What are the Precepts of the Church?

Q - Can you tell me what the precepts of the Church are and what they are for?


A - The precepts of the Church are given in order to rightly order our moral life and to set the minimum level of Sacramental participation and obligations that a Catholic should abide by. As the Catechism states:

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 very necessary minimum in the spirit of prayer and moral effort, in the growth in love of God and neighbor:

The precepts are:

1. To attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation, and to refrain from work and activities which could impede the sanctification of those days
2. To confess our serious sins to a priest – receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation, at least once a year, if serious sin has been committed.
3. To receive Our Lord in the Eucharist at least once a year during Easter Season.
4. To observe the days of fasting and abstinence established by the Church
5. To contribute to the support of the Church.

Remember that these are the basics and that we are called to a life of holiness - not a life of being just average Catholics.

SOURCES:
CCC
Aggie Catholic