458. Subsidiarity

458. What are the duties that society has toward the family? 2209-2213 2250 Society, while respecting the principle of subsidiarity, has the duty to support and strengthen marriage and the family. Public authority must respect, protect and foster the true nature of marriage and the family, public morality, the rights of parents, and domestic prosperity.

457. Foundation

457. What place does the family occupy in society? 2207-2208 The family is the original cell of human society and is, therefore, prior to any recognition by public authority. Family values and principles constitute the foundation of social life. Family life is an initiation into the life of society.

456. Marriage

456. What is the nature of the family in the plan of God? 2201-2205 2249 A man and a woman united in marriage form a family together with their children. God instituted the family and endowed it with its fundamental constitution. Marriage and the family are ordered to the good of the spouses and to the procreation and education of children. Members of the same family establish among themselves personal relationships and primary responsibilities. In Christ the family becomes the domestic church because it is a community of faith, of hope, and of charity.

455. Authority

CHAPTER TWO “You Shall Love Your Neighbour as Yourself” THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT: HONOR YOUR FATHER AND YOUR MOTHER

 455. What does the fourth commandment require? 2196-2200 2247-2248 It commands us to honor and respect our parents and those whom God, for our good, has vested with his authority.

454. Civil

454. Why is the civil recognition of Sunday as a feast day important? 2186-2188 2194-2195 It is important so that all might be given the real possibility of enjoying sufficient rest and leisure to take care of their religious, familial, cultural and social lives. It is important also to have an opportune time for meditation, for reflection, for silence, for study, and a time to dedicate to good works, particularly for the sick and for the elderly.

453. Holy

453. How does one keep Sunday holy? 2177-2185 2192-2193 Christians keep Sunday and other days of obligation holy by participating in the Eucharist of the Lord and by refraining from those activities which impede the worship of God and disturb the joy proper to the day of the Lord or the necessary relaxation of mind and body. Activities are allowed on the Sabbath which are bound. How does one keep Sunday holy? 2177-2185 2192-2193 Christians keep Sunday and other days of obligation holy by participating in the Eucharist of the Lord and by refraining from those activities which impede the worship of God and disturb the joy proper to the day of the Lord or the necessary relaxation of mind and body. Activities are allowed on the Sabbath which are bound up with family needs or with important social service, provided that they do not lead to habits prejudicial to the holiness of Sunday, to family life and to health.

452. Sunday

452. For what reason has the Sabbath been changed to Sunday for Christians? 2174-2176 2190-2191 The reason is because Sunday is the day of the Resurrection of Christ. As “the first day of the week” (Mark 16:2) it recalls the first creation; and as the “eighth day”, which follows the sabbath, it symbolizes the new creation ushered in by the Resurrection of Christ. Thus, it has become for Christians the first of all days and of all feasts. It is the day of the Lord in which he with his Passover fulfilled the spiritual truth of the Jewish Sabbath and proclaimed man’s eternal rest in God.

451. Sabbath-man

451. How did Jesus act in regard to the Sabbath? 2173 Jesus recognized the holiness of the Sabbath day and with divine authority he gave this law its authentic interpretation: “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath” (Mark 2:27)

450. Sabbath

THE THIRD COMMANDMENT: REMEMBER TO KEEP HOLY THE LORD'S DAY

 450. Why did God “bless the Sabbath day and declare it sacred” (Exodus 20:11)? 2168-2172 2189 God did so because on the Sabbath day one remembers God’s rest on the seventh day of creation, and also the liberation of Israel from slavery in Egypt and the Covenant which God sealed with his people.

449. Perjury

449. What is perjury? 2152-2155 Perjury is to make a promise under oath with the intention of not keeping it or to violate a promise made under oath. It is a grave sin against God who is always faithful to his promises.

48. Swear

448. Why is a false oath forbidden? 2150-2151 2163-2164 It is forbidden because one calls upon God who is truth itself to be the witness to a lie. “Do not swear, whether by the Creator or by any creature, except truthfully, of necessity and with reverence.” (Saint Ignatius of Loyola)

447. Name

THE SECOND COMMANDMENT: YOU SHALL NOT TAKE THE NAME OF THE LORD YOUR GOD IN VAIN

 447. How does one respect the holiness of the Name of God? 2142-2149 2160-2162 One shows respect for the holy Name of God by blessing it, praising it and glorifying it. It is forbidden, therefore, to call on the Name of God to justify a crime. It is also wrong to use the holy Name of God in any improper way as in blasphemy (which by its nature is a grave sin), curses, and unfaithfulness to promises made in the Name of God.

446. Images

446. Does the commandment of God, “You shall not make for yourself a graven image” (Exodus 20:3), forbid the cult of images? 2129-2132 2141 In the Old Testament this commandment forbade any representation of God who is absolutely transcendent. The Christian veneration of sacred images, however, is justified by the incarnation of the Son of God (as taught by the Second Council of Nicea in 787AD) because such veneration is founded on the mystery of the Son of God made man, in whom the transcendent God is made visible. This does not mean the adoration of an image, but rather the veneration of the one who is represented in it: for example, Christ, the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Angels and the Saints.

445. Other Gods

445. What does God prohibit by his command, “You shall not have other gods before me” (Exodus 20:2)? 2110-2128 2138-2140 This commandment forbids: Polytheism and idolatry, which divinizes creatures, power, money, or even demons. Superstition which is a departure from the worship due to the true God and which also expresses itself in various forms of divination, magic, sorcery and spiritism. Irreligion which is evidenced: in tempting God by word or deed; in sacrilege, which profanes sacred persons or sacred things, above all the Eucharist; and in simony, which involves the buying or selling of spiritual things. Atheism which rejects the existence of God, founded often on a false conception of human autonomy. Agnosticism which affirms that nothing can be known about God, and involves indifferentism and practical atheism.

444.forced

444. In what way does a person exercise his or her proper right to worship God in truth and in freedom? 2104-2109 2137 Every person has the right and the moral duty to seek the truth, especially in what concerns God and his Church. Once the truth is known, each person he has the right and moral duty to embrace it, to guard it faithfully and to render God authentic worship. At the same time, the dignity of the human person requires that in religious matters no one may be forced to act against conscience nor be restrained, within the just limits of public order, from acting in conformity with conscience, privately or publicly, alone or in association with others.

443. Adore

443. What is the meaning of the words of our Lord, “Adore the Lord your God and worship Him alone” (Matthew 4:10)? 2095-2105 2135-2136 These words mean to adore God as the Lord of everything that exists; to render to him the individual and community worship which is his due; to pray to him with sentiments of praise, of thanks, and of supplication; to offer him sacrifices, above all the spiritual sacrifice of one’s own life, united with the perfect sacrifice of Christ; and to keep the promises and vows made to him.

442. First command

442. What is implied in the affirmation of God: “I am the Lord your God” (Exodus 20:2)? 2083-2094 2133-2134 This means that the faithful must guard and activate the three theological virtues and must avoid sins which are opposed to them. Faith believes in God and rejects everything that is opposed to it, such as, deliberate doubt, unbelief, heresy, apostasy, and schism. Hope trustingly awaits the blessed vision of God and his help, while avoiding despair and presumption. Charity loves God above all things and therefore repudiates indifference, ingratitude, lukewarmness, sloth or spiritual indolence, and that hatred of God which is born of pride.

441. Possible

441. Is it possible to keep the Decalogue? 2074 2082 Yes, because Christ without whom we can do nothing enables us to keep it with the gift of his Spirit and his grace

440. Fundamental

440. Why does the Decalogue enjoin serious obligations? 2072-2073 2081 It does so because the Decalogue expresses the fundamental duties of man towards God and towards his neighbor.

439. Entire

439. Why does the Decalogue constitute an organic unity? 2069 2079 The Ten Commandments form an organic and indivisible whole because each commandment refers to the other commandments and to the entire Decalogue. To break one commandment, therefore, is to violate the entire law.

438. Obliged

438. What importance does the Church give to the Decalogue?

2064-2068

The Church, in fidelity to Scripture and to the example of Christ, acknowledges the primordial importance and significance of the Decalogue. Christians are obliged to keep it.

437. Bond

437. What is the bond between the Decalogue and the Covenant? 2058-2063 2077 The Decalogue must be understood in the light of the Covenant in which God revealed himself and made known his will. In observing the commandments, the people manifested their belonging to God and they answered his initiative of love with thanksgiving.

436. Decalogue

436. What does “Decalogue” mean? 2056-2057 Decalogue means “ten words” (Exodus 34:28). These words sum up the Law given by God to the people of Israel in the context of the Covenant mediated by Moses. This Decalogue, in presenting the commandments of the love of God (the first three) and of one's neighbor (the other seven), traces for the chosen people and for every person in particular the path to a life freed from the slavery of sin.

435. Love

435. How did Jesus interpret the Law? 2055 Jesus interpreted the Law in the light of the twofold yet single commandment of love, the fullness of the Law: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And the second is like it: you shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 22:37-40

434. Rediscover

434. “Teacher, what good must I do to have eternal life?” (Matthew 19:16). 2052-2054 2075-2076 To the young man who asked this question, Jesus answered, “If you would enter into life, keep the commandments”, and then he added, “Come, follow Me” (Matthew 19:16-21). To follow Jesus involves keeping the commandments. The law has not been abolished but man is invited to rediscover it in the Person of the divine Master who realized it perfectly in himself, revealed its full meaning and attested to its permanent validity.

433. Indispensable

433. Why is the Christian moral life indispensable for the proclamation of the Gospel? 2044-2046 Because their lives are conformed to the Lord Jesus, Christians draw others to faith in the true God, build up the Church, inform the world with the spirit of the Gospel, and hasten the coming of the Kingdom of God.

432. Precepts

432. What are the precepts of the Church? 2042-2043 They are: 1) to attend Mass on Sundays and other holy days of obligation and to refrain from work and activities which could impede the sanctification of those days; 2) to confess one's sins, receiving the sacrament of Reconciliation at least once each year; 3) to receive the sacrament of the Eucharist at least during the Easter season; 4) to abstain from eating meat and to observe the days of fasting established by the Church; and 5) to help to provide for the material needs of the Church, each according to his own ability.

431. Minimum

431. What purpose do the precepts of the Church have? 2041 2048 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.

430. Necessary

430. Why does the Magisterium of the Church act in the field of morality? 2032-2040 2049-2051 It is the duty of the Magisterium of the Church to preach the faith that is to be believed and put into practice in life. This duty extends even to the specific precepts of the natural law because their observance is necessary for salvation.

429. Learn

429. How does the Church nourish the moral life of a Christian? 2030-2031 2047 The Church is the community in which the Christian receives the Word of God, the teachings of the “Law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2), and the grace of the sacraments. Christians are united to the Eucharistic sacrifice of Christ in such a way that their moral life is an act of spiritual worship; and they learn the example of holiness from the Virgin Mary and the lives of the Saints.

428. Holiness

428. Are all called to Christian holiness? 2012-2016 2028-2029 All the faithful are called to Christian holiness. This is the fullness of Christian life and the perfection of charity and it is brought about by intimate union with Christ and, in him, with the most Holy Trinity. The path to holiness for a Christian goes by way of the cross and will come to its fulfillment in the final resurrection of the just, in which God will be all in all. THE CHURCH MOTHER AND TEACHER

427. Goods

427. What are the goods that we can merit? 2010-2011 2027 Moved by the Holy Spirit, we can merit for ourselves and for others the graces needed for our sanctification and for the attainment of eternal life. Even temporal goods, suitable for us, can be merited in accordance with the plan of God. No one, however, can merit the initial grace which is at the origin of conversion and justification.

426. Merit

426. What is merit? 2006-2010 2025-2026 In general merit refers to the right to recompense for a good deed. With regard to God, we of ourselves are not able to merit anything, having received everything freely from him. However, God gives us the possibility of acquiring merit through union with the love of Christ, who is the source of our merits before God. The merits for good works, therefore must be attributed in the first place to the grace of God and then to the free will of man.

425. Prepare

425. What is the relationship between grace and human freedom? 2001-2002 Grace precedes, prepares and elicits our free response. It responds to the deep yearnings of human freedom, calls for its cooperation and leads freedom toward its perfection.

424. Actual grace

424. What other kinds of grace are there? 1999-2000 2003-2004 2023-2024 Besides habitual grace, there are actual graces (gifts for specific circumstances), sacramental graces (gifts proper to each sacrament), special graces or charisms (gifts that are intended for the common good of the Church) among which are the graces of state that accompany the exercise of ecclesial ministries and the responsibilities of life.

423. Deifying

423. What is the grace that justifies? 1996-1998 2005 2021 That grace is the gratuitous gift that God gives us to make us participants in his trinitarian life and able to act by his love. It is called habitual, sanctifying or deifying grace because it sanctifies and divinizes us. It is supernatural because it depends entirely on God’s gratuitous initiative and surpasses the abilities of the intellect and the powers of human beings. It therefore escapes our experience.

422.

422. Justifiction

422. What is justification? 1987-1995 2017-2020 Justification is the most excellent work of God's love. It is the merciful and freely-given act of God which takes away our sins and makes us just and holy in our whole being. It is brought about by means of the grace of the Holy Spirit which has been merited for us by the passion of Christ and is given to us in Baptism. Justification is the beginning of the free response of man, that is, faith in Christ and of cooperation with the grace of the Holy Spirit.

Sermon on the mount

 421. Where does one find the New Law? 1971-1974 1986 The New Law is found in the entire life and preaching of Christ and in the moral catechesis of the apostles. The Sermon on the Mount is its principal expression

410 imperfect

419. What place does the Old Law have in the plan of salvation? 1963-1964 1982 The Old Law permitted one to know many truths which are accessible to reason, showed what must or must not be done and, above all, like a wise tutor, prepared and disposed one for conversion and for the acceptance of the Gospel. However, while being holy, spiritual, and good, the Old Law was still imperfect because in itself it did not give the strength and the grace of the Spirit for its observance.

420. perfect

 420. What is the New Law or the Law of the Gospel? 1965-1972 1983-1985 The New Law or the Law of the Gospel, proclaimed and fulfilled by Christ, is the fullness and completion of the divine law, natural and revealed. It is summed up in the commandment to love God and neighbor and to love one another as Christ loved us. It is also an interior reality: the grace of the Holy Spirit which makes possible such love. It is “the law of freedom” (Galatians 1:25) because it inclines us to act spontaneously by the prompting of charity. “The New Law is mainly the same grace of the Holy Spirit which is given to believers in Christ.” (Saint Thomas Aquinas)

418. old law

418. What is the relationship between the natural law and the Old Law? 1961-1962 1980 The Old Law is the first stage of revealed Law. It expresses many truths naturally accessible to reason and which are thus affirmed and authenticated in the covenant of salvation. Its moral prescriptions, which are summed up in the Ten Commandments of the Decalogue, lay the foundations of the human vocation, prohibit what is contrary to the love of God and neighbor, and prescribe what is essential to it.

417. law

 417. Is such a law perceived by everyone? 1960 Because of sin the natural law is not always perceived nor is it recognized by everyone with equal clarity and immediacy. For this reason God “wrote on the tables of the Law what men did not read in their hearts.” (Saint Augustine)

416. reason

416. In what does the natural moral law consist? 1954-1960 1978-1979 The natural law which is inscribed by the Creator on the heart of every person consists in a participation in the wisdom and the goodness of God. It expresses that original moral sense which enables one to discern by reason the good and the bad. It is universal and immutable and determines the basis of the duties and fundamental rights of the person as well as those of the human community and civil law.

415. rules

CHAPTER THREE God's Salvation: Law and Grace THE MORAL LAW 415. What is the moral law? 1950-1953 1975-1978 The moral law is a work of divine Wisdom. It prescribes the ways and the rules of conduct that lead to the promised beatitude and it forbids the ways that turn away from God.

414. solidarity

414. How is human solidarity manifested? 1939-1942 1948 Solidarity, which springs from human and Christian brotherhood, is manifested in the first place by the just distribution of goods, by a fair remuneration for work and by zeal for a more just social order. The virtue of solidarity also practices the sharing of the spiritual goods of faith which is even more important than sharing material goods.

413. share

413. How are we to view social inequalities? 1936-1938 1946-1947 There are sinful social and economic inequalities which affect millions of human beings. These inequalities are in open contradiction to the Gospel and are contrary to justice, to the dignity of persons, and to peace. There are , however, differences among people caused by various factors which enter into the plan of God. Indeed, God wills that each might receive what he or she needs from others and that those endowed with particular talents should share them with others. Such differences encourage and often oblige people to the practice of generosity, kindness and the sharing of goods. They also foster the mutual enrichment of cultures.

412. equality

412. On what is human equality based? 1934-1935 1945 All persons enjoy equal dignity and fundamental rights insofar as they are created in the image of the one God, are endowed with the same rational soul, have the same nature and origin, and are called in Christ, the one and only Savior, to the same divine beatitude.

411. justice

411. How does society ensure social justice? 1928-1933 1943-1944 Society ensures social justice when it respects the dignity and the rights of the person as the proper end of society itself. Furthermore, society pursues social justice, which is linked to the common good and to the exercise of authority, when it provides the conditions that allow associations and individuals to obtain what is their due

410. duty

410. How does one participate in bringing about the common good? 1913-1917 1926 All men and women according to the place and role that they occupy participate in promoting the common good by respecting just laws and taking charge of the areas for which they have personal responsibility such as the care of their own family and the commitment to their own work. Citizens also should take an active part in public life as far as possible.

409. universal

409. Where can one find the most complete realization of the common good? 1910-1912 1927 The most complete realization of the common good is found in those political communities which defend and promote the good of their citizens and of intermediate groups without forgetting the universal good of the entire human family.

408. peace

408. What is involved in the common good? 1907-1909 1925 The common good involves: respect for and promotion of the fundamental rights of the person, the development of the spiritual and temporal goods of persons and society, and the peace and security of all.

407. common good

407. What is the common good? 1905-1906 1924 By the common good is meant the sum total of those conditions of social life which allow people as groups and as individuals to reach their proper fulfillment.

406. laws

406. When is authority exercised in a legitimate way? 1901-1904 1921-1922 Authority is exercised legitimately when it acts for the common good and employs morally licit means to attain it. Therefore, political regimes must be determined by the free decision of their citizens. They should respect the principle of the “rule of law” in which the law, and not the arbitrary will of some, is sovereign. Unjust laws and measures contrary to the moral order are not binding in conscience.

405. authority

405. What is the foundation of the authority of society? Every human community needs a legitimate authority that preserves order and contributesto the realization of the common good. The foundation of such authority lies in human nature because it corresponds to the order established by God.

404. conversion

404. What else is required for an authentic human society? 1886-1889 1895-1896 Authentic human society requires respect for justice, a just hierarchy of values, and the subordination of material and instinctual dimensions to interior and spiritual ones. In particular, where sin has perverted the social climate, it is necessary to call for the conversion of hearts and for the grace of God to obtain social changes that may really serve each person and the whole person. Charity, which requires and makes possible the practice of justice, is the greatest social commandment.

402. relationship

402. What is the relationship between the person and society? 1881-1882 1892-1893 The human person is and ought to be the principle, the subject and the end of all social institutions. Certain societies, such as the family and the civic community, are necessary for the human person. Also helpful are other associations on the national and international levels with due respect for the principle of subsidiarity

403. subsidiarity

403. What is the principle of subsidiarity? 1883-1885 1894 The principle of subsidiarity states that a community of a higher order should not assume the task belonging to a community of a lower order and deprive it of its authority. It should rather support it in case of need.

401 Love

CHAPTER TWO The Human Community THE PERSON AND SOCIETY 401. In what does the social dimension of man consist? 1877-1880 1890-1891 Together with the personal call to beatitude, the human person has a communal dimension as an essential component of his nature and vocation. Indeed, all are called to the same end, God himself. There is a certain resemblance between the communion of the divine Persons and the fraternity that people are to establish among themselves in truth and love. Love of neighbor is inseparable from love for God.

392 what

392. What is sin? Sin is a "a word, an act, or a desire contrary to the eternal Law. (Saint Augustine) It is an offense against God in disobedience to his love. It wounds human nature and injures human solidarity. Christ in his passion fully revealed the seiouness of sin and overcame it with mercy.

400 structures

400 what are the structures of sin the social situations or institutions that are contrary to the divine law. They are the expression and effect of personal sins.

399 responibility

399 Do we have any responsibility for sins committed by others? yes when we culpably cooperate with them

398 acedia

398 Vices are the opposite of virtues. They are perverse habits which darken the conscience and incline one to evil. The vices can be linked to the seven, so-called capital sins which are: pride, avarice, envy, anger, lust, gluttony, and sloth or acedia

397 proclivity

397. How does sin proliferate? Sin creates a proclivity to sin ; it engenders vice by repetition of the same acts.

396 venial

396. When does one commit a venial sin? One commits a venial sin, which is essentially different from a mortal sin, when the matter involved is less serious or, even if it is grave, when full knowledge or complete consent are absent. Venial sin does not break the covenant with God but it weakens charity and manifests a disordered affection for created goods. It impedes the progress of a soul in the exercise of the virtues and in the practice of moral good. It merits temporal punishment which purifies.

394-5 consent

394. How are sins distinguished according to their gravity? A distinction is made between mortal and venial sin. 395. When does one commit a mortal sin? One commits a mortal sin when there are simultaneously present: grave matter, full knowledge, and deliberate consent. This sin destroys charity in us, deprives us of sanctifying grace, and, if unrepented, leads us to the eternal death of hell. It can be forgiven in the ordinary way by means of the sacraments of Baptism and of Penance or Reconciliation.

393 variety

393. Is there a variety of sins? There are a great many kinds of sins. They can be distinguished according to their object or according to the virtues or commandments which they violate. They can directly concern God, neighbor, or ourselves. They can also be divided into sins of thought, of word, of deed, or of omission.