Wednesday, February 13, 2013

431. What purpose do the precepts of the Church have?



431. What purpose do the precepts of the Church have? 

(Comp 431) 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.
“In brief”
(CCC 2048) The precepts of the Church concern the moral and Christian life united with the liturgy and nourished by it.  
To deepen and explain
(CCC 2041) The precepts of the Church are set in the context of a moral life bound to and nourished by liturgical life. The obligatory character of these positive laws decreed by the pastoral authorities is meant to guarantee to the faithful the indispensable minimum in the spirit of prayer and moral effort, in the growth in love of God and neighbor:
Reflection
(CCC 2046) By living with the mind of Christ, Christians hasten the coming of the Reign of God, "a kingdom of justice, love, and peace" (Roman Missal, Preface of Christ the King). They do not, for all that, abandon their earthly tasks; faithful to their master, they fulfill them with uprightness, patience, and love.

(Next question: What are the precepts of the Church?)

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