiness

428. Are all called to Christian holiness? 2012-2016 2028-2029 All the faithful are called to Christian holiness. This is the fullness of Christian life and the perfection of charity and it is brought about by intimate union with Christ and, in him, with the most Holy Trinity. The path to holiness for a Christian goes by way of the cross and will come to its fulfillment in the final resurrection of the just, in which God will be all in all.