TOS025 Duties of A Christian

Posted on by P Brunner

TOS025 Duties of a Christian , for audio: TOS025: The Duties of a Christian – Truth of the Spirit (podcast) | Listen Notes   

The “Duties of a Christian” episode of Truth of the Spirit with Patti Brunner reminds us that we are not alone in our relationship with God.  We are not alone in the Church.  And so we need to know how to get along with each other in the Church.  That’s why God, through the Fathers of the Church, gave all Christians rules to follow.  These Church rules are called Canon Law.  

Throughout the Gospel and Acts of the Apostles it is obvious that Christians were recognized by their love for one another.  The ‘duty’ to love is a privilege.  All the duties are.  It boils down to:  Love God with all your heart and love others as yourself.  Very simple to state.  Not so easy to decide how to do it.

By exploring how the Church Fathers and the head of the Church instruct us to do this, you will find an answer to affect the decay of the world. 

An obedient Church will save the world from reverting to paganism.  A disobedient Church leads the way toward destruction.  A lukewarm Church stands by and does nothing and will receive judgement for failure to act that is the same as those who are the destructive forces.  Come, love the Lord!  Love with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your actions.  Decide for Christ.  Stand up and not be a “by-stander”.

The Lord is the Master Builder of the kingdom of God.  Canon law provides a blueprint.  It is not the kingdom itself but a way to best bring the different elements together in proper order and place.  Sometimes people need to be told what to do for their own good.  Following the regiment of Canon Law thus keeps the Church from generations to generation strong as family.

Christian duty involves action toward the whole Church, the whole world, your whole family and to yourself.  In the commandments and the precepts you see the basic understanding of duty.  In 1913 and 1983, when the Church took a fresh look at the Church Fathers they then called to mind the duties of the clergy and the duties of the laity. Up until this century, the canon law of the Catholic Church was scattered over a wide variety of texts and collections.

The Catechism reminds us that Christians are not ‘lone wolf’ followers of Jesus Christ, but part of a community of believers who become a member through faith in Christ and Baptism.  We are family.  We are a family that needs rules, and the grace to keep them!

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This episode is about the Duties of a Christian.  What is the essence of being a Christian? It is certainly more than doctrine, precepts, and commandments. It is first and foremost a relationship – God offers us the greatest of relationships – union of heart, mind, and spirit with himself, the very author and source of love (1 John 4:8,16).

Here’s what you have to understand.  [The following story was told by Joe McGee, Facebook, Friday Night Funnies]  “When God gave this planet to Adam it was blessed.  Highly favored!  Everything was good.  Good, good, good, good.  Very good!  All of sudden, God says “not good”.  “You are alone. I’m going to fix all this.”  God makes Eve. The first domestic church!  Adam & Eve go off together in paradise that day but, you know, the devil’s already been cast down to the planet, and he gum flaps them out of everything, he gets Adam and Eve to sin, when they sin they get fired from their job, evicted from their house, their kids start killing each other.  God comes down and says, “What did you do?  What did you do?”  “I didn’t do nothing!”  “Yes, you did.  What did you do?  Did you eat that food I told you not to eat?”  Adam, thinking out loud, says, “Well, it was the woman you gave me, it was the woman.  Cause, you and me, it was good, it was good with you and me, and ever since you brought her into my life, it’s gone downhill.”  So God comes down to Eve and says, “What’s your story?” And she says, “Snakes fault, snakes fault!  I told you I didn’t like no snakes!”  And nobody would take responsibility for themselves …as long as you can point a finger in a different direction you will never change.  We have got to decide, it’s our responsibility to be obedient.” 

We are not alone in our relationship with God.  We are not alone in the Church.  And so we need to know how to get along with each other in the Church.  That’s why God, through the Fathers of the Church, gave all Christians rules to follow.  These Church rules are called Canon Law.  

Our God is a God of order.  The Spirit moves upon the Water and the Wind that is not seen, but the Spirit is unchanging.  The Truth is the Truth.  The Spirit taught the Church Fathers ways to keep discipline to benefit disciples.  Discipline is useful to allow learning and to avoid confusion.  The Lord is the Master Builder of the kingdom of God.  Canon law provides a blueprint.  It is not the kingdom itself but a way to best bring the different elements together in proper order and place.  Sometimes people need to be told what to do for their own good.  Following the regiment of Canon Law thus keeps the Church from generations to generation strong as family.

Who are the Fathers of the Church?

The Church Fathers are those in authority as a father is head of his family and the Holy Father is head of the Church on earth showing authority since the naming of Peter.  Authority is necessary to properly discern, teach, and administer.  It says in the Compendium that today, as in the past, “The task of giving an authentic interpretation of the deposit of faith has been entrusted to the living teaching office of the Church alone, that is, to the successor of Peter, the Bishop of Rome, and to the bishops in communion with him.” [Compendium 16]   

“The Apostles entrusted the deposit of faith to the whole of the Church. Thanks to its supernatural sense of faith the people of God as a whole, assisted by the Holy Spirit and guided by the Magisterium of the Church never ceases to welcome, to penetrate more deeply and to live more fully from the gift of divine revelation.” [Compendium 15]

The Fathers didn’t have every answer to every question but they knew the basics of the tenets of faith.  As they discussed, discerned and wrote, the Church recognized their authority is speaking the Truth. 

As we talk about Christian duty, who is a Christian?  Christians are disciples of Jesus.  Christians are followers of Jesus Christ who adhere to his teachings.  A Christian is—not just a follower of Christ but one who walks with Christ’s One Body.  Our name Christian comes from the name “Christ”.  Jesus is called “Christ” a Greek word that means “anointed one”, translated from the Hebrew word, Messiah.

 “It was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians.” Acts of the Apostles 11:26

In this time of ‘political correctness’ identifying yourself as a Christian does not carry the same weight/burden/consequence as the early Church when they professed publicly that they were a Christian.  They faced the possibility of death and persecution.  However, the world that tormented the early Christians is still at work today.  Yet, “Greater is He that is in Me than he that is in the world” is still true.  When the people of God stand firm in the Truth the gates of hell cannot prevail.

As the Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us in its introduction, “The baptized manifest their commitment to the faith they have professed and celebrated, through their actions and ethical choices. The Christian faithful are called by the Lord Jesus to act in a way which befits their dignity as children of the Father in the charity of the Holy Spirit.”  We as Catholics, easily interchange the word “Christian”, “Catholic”, and “Church”.  The Compendium 147 says that “The word “Church”refers to the people whom God calls and gathers together from every part of the earth. They form the assembly of those who through faith and Baptism have become children of God, members of Christ, and temples of the Holy Spirit.”  Another title we could use is “People of God” The Church is the ‘people of God’ because it pleased God to sanctify and save men –not in isolation– but by making them into one people gathered together by the unity of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. [Compendium 153]

So, by definition, Christians are not ‘lone wolf’ followers of Jesus Christ, but part of a community of believers who become a member through faith in Christ and Baptism.[Compendium 154]  We are family.  We are a family that needs rules, and the grace to keep them!   “Despite its spiritual nature, the Church on earth is composed of imperfect human beings.  Thus laws are needed, just as in civil society, to protect the rights of the People of God, and also to prescribe their responsibilities as members of the Christian community.  “It is important at the outset not to confuse Church law and moral law….”  Most of us have been trained to obey the 10 Commandments and to live by the Beatitudes.  These are moral law.

Fr. Thomas Doyle, a Canon lawyer, says in A Catholic’s Guide to the New Code of Canon Law that “Church law governs the external relationships of individuals in the Christian community.  In itself it does not bind under pain of sin, although sin may well be involved when Church law is transgressed… The direct relationship of the individual to God is governed by a higher law, which includes the moral norms….  Transgression of moral law involves sin.  The Church is a multifaceted society — all of its various aspects,…even its laws, are ordered to a supernatural end….  By keeping this in mind, we can see the [1752] canons not as a collection of restricting rules, but as a guide to living the Christian life within a specific community, the Catholic Church.”
— Thomas P. Doyle OP. Rights and Responsibilities — A Catholic’s Guide to the New Code of Canon Law (Pueblo, 1983).

We are called to a duty to serve in the military or to vote and pay taxes.  Christian duty is a calling above that of a citizen of a nation and should always be chosen if the two are in conflict.  Christian duty involves action toward the whole Church, the whole world, your whole family and to yourself.  In the commandments and the precepts you see the basic understanding of duty. 

In 1913 and 1983, when the Church took a fresh look at the Church Fathers they then called to mind the duties of the clergy and the duties of the laity. 

Edward Peters in “Introduction to Canon Law” says, “Briefly put, canon law is the internal legal system of the Catholic Church. …  Canon law affects, to one degree or another, virtually every aspect of Catholic life, sometimes much more intimately than many people realize; other times, though, much less directly than one might have otherwise thought.  Historically, canon law is the oldest continuously functioning legal system in the western world. Fortunately, throughout Church history some of the world’s finest legal, theological, and pastoral minds have contributed to the formation of canon law, all trying to serve one goal that expressed in the final norm of the Code, Canon #1752: “…having before one’s eyes the salvation of souls, which is always the supreme law of the Church.”  “Up until this century, the canon law of the Catholic Church was scattered over a wide variety of texts and collections that only an elite group of highly-trained specialists could access.   “The modern redaction of Church law into a single unified code, however, is one of the steps that has contributed to the ability of rank-and-file Catholics to make greater use of canon law in their own lives.”

You can find the Canon Law in various places including the Vatican website.  In your handout I gave you a main topic index. We are not going to look at all 1752 laws, but I do want to go over some of the laws that specifically tell us our Christian Duty.

Please look at your handout for these canons and help me by reading them one at a time.  These are each a summary of a specific Canon Law given in the parenthesis.   I’ll comment on some of them, using the specific law as a reference. 

1. To maintain communion with the Church and fulfil our Christian duties. (209)

“Can. 209 §1. The Christian faithful, even in their own manner of acting, are always obliged to maintain communion with the Church.

§2. With great diligence they are to fulfill the duties which they owe to the universal Church and the particular church to which they belong according to the prescripts of the law.”

2. To seek the truth about God and the Church; to embrace that truth and keep it.  (748) 

[Your attendance tonight shows you are seeking the truth about the Church.]


3. To obey Church authority. (212)

Can. 212 §1. Conscious of their own responsibility, the Christian faithful are bound to follow with Christian obedience those things which the sacred pastors, inasmuch as they represent Christ, declare as teachers of the faith or as rulers of the Church.

[We cannot be cafeteria Catholics when it comes to the teachings of the Church.] 

4. To express to Church authorities our viewpoint on matters which affect the Church. (212)

§2. The Christian faithful are free to make known to the pastors of the Church their needs, especially spiritual ones, and their desires.

§3. According to the knowledge, competence, and prestige which they possess, they have the right and even at times the duty to manifest to the sacred pastors their opinion on matters which pertain to the good of the Church and to make their opinion known to the rest of the Christian faithful, without prejudice to the integrity of faith and morals, with reverence toward their pastors, and attentive to common advantage and the dignity of persons.

[One of the reasons we have parish councils and finance councils is so we can have a forum to share our viewpoint]

5. To lead a holy life. (210)

Can. 210 All the Christian faithful must direct their efforts to lead a holy life and to promote the growth of the Church and its continual sanctification, according to their own condition.
[So this canon has tremendous personal responsibility to Catholics.  The New Evangelization continues to help us in keeping this duty.]

6. To assist at Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation; to abstain from work or business that inhibits worship, celebration or relaxation on those days.  (1247)

Can.  1247 On Sundays and other holy days of obligation, the faithful are obliged to participate in the Mass.  Moreover, they are to abstain from those works and affairs which hinder the worship to be rendered to God, the joy proper to the Lord’s Day, or the suitable relaxation of mind and body.

I have noticed that a lot of Catholics must not be aware of this obligation or else are not aware of the Days.  They are listed in Canon 1246 paragraph 2 [Complementary Norm] Complementary norms for the United States are designated by the National Conference of Catholic Bishops and they clarify the Canons or add specifics.

Do you know the Holy Days of Obligation?

Canon 1246, §2 – Holy Days of Obligation

On December 13, 1991 the members of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops of the United States of America made the following general decree concerning holy days of obligation for Latin Rite Catholics:
In addition to Sunday, the days to be observed as holy days of obligation in the Latin Rite dioceses of the United States of America, in conformity with canon 1246, are as follows:

January 1, the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God
Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter, the solemnity of the Ascension  [in our Diocese it is moved to Sunday]
August 15, the solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
November 1, the solemnity of All Saints
December 8, the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception
December 25, the solemnity of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ  {Christmas}

Whenever January 1, the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, or August 15, the solemnity of the Assumption, or November 1, the solemnity of All Saints, falls on a Saturday or on a Monday, the precept to attend Mass is abrogated.

These are different than the ones originally in the Canon are:

Can.  1246 §1. Sunday, on which by apostolic tradition the paschal mystery is celebrated, must be observed in the universal Church as the primordial holy day of obligation. The following days must also be observed: the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Epiphany, the Ascension, the Body and Blood of Christ, Holy Mary the Mother of God, her Immaculate Conception, her Assumption, Saint Joseph, Saint Peter and Saint Paul the Apostles, and All Saints.

§2. With the prior approval of the Apostolic See, however, the conference of bishops can suppress some of the holy days of obligation or transfer them to a Sunday.

7. To take an active part in the celebration of Mass and to receive Communion frequently. (898)

Can.  898 The Christian faithful are to hold the Most Holy Eucharist in highest honor, taking an active part in the celebration of the most august sacrifice, receiving this sacrament most devoutly and frequently, and worshiping it with the highest adoration. In explaining the doctrine about this sacrament, pastors of souls are to teach the faithful diligently about this obligation.

We can take an active role in the Mass by serving as ministers in the Mass and by saying the congregational prayers together and singing.  The phrase “To receive Communion frequently” was added at a point in history because the faithful, feeling unworthy to receive, had started avoiding receiving Holy Communion

8. To receive Communion at least once a year, during the Easter season. (920)

Can. 920 §1 Once admitted to the blessed Eucharist, each of the faithful is obliged to receive holy communion at least once a year.

§2 This precept must be fulfilled during paschal time, unless for a good reason it is fulfilled at another time during the year.

This accentuates the fact that the Eucharist is the source and summit of our Catholic faith.


9. To abstain from food and drink (other than water) one hour before receiving Communion. (919)

Can. 919 §1 Whoever is to receive the blessed Eucharist is to abstain for at least one hour before holy communion from all food and drink, with the sole exception of water and medicine.

§2 A priest who, on the same day, celebrates the blessed Eucharist twice or three times may consume something before the second or third celebration, even though there is not an hour’s interval.

§3 The elderly and those who are suffering from some illness, as well as those who care for them, may receive the blessed Eucharist even if within the preceding hour they have consumed something.

This canon is one that most people recognize that has been changed by the Magisterium over our lifetime—or at least the lifetime of some of us here!  When we were Communion Ministers at the hospital we had to explain the third part.


10. To refrain from receiving Communion if under the penalty of excommunication, interdict, or grave sin. (915, 916)

Can. 915 Those upon whom the penalty of excommunication or interdict has been imposed or declared, and others who obstinately persist in manifest grave sin, are not to be admitted to Holy Communion.

Can. 916 Anyone who is conscious of grave sin may not celebrate Mass or receive the Body of the Lord without previously having been to sacramental confession, unless there is a grave reason and there is no opportunity to confess; in this case the person is to remember the obligation to make an act of perfect contrition, which includes the resolve to go to confession as soon as possible.

Please realize that it takes faith to avoid communion in obedience to this rule;  People who receive Communion in disobedience to this rule do not receive the fullness of grace attached to Holy Communion.

11. To make an individual and complete confession of all grave sins, unless physically or morally unable to do so.  (960)

Can.  960 Individual and integral confession and absolution constitute the only ordinary means by which a member of the faithful conscious of grave sin is reconciled with God and the Church. Only physical or moral impossibility excuses from confession of this type; in such a case reconciliation can be obtained by other means.

We can’t just confess to God our mortal sins.  Holy Communion [all sacraments] can take care of venial sins.

12. To confess grave sins by kind and number at least once a year. (988, 989)

Can.  988 §1. A member of the Christian faithful is obliged to confess in kind and number all grave sins committed after baptism and not yet remitted directly through the keys of the Church nor acknowledged in individual confession, of which the person has knowledge after diligent examination of conscience.

§2. It is recommended to the Christian faithful that they also confess venial sins.

Can.  989 After having reached the age of discretion, each member of the faithful is obliged to confess faithfully his or her grave sins at least once a year.


13. To be Confirmed at the proper time. (890)

Can.  890 The faithful are obliged to receive this sacrament at the proper time. Parents and pastors of souls, especially pastors of parishes, are to take care that the faithful are properly instructed to receive the sacrament and come to it at the appropriate time.

The particular age is set by Complementary norms of Canon Law for the United States–designated by the National Conference of Catholic Bishops.

14. To be married in the presence of a priest (or a lay person designated by the bishop) and two witnesses. (1108, 1112, 1119)

Can.  1108 §1. Only those marriages are valid which are contracted before the local ordinary, pastor, or a priest or deacon delegated by either of them, who assist, and before two witnesses according to the rules expressed in the [various]following canons and without prejudice to the exceptions mentioned  in cann. ⇒ 144, ⇒ 1112, §1, ⇒ 1116, and ⇒ 1127, §§1-2.

Can.  1112 §1. Where there is a lack of priests and deacons, the diocesan bishop can delegate lay persons to assist at marriages, with the previous favorable vote of the conference of bishops and after he has obtained the permission of the Holy See.                                                                  

 §2. A suitable lay person is to be selected, who is capable of giving instruction to those preparing to be married and able to perform the matrimonial liturgy properly.

Can.  1119 Outside the case of necessity, the rites prescribed in the liturgical books approved by the Church or received by legitimate customs are to be observed in the celebration of a marriage.

15. To do penance and observe special days of penance established by the Church (such as the Fridays and the season of Lent). (1250)

Can.  1250 The penitential days and times in the universal Church are every Friday of the whole year and the season of Lent.

You can choose something other than abstaining from meat but you must do some sort of penance.


16. To fast and abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. (1251)

Can.  1251 Abstinence from eating meat or some other food according to the prescripts of the conference of bishops is to be observed on, of abstinence binds those who have completed their fourteenth year of age. The law of fasting, however, binds all those who have attained their majority until the beginning of their sixtieth year.

Nevertheless, pastors of souls and parents are to take care that minors not bound by the law of fast and abstinence are also educated in a genuine sense of penance.

17. To proclaim the Gospel and give witness to Christian faith by our activity in the world. (211, 225)

Please read that duty again.

Can. 211 All the Christian faithful have the duty and right to work so that the divine message of salvation more and more reaches all people in every age and in every land.

Can. 225 §1. Since, like all the Christian faithful, lay persons are designated by God for the apostolate through baptism and confirmation, they are bound by the general obligation and possess the right as individuals, or joined in associations, to work so that the divine message of salvation is made known and accepted by all persons everywhere in the world. This obligation is even more compelling in those circumstances in which only through them can people hear the gospel and know Christ.

§2. According to each one’s own condition, they are also bound by a particular duty to imbue and perfect the order of temporal affairs with the spirit of the gospel and thus to give witness to Christ, especially in carrying out these same affairs and in exercising secular functions.

18. To reject doctrines contrary to the teaching of the Scriptures or those proposed as divinely revealed by the Church. (750)

Can. 750 §1. A person must believe with divine and Catholic faith all those things contained in the word of God, written or handed on, that is, in the one deposit of faith entrusted to the Church, and at the same time proposed as divinely revealed either by the solemn magisterium of the Church or by its ordinary and universal magisterium which is manifested by the common adherence of the Christian faithful under the leadership of the sacred magisterium; therefore all are bound to avoid any doctrines whatsoever contrary to them.

This is a little thick but very important, so the Canon law continues:

§2. Each and every thing which is proposed definitively by the magisterium of the Church concerning the doctrine of faith and morals, that is, each and every thing which is required to safeguard reverently and to expound faithfully the same deposit of faith, is also to be firmly embraced and retained; therefore, one who rejects those propositions which are to be held definitively is opposed to the doctrine of the Catholic Church.

We are bound to the doctrines of our Church.  We are not bound to believe opinions, even by theologians—only by the magisterium—the bishops acting in unity.

19. To give “religious submission of intellect and will” to doctrines declared to be matters of faith and morals by the Church. (752)

Can. 752 Although not an assent of faith, a religious submission of the intellect and will must be given to a doctrine which the Supreme Pontiff or the college of bishops declares concerning faith or morals when they exercise the authentic magisterium, even if they do not intend to proclaim it by definitive act; therefore, the Christian faithful are to take care to avoid those things which do not agree with it.

Again, we are not bound to opinion statements but only doctrines of faith and morals.

20. To adhere with a “religious submission of mind” to the authentic teachings of the bishops. (753)

Can. 753 Although the bishops who are in communion with the head and members of the college, whether individually or joined together in conferences of bishops or in particular councils, do not possess infallibility in teaching, they are authentic teachers and instructors of the faith for the Christian faithful entrusted to their care; the Christian faithful are bound to adhere with religious submission of mind to the authentic magisterium of their bishops.

This includes the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, and Councils such as the Council of Trent and Vatican II Council.

21. To observe other decrees which Church authorities issue to define doctrine or erroneous opinions. (754)

Can. 754 All the Christian faithful are obliged to observe the constitutions and decrees which the legitimate authority of the Church issues in order to propose doctrine and to proscribe erroneous opinions, particularly those which the Roman Pontiff or the college of bishops puts forth.

22. To fulfill the responsibilities to one’s spouse and family incurred by marriage.   (1134, 1135)

Can.  1134 From a valid marriage there arises between the spouses a bond which by its nature is perpetual and exclusive. Moreover, a special sacrament strengthens and, as it were, consecrates the spouses in a Christian marriage for the duties and dignity of their state.

Can.  1135 Each spouse has an equal duty and right to those things which belong to the partnership of conjugal life.

23. To build up the family of God through our marriage and family. (226)

Can. 226 §1. According to their own vocation, those who live in the marital state are bound by a special duty to work through marriage and the family to build up the people of God.

This is in addition to #17, read and repeated:  To proclaim the Gospel and give witness to Christian faith by our activity in the world. (211, 225) It expressly points out the importance of Christian marriage in the Church.

24. To baptize our children and raise them in the Catholic faith. (867, 1366)

Can.  867 §1. Parents are obliged to take care that infants are baptized in the first few weeks; as soon as possible after the birth or even before it, they are to go to the pastor to request the sacrament for their child and to be prepared properly for it.

Can. 1366 Parents or those who take the place of parents who hand [over] their children to be baptized or educated in a non- Catholic religion are to be punished with a censure or other just penalty.

Perhaps in other words, if your spouse is non-Catholic, the Church does not want them to be baptized and educated in the non-Catholic religion.

25. To provide for the religious education of our children. (226, 774)


Can. 226 §2. Since they have given life to their children, parents have a most grave obligation and possess the right to educate them. Therefore, it is for Christian parents particularly to take care of the Christian education of their children according to the doctrine handed on by the Church.

Can. 774 §1. Under the direction of legitimate ecclesiastical authority, solicitude [attentiveness] for catechesis belongs to all members of the Church according to each one’s role.

26. To establish, promote and maintain Catholic schools. (800)

Can. 800 §1. The Church has the right to establish and direct schools of any discipline, type, and level.

§2. The Christian faithful are to foster Catholic schools, assisting in their establishment and maintenance according to their means.

This is a duty not just for parents but for the whole church.  At SVdP part of our Sunday offering is budgeted to support our Catholic School.

27. To promote social justice according to the Church’s teaching. (222)
28. To care for the needs of the poor. (222)

Can. 222 §2. They are also obliged to promote social justice and, mindful of the precept of the Lord, to assist the poor from their own resources.

29. To support the church financially. (222, 1262)

Can. 222 §1. The Christian faithful are obliged to assist with the needs of the Church so that the Church has what is necessary for divine worship, for the works of the apostolate and of charity, and for the decent support of ministers.

Can. 1262 The faithful are to give support to the Church by responding to appeals and according to the norms issued by the conference of bishops.

I didn’t include every duty.  There’s more.  But your eyes are starting to get that glazed over look!

Throughout the Gospel and Acts of the Apostles it is obvious that Christians were recognized by their love for one another.  The ‘duty’ to love is a privilege.  All the duties are.  It boils down to:  Love God with all your heart and love others as yourself.  Very simple to state.  Not so easy to decide how to do it.

By exploring how the Church Fathers and the head of the Church instruct us to do this, you will find an answer to affect the decay of the world. 

An obedient Church will save the world from reverting to paganism.  A disobedient Church leads the way toward destruction.  A lukewarm Church stands by and does nothing and will receive judgement for failure to act that is the same as those who are the destructive forces.  Come, love the Lord!  Love with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your actions.  Decide for Christ.  Stand up and not be a “by-stander”.

Amen.

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Discussion Questions:

1.            As a child/teen did you rebel against the authority of your parent or teachers?

2.            When the rules are set, who benefits?

3.            In the list of duties of a Christian were there any surprises to you?

4.            Have you ever taught rules or duties to others in your family or at work?  Why?

5.            What is your favorite duty listed tonight?  Why?               

References and key points:   

Joe Magee Ministries  Facebook  Friday Night Funnies

Compendium 16. To whom is given the task of authentically interpreting the deposit of faith? 85-90
100 “The task of giving an authentic interpretation of the deposit of faith has been entrusted to the living teaching office of the Church alone, that is, to the successor of Peter, the Bishop of Rome, and to the bishops in communion with him. To this Magisterium, which in the service of the Word of God enjoys the certain charism of truth, belongs also the task of defining dogmas which are formulations of the truths contained in divine Revelation. This authority of the Magisterium also extends to those truths necessarily connected with Revelation.”

Compendium 15. To whom is the deposit of faith entrusted? 84, 91 94, 99 “The Apostles entrusted the deposit of faith to the whole of the Church. Thanks to its supernatural sense of faith the people of God as a whole, assisted by the Holy Spirit and guided by the Magisterium of the Church, never ceases to welcome, to penetrate more deeply and to live more fully from the gift of divine revelation.”

Acts of the Apostles Ch.11: “The Church at Antioch. 19 Now those who had been scattered by the persecution that arose because of Stephen went as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to no one but Jews.  20 There were some Cypriots and Cyrenians among them, however, who came to Antioch and began to speak to the Greeks as well, proclaiming the Lord Jesus. 21 The hand of the Lord was with them and a great number who believed turned to the Lord. 22 The news about them reached the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas [to go] to Antioch. 23 When he arrived and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced and encouraged them all to remain faithful to the Lord in firmness of heart, 24 for he was a good man, filled with the holy Spirit and faith. And a large number of people was added to the Lord. 25 Then he went to Tarsus to look for Saul, 26 and when he had found him he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a large number of people, and it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians.”

Compendium 82. Why is Jesus called “Christ”? 436-440 453  “Christ” in Greek, “Messiah” in Hebrew, means the “anointed one”. Jesus is the Christ because he is consecrated by God and anointed by the Holy Spirit for his redeeming mission. He is the Messiah awaited by Israel, sent into the world by the Father. Jesus accepted the title of Messiah but he made the meaning of the term clear:“comedown from heaven” (John 3:13), crucified and then risen , he is the Suffering Servant “who gives his life as aransom for the many” (Matthew 20:28). From the name Christ comes our name of Christian.

CCC Intro “The third part, entitled “Life in Christ”, recalls the lex vivendi, through which the baptized manifest their commitment to the faith they have professed and celebrated, through their actions and ethical choices. The Christian faithful are called by the Lord Jesus to act in a way which befits their dignity as children of the Father in the charity of the Holy Spirit.”

Pope Benedict XVI “The Compendium is a faithful and sure synthesis of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.  It contains, in concise form, all the essential and fundamental elements of the Church’s faith, thus constituting a kind of vademecum which allows believers and non-believers alike to behold the entire panorama of the Catholic faith… But this Compendium, with its brevity, clarity and comprehensiveness, is directed to every human being, who, in a world of distractions and multifarious messages, desires to know the Way of Life, the Truth, entrusted by God to His Son’s Church.” 

Compendium 147. What does the word Church mean?   751-752,   777,804  The word Church refers to the people whom God calls and gathers together from every part of the earth. They form the assembly of those who through faith and Baptism have become children of God, members of Christ, and temples of the Holy Spirit.

Compendium 153. Why is the Church the ‘people of God’?  781 802-804  The Church is the ‘people of God’ because it pleased God to sanctify and save men not in isolation but by making them into one people gathered together by the unity of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Thomas P. Doyle OP. Rights and Responsibilities — A Catholic’s Guide to the New Code of Canon Law (Pueblo, 1983).  “   Despite its spiritual nature, the Church on earth is composed of imperfect human beings.  Thus laws are needed, just as in civil society, to protect the rights of the People of God, and also to prescribe their responsibilities as members of the Christian community.

   It is important at the outset not to confuse Church law and moral law….  Church law governs the external relationships of individuals in the Christian community.  In itself it does not bind under pain of sin, although sin may well be involved when Church law is transgressed….

   The direct relationship of the individual to God is governed by a higher law, which includes the moral norms….  Transgression of moral law involves sin.

Canon law requires that its laws must indeed be obeyed, but with the following understanding:  When the spiritual needs of the individual or group are such that strict adherence to the law would prove counter-productive, or when there is doubt about how to apply the law to a particular situation, the obligations of the law may be removed by one having the authority [to remove them]….

   The Church is a multifaceted society — all of its various aspects,…even its laws, are ordered to a supernatural end….  By keeping this in mind, we can see the canons not as a collection of restricting rules, but as a guide to living the Christian life within a specific community, the Catholic Church.

 Introduction to Canon Law (Edward N. Peters) http://www.canonlaw.info/a_catechistintro.htm  “Briefly put, canon law is the internal legal system of the Catholic Church. Canon law has everything one would expect to find in a mature legal system: laws, courts, cases, judges, lawyers, and so on. Canon law affects, to one degree or another, virtually every aspect of Catholic life, sometimes much more intimately than many people realize; other times, though, much less directly than one might have otherwise thought.

Historically, canon law is the oldest continuously functioning legal system in the western world. Fortunately, throughout Church history some of the world’s finest legal, theological, and pastoral minds have contributed to the formation of canon law, all trying to serve one goal, that expressed in the final norm of the Code, Canon 1752: “…having before one’s eyes the salvation of souls, which is always the supreme law of the Church.”

Today, canon law for Roman Catholics is found primarily in a single volume called the 1983 Code of Canon Law. (Eastern Catholics have a separate code which was issued in 1990.)

“The date indicated, 1983, while not technically part of the official title, simply refers to the year in which the current canon law took effect, replacing when it did so the Catholic Church’s first Code of Canon Law which was published in 1917. Up until this century, the canon law of the Catholic Church was scattered over a wide variety of texts and collections that only an elite group of highly-trained specialists could access. The modern redaction of Church law into a single unified code, however, is one of the steps that has contributed to the ability of rank-and-file Catholics to make greater use of canon law in their own lives.

Code of Canon Law, 1752 Laws  http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/_INDEX.HTM

CODE OF CANON LAW
 Table of Contents

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