Youcat commented through CCC – Question n. 344 – Part III.

YOUCAT Question n. 344 – Part III. Why does the Church also make declarations about ethical questions and about matters of personal conduct?

(Youcat answer - repeated) Believing is a path. One learns how to stay on this path, in other words, how to act rightly and to lead a good life, only by following the instructions in the Gospel. The teaching authority (Magisterium) of the Church must remind people also about the demands of the natural moral law.

A deepening through CCC

(CCC 2036) The authority of the Magisterium extends also to the specific precepts of the natural law, because their observance, demanded by the Creator, is necessary for salvation. In recalling the prescriptions of the natural law, the Magisterium of the Church exercises an essential part of its prophetic office of proclaiming to men what they truly are and reminding them of what they should be before God (Cf. DH 14).

Reflecting and meditating 

(Youcat comment) There are not two truths. What is humanly right cannot be wrong from the Christian perspective. And what is right according to Christianity cannot be humanly wrong. That is why the Church must teach comprehensively about moral issues.

(CCC Comment)

(CCC 2037) The law of God entrusted to the Church is taught to the faithful as the way of life and truth. The faithful therefore have the right to be instructed in the divine saving precepts that purify judgment and, with grace, heal wounded human reason (Cf. CIC, can. 213). They have the duty of observing the constitutions and decrees conveyed by the legitimate authority of the Church. Even if they concern disciplinary matters, these determinations call for docility in charity.

(This question: Why does the Church also make declarations about ethical questions and about matters of personal conduct? is continued)