The Church - Mother and Teacher
From the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Simplified
A Moral Life in the Church (2030-2031)
In the Church, the Christian:
- Receives the Word of God and the sacraments
- Learns the examples of the saints and their spiritual Traditions
- Celebrates the holy mysteries in the liturgical year
By a moral life, believers present their "bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God" (Rom 12:1). Moral life finds its summit in the sacraments (especially the Eucharist) where prayer, teaching, and grace enlighten and nourish Christian activity.
The Church's Right to Teach (2032-2033)
Because Christ gave to the Church the command "to announce the saving truth" (Second Vatican Council), she has the right to announce moral principles, even in the social order, and to make judgments when needed for "the fundamental rights of the human person and the salvation of souls" (Canon 747, #2).
By catechesis and preaching, the Church's Magisterium (aided by theologians and spiritual authors) pass on to each generation the deposit of Christian moral teaching through the Creed, the Our Father, and the Ten Commandments. The Church provides a body of rules, commandments and virtues which come from her faith in Christ.
The Church's Teachers (2034-2037)
The Pope and bishops are the authentic teachers who have Christ's authority. By the ordinary and universal Magisterium they teach people the truths to believe, the charity to practice, and the eternal life to hope for.
By infallibility, the Pope and bishops share (to the highest degree) in Christ's authority. This infallibility extends to the entire deposit of God's revelation and to those doctrines (including moral ones) which are needed to preserve and explain the divine teachings.
The Church's Magisterium must extend also to natural law precepts because observing them is necessary for eternal life. By explaining natural law, the church reminds men how they should be before God.
The faithful have a right to be instructed in God's saving law which will purify their judgment and heal wounded reason. They also have a duty to observe the decrees of the Church, even if these concern only Church discipline.
All Can Instruct (2038)
The Holy Spirit uses everyone (pastors, theologians, and every dedicated Christian) to teach and apply Christian morality. Believers must experience a life in Christ. In this task, God uses the most humble and the most learned.
Making Decisions with the Church (2039-2040)
A person's conscience should not focus upon his own acts. In making moral judgments, the person should consider the good of all as expressed in the moral law, in Church law and in Church teaching. Personal conscience and reason should not oppose the moral law or the Church's teaching.
Baptismal grace should bring forth a filial spirit toward the Church because the Church has brought us God's mercy, God's Word, and our Eucharistic nourishment.
The Church's Six Precepts (2041-2043)
Six Church precepts oblige Catholics to fulfill the indispensable minimum in prayer and moral effort. Catholics must:
- Attend Mass on Sundays and holydays of obligation
- Confess their sins at least once a year
- Receive Holy Communion during the Easter season
- Keep the holy days of obligation
- Observe the prescribed fasting and abstinence
- Provide for the material needs of the Church according to their ability
Witnessing by Goodness of Life (2044-2046)
The Christian must be morally faithful so that the Church can fulfill her mission in the world. "Good works have great power to draw men to faith and to God."
By their constant convictions and their moral living, Christians build up the Church, which grows until "all attain to mature manhood, the stature of the fullness of Christ" (Eph 4:13).
Christians who live with Christ's mind hasten the coming of God's kingdom. At the same time they fulfill their earthly tasks.
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