CATECHISM
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The Manner In Which A Lay Person Is To Baptize In Case Of Necessity
A Study Of The Ten Commandments
How To Receive The Sacrament
Of Penance
Sacrament of Anointing Of The Sick
Matter And Form For Each Sacrament
An In-Depth Study
Of The Sacrament Of Confirmation
The Ceremony Of The
Sacrament Of Confirmation
The Precepts Of The Catholic
Church
Rules For Fasting And Abstinence
Holy Days Of Obligation
In The United States
The Five Sins That Cry To Heaven
THE MANNER IN WHICH A LAY PERSON IS TO BAPTIZE IN CASE OF NECESSITY
Pour common water on the
head or face of the person to be baptized, and say while pouring it:
"I baptize you in the name
of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."
Any person who has reached
the use of reason (7 years old) can baptize in case of necessity, but the same
person must say the words while pouring the water.
The Sign of the
Cross
In the name of the Father,
and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
The Lord's Prayer --
(The Our Father)
Our Father, Who art in
heaven, hallowed be Thy name;
Thy kingdom come;
Thy will be done on earth
as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily
bread,
and forgive us our
trespasses,
as we forgive those who
trespass against us,
and lead us not into
temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Amen.
Hail Mary
Hail Mary, full of grace!
The Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou amongst
women,
and blessed is the fruit
of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners, now
and at the hour of our death.
Amen.
Glory Be
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the
beginning,
is now,
and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
The Apostle's Creed
I believe in God, the
Father Almighty,
Creator of heaven and
earth;
and in Jesus Christ, His
only Son, our Lord;
Who was conceived by the
Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius
Pilate,
was crucified, died, and
was buried.
He descended into hell;
the third day He arose
again from the dead;
He ascended into heaven,
and sits at the right hand
of God, the Father Almighty;
from thence He shall come
to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy
Spirit,
the Holy Catholic Church,
the Communion of Saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the
body,
and the life everlasting.
Amen.
An Act of Contrition
O My God,
I am heartily sorry for
having offended Thee,
and I detest all of my
sins
because of Thy just
punishments.
But most of all,
because they offend Thee,
My God,
Who art all good and
deserving of all my love.
I firmly resolve,
with the help of Thy
grace,
to sin no more,
and to avoid the near
occasion of sin.
Amen.
Prayer Before Meals
Bless us, O Lord,
and these Thy gifts,
which we are about to
receive,
from Thy bounty,
through Christ, Our Lord.
Amen.
Prayer After Meals
We give Thee thanks
for all Thy benefits
O Almighty God,
Who livest and reignest
forever,
and may the souls of the
faithful departed,
through the mercy of God,
rest in peace.
Amen.
Guardian Angel
Prayer
Angel of God,
my guardian dear,
to whom God's Love,
commits me here,
ever this day,
be at my side,
to light and guard,
to rule and guide.
Amen.
An Act of Faith
O my God!
I firmly believe that Thou
art one God in three Divine Persons,
the Father, the Son, and
Holy Spirit;
I believe that Thy Divine
Son became man, and died for our sins,
and that He will come to
judge the living and the dead.
I believe these and all
the truths which the Holy Catholic Church teaches,
because Thou hast revealed
them,
who canst neither deceive
nor be deceived.
An Act of Hope
O my God!
Relying on Thy Almighty
power and infinite mercy and promises,
I hope to obtain pardon
for my sins,
the help of Thy grace,
and life everlasting,
through the merits of
Jesus Christ,
my Lord and Redeemer.
An Act of Love
O my God!
I love Thee above all
things with my whole heart and soul,
because Thou art all good
and worthy of all my love.
I love my neighbor as
myself for the love of Thee.
I forgive all who have
injured me,
and ask pardon of all whom
I have injured.
Hail, Holy Queen
Hail, holy Queen,
Mother of mercy,
our life,
our sweetness,
and our hope!
To thee do we cry,
poor banished children of
Eve,
to thee do we send up our
sighs,
mourning and weeping in
this valley of tears.
Turn then,
most gracious advocate,
thine eyes of mercy
towards us,
and after this,
our exile,
show unto us the blessed
fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
O clement,
O loving,
O sweet Virgin Mary.
Amen.
Prayer to St.
Michael the Archangel
St. Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle,
be our protection against
the wickedness and snares of the devil.
May God rebuke him,
we humbly pray;
and do thou, Oh Prince of
the Heavenly Host,
by the power of God,
thrust into hell Satan and
all the evil spirits
who prowl about the world
seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen.
The Memorare
Remember, O most gracious
Virgin Mary,
that never was it known
that anyone who fled to
thy protection,
implored thy help,
or sought thy
intercession,
was left unaided.
Inspired by this
confidence,
I fly unto thee, O Virgin
of Virgins, my Mother.
To thee I come,
before thee I stand,
sinful and sorrowful.
O Mother of the Word
Incarnate,
despise not my petitions,
but in thy mercy
hear and answer me.
(End Part of) The
Angelus
Pour forth,
we beseech Thee O Lord,
Thy grace into our hearts,
that we,
to whom the Incarnation of
Christ Thy Son,
was made known by the
message of an angel,
may,
by His Passion and Cross,
be brought to the glory of
His resurrection,
through the same Christ,
Our Lord.
Amen.
Prayer Before a
Crucifix
Behold, my beloved and
good Jesus,
I cast myself upon my
knees in Your sight,
and with the most fervent
desire of my soul
I pray and beseech You to
impress upon my heart
lively sentiments of
faith, hope and charity,
with true repentance for
my sins
and a most firm desire of
amendment;
while with deep affection
and grief of soul
I consider within myself
and mentally contemplate
Your five most precious
wounds,
having before my eyes that
which David, the prophet,
long ago spoke about You,
my Jesus:
“They have pierced my
hands and my feet; I can count all my bones.”
Regina Caeli
Queen of heaven, rejoice,
Alleluia
For He Whom thou hast been
made worthy to bear, Alleluia
Hath risen as He said,
Alleluia
Pray for us to God,
Alleluia
V.
Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary, Alleluia
R.
For the Lord is risen indeed, Alleluia
Let us pray:
O God,
Who by the resurrection of
Thy Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ,
hast been pleased to make
glad the whole world,
grant, we beseech Thee,
that through the
intercession of the Virgin Mary, His Mother,
we may attain the joys of
eternal life.
Through the same Christ
our Lord. Amen.
Come Holy Spirit
Come Holy Spirit,
fill the hearts of Thy
faithful
and enkindle in them the
fire of Thy love.
Send forth Thy Spirit
and they shall be created.
And Thou shalt renew the
face of the earth.
Let us pray:
O God,
who didst instruct the
hearts of the faithful
by the light of the Holy
Spirit,
grant us, in the same
Spirit
to be truly wise
and ever to rejoice in His
consolation.
Through Christ Our Lord.
Amen.
Morning Prayer of
the Holy Spirit
Like the morning, let me
awaken to you, Oh Lord.
Cleanse me from my sleep
as a new flower.
Prepare me for the coming
day as the lifting of the night sky.
Take away my fuzzy dreams
and allow me to be Your friend.
Take my acceptance as a
reparation for sin.
Use my acts and deeds for
the conversion of sinners and the poor souls in purgatory;
any extras save for me, Oh
Lord.
Guide my activities.
Steer me in the proper
direction for the safety of my soul.
Channel my hours for fun.
Channel my hours for work.
Direct my every moment as
a prayer of love.
Daily Renewal of
Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Queen of the Most Holy
Rosary,
I renew my consecration to
you and to your Immaculate Heart.
Please accept me, and use
me as you wish,
to accomplish your designs
upon the world.
I am all yours,
my Mother and my Queen,
and all that I have is
yours.
Amen.
Daily Renewal of
Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Dear Sacred Heart of
Jesus,
we renew our pledge of
love and loyalty to You.
Keep us always close to
Your loving heart,
and to the most pure heart
of Your Mother.
May we love one another
more and more each day,
forgiving each others
faults as You forgive our sins.
Teach us how to see You in
those we meet outside our home.
Please help us keep our
love for You always strong by frequent Mass and Communion.
Thank You, Dear Jesus,
King and Friend of our family,
for all the blessings of
this day.
Protect us during this
night,
help us all to get to
heaven.
Amen.
Most Sacred Heart of
Jesus,
Thy Kingdom come.
Immaculate Heart of Mary,
pray for our family.
St. Joseph, friend of the
Sacred Heart,
pray for us.
Our patron saints and
guardian angels,
and all the angels and
saints,
pray for us.
Start at the Crucifix.
Begin by making (and saying) The Sign of the Cross.
Recite The Apostle's Creed.
On the first large bead
recite the Our Father.
On the next 3 small beads
recite the Hail Mary (one on each bead) for an increase in Faith, Hope and
Charity.
On the space between the
3rd small bead and the large bead recite the Glory Be.
On the large bead (before
the circle begins) announce the first mystery and recite the Our Father.
On the next 10 small beads
recite 10 Hail Marys (one for each bead) while meditating on the first
mystery. To mediate, you
simply think about what happened during the event that the mystery is about.
On the space between the
last small bead and the large bead recite the Glory Be.
Now, proceed just as you
did above, announcing the next mystery on the large bead and reciting an Our
Father, followed by 10 Hail Marys and a Glory Be.
Remember to meditate on the mysteries as you pray.
After the last Glory Be,
recite the Hail Holy Queen and then finish with The Sign of the Cross.
Note:
When Our Blessed Mother, Mary, appeared to the three children at Fatima,
she taught them the following small
prayer to say after the Glory Be after each set of 10 Hail Marys:
"Oh My Jesus, forgive
us our sins, save us from the fire of hell.
Lead all souls to
heaven, especially those most in need of Thy mercy."
Joyful Mysteries
-- Monday and Saturday
The Annunciation
The Visitation
The Nativity
The Presentation
The Finding in the Temple
with the Doctors
Luminous Mysteries
-- Thursday
The Baptism at the Jordan
The Wedding at Cana
The Proclamation of the
Kingdom and the Call to Conversion
The Transfiguration
The Last Supper
Glorious Mysteries
-- Sunday and Wednesday
The Resurrection
The Ascension
The Descent of the Holy
Spirit
The Assumption
The Coronation
Sorrowful Mysteries
-- Tuesday and Friday
The Agony in the Garden
The Scourging at the
Pillar
The Crowning with Thorns
The Carrying of the Cross
The Crucifixion and Death
of Our Lord Jesus Christ
We pray the Chaplet of
Divine Mercy using a Rosary, but the manner and the prayers are different.
Begin by making (and
saying) The Sign of the Cross.
Recite:
One Our Father, one Hail Mary, and The Apostle's Creed.
Now, move to the large
bead that is right before the circle begins and pray:
Eternal Father,
I offer You the Body
and Blood,
Soul and Divinity
of Your Dearly Beloved
Son,
Our Lord, Jesus Christ,
in atonement for our
sins
and those of the whole
world.
On the next 10 small beads
pray (on each bead):
For the sake of His
Sorrowful Passion,
Have mercy on us and on
the whole world.
Continue as above, praying
the longer prayer on the large beads and the shorter prayer on the small beads.
At the end, pray three
times:
Holy God,
Holy Mighty One,
Holy Immortal One,
Have mercy on us and on
the whole world.
Finish with The Sign of
the Cross.
1.
I Am the Lord Your God, you shall not have strange gods before Me.
2.
You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
3. Remember to
keep holy the Lord's Day.
4.
Honor your father and your mother.
5.
You shall not kill.
6. You shall not
commit adultery.
7.
You shall not steal.
8. You shall not
bear false witness against your neighbor.
9.
You shall not covet your neighbor's wife.
10.
You shall not covet your neighbor's goods.
THE TWO GREAT COMMANDMENTS TAUGHT BY CHRIST
1.
You shall love God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and
all your strength.
2.
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
To love God, our neighbor,
and ourselves, we must keep the Commandments of God and of the Church, and
perform the spiritual and corporal works of mercy.
A STUDY OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
What is the First
Commandment?
I Am the Lord Your God,
you shall not have strange gods before Me.
How may the First
Commandment be broken?
The First Commandment may
be broken:
-
by giving to a creature the honor which belongs to God alone,
-
by attributing to a creature a perfection which belongs to God alone,
-
by false worship.
Some of the most popular
ways of breaking this Commandment are the strong beliefs in astrology, which
includes dreams, horoscope readings, psychics, tarot cards, crystal balls, and
ouija boards. These are all
designed to predict the future and hidden events.
Belief in "good luck" charms is also sinful.
Although these usually
start out as amusement, games or recreation, it isn't long before those involved
have stronger and stronger beliefs in their power.
The devil has designed step-by-step progressions which lead directly to
devil worship. This is accomplished
through witchcraft, listening to violent and hateful music, the New Age
Movement, and Transcendental Meditation.
A definition of false
worship is when a person leaves the True Church that God has established to
practice a different religion. By
doing this a person worships God not as He wishes, but as they wish.
In what other ways is
the First Commandment broken?
The First Commandment
requires us to worship God and forbids us to worship images or anything other
than the One True God.
What is "anything other
than"? Items like cars,
furniture, clothing, a much larger home, a new boat, etc.
Whenever a person makes an item or items the center of their attention
instead of God, they'd be wise to question if that item has become their "new
god".
Are sins against faith,
hope and charity also sins against the First Commandment?
Yes, sins against faith,
hope and charity are also sins against the First Commandment.
What is faith?
Faith is a divine virtue
by which we firmly believe the truths which God has revealed, even if we cannot
see or understand them.
How does a person sin
against faith?
A person sins against
faith by:
-
not trying to know what God has taught,
-
by refusing to believe all that God has taught,
-
by neglecting to profess his belief in what God has taught.
This is a BIGGIE!
Probably the most frequent way that this Commandment is broken is when a
person places their individual beliefs above God's Law.
In other words, they become their own god and they think they know more
than the One True God. Included in
this is a person's refusal to believe all that Jesus has taught through His One
True Catholic Church.
God gives us true
teachings to guide us directly to Him.
If we follow His teachings, all of them, we will be taking the straight
road to heaven. A person can't pick
and choose which rules and teachings they like, and then follow those rules and
teachings; and at the same time ignore the rules and teachings of God that they
don't like. By doing so, they make
them self a god. They think they
are smarter than God.
Unfortunately, this is
sin. It separates a person from
God. If a person dies in the state
of sin, they are condemning themselves to purgatory, or worse, eternity in hell.
Using artificial
BIRTH CONTROL is one of the most
common sins regularly committed against faith.
The Catholic Church clearly teaches that using artificial birth control
is a MORTAL SIN. By
ignoring this teaching, persons who use artificial birth control clearly state
that they know better than God and His Catholic Church.
Persons who die with mortal sin on their souls are damning themselves to
hell for all eternity.
Natural Family Planning is
acceptable to the Catholic Church as a way to plan or postpone pregnancy.
How does a person fail
to try to know what God has taught?
A person fails to try to
know what God has taught by neglecting to learn the Christian doctrine.
By reading and studying this catechism, you are proving that you want to
know what God has taught.
On the other hand, a
person who tries to steer conversations away from discussions about God may be
doing that so they won't have to learn about God.
An important note:
Whatever you learn about the Catholic Faith, you are from that moment on
responsible for. You can't lie to
God and try to tell Him you didn't know such and such, when you did, in truth,
learn it.
Can a Catholic who
fails to profess their faith in the Catholic Church expect to be saved?
They cannot expect to be
saved because Jesus has said:
"Whoever shall deny Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father Who is
in heaven."
An example of this is if
someone where to make fun of the Pope or the Catholic faith in any manner, and
then that person said to a Catholic:
"Oh, I hope you're not Catholic."
If the Catholic person responded that they were not Catholic or in any
other way denied the Catholic faith, the Catholic person would be committing a
great sin that would have to be confessed in the Sacrament of Penance.
What is hope?
Hope is a divine virtue by
which we firmly trust that God will give us eternal life and the means to obtain
it.
Which are the sins
against hope?
The sins against hope are
presumption and despair.
What is presumption?
Presumption is expecting
that God will let you enter heaven and save you from going to hell no matter how
you live your life.
God is all mercy, but He
is also all justice. He gave us The
10 Commandments, the Catholic Church and the 7 Sacraments to help us get to
heaven; but He expects us to do our part in using these means to get to heaven.
We cannot live our lives sinfully and expect that God loves us so much He
would never damn us to hell. He
never damns a soul to hell, a person chooses hell them self when they sin; and
presumption is a great sin.
What is despair?
Despair is the loss of
hope in God's mercy.
A person sins by despair
when they believe that God will never forgive them for what they've done.
What sadness it is that a
person wouldn't trust in God's mercy.
Jesus came down from heaven because He loves all people so much.
He suffered and died for each and every soul in order to obtain God's
mercy for EVERY ONE. He is the good
shepherd that will leave the ninety-nine safe sheep to go find the one lost
sheep. What joy there is in heaven
over one repentant sinner!
Trust, trust, trust!
Believe in God's mercy!
Catholics have a most wonderful Sacrament in the Sacrament of Penance; a sure
means to have ALL our sins removed -- even the most ugly!
What joy we should have in knowing God gave us this wonderful Sacrament
to heal us, and through His healing Sacrament He gives us peace in our hearts,
and minds, and souls.
What is charity?
Charity is a divine virtue
by which we love God above all things, and our neighbor as ourselves.
How do we sin against
charity?
We sin against charity by
every sin we commit.
How can this be?
Jesus told us that the whole Law of God is contained in the two Great
Commandments: loving God and our
neighbor. Every sin, therefore, is
a sin committed against charity. We
are either sinning directly against God with our sins, or directly against our
neighbor (which also is an offense against God since all sin separates us from
God).
What is the Second
Commandment?
You shall not take the
name of the Lord your God in vain.
What are we commanded
by the Second Commandment?
We are commanded by the
Second Commandment to speak with reverence of God and of the saints, and of all
holy things, and to keep our lawful oaths and vows.
A common way that a person
sins against this Commandment is by saying God's name in ordinary conversation.
Examples are: "Oh My
God!" or "God, I just hate
it when . . ." (This was
all right to do right here because it is being used as a teaching example.)
It is very important to always remember that God's name is holy and
deserves all reverence.
What is an oath?
An oath is the calling
upon God to witness the truth of what we say.
When we take an oath we
are declaring a thing to be so or not to be so, and call God to be our witness
that we are speaking truly. This is
one of the most solemn acts that men can perform in the presence of their
fellowmen. All the nations of the
earth regard an oath as a most sacred thing, and one who swears falsely is a
perjurer (a liar). God is infinite
truth and hates lies. What a
frightful thing then to call Him to sanction (or approve) a lie!
Solemn oaths are usually
taken in a court of law when the judge wishes to find out the truth in a case.
Officers of the law and judges take an oath when entering upon their
duties to proclaim that they will perform them faithfully.
A common way that people
sin against this Commandment is by saying they "swear" that what they are saying
is true, during ordinary conversation.
This isn't necessary or good.
A person should simply say that what they are saying is the truth and not
a lie. We should not casually call
upon God to witness the truth of what we're saying.
It's a very solemn act, and should be treated so.
What is a vow?
A vow is a deliberate
promise made to God to do something that is pleasing to Him.
What do we mean by
deliberate?
By deliberate, we mean
with full consent and freedom. If
we are forced to make it, it is not valid.
What do we mean by
pleasing?
Pleasing means good.
If we promise to do something that is forbidden by God, or displeasing to
Him, it is not a vow.
For instance, a solemn
promise to kill your neighbor or steal his goods could not be a vow.
A special note here:
The Catholic Church forbids persons to become members of such secret
societies as the "freemasons" (also commonly known as The Shriners), or any
similar organization that make a person promise to do whatever they are ordered
to do without knowing what may be ordered; for they sin not only by obeying
sinful commands, but by the very fact of being in a society in which they are
exposed to the danger of being forced to sin.
Is it a sin not to
fulfill the vows we make to God?
It is a sin, mortal or
venial, according to the seriousness of the vow and the intention one has in
making it.
It needs to be pointed out
here that making a vow to God is the same as "promising" something to God.
It is a very serious matter.
A person should not promise ANYTHING to God without first seeking the advice of
a good, holy priest. Vows and
promises to God are not the same as making a promise to your friend.
It is a very serious act.
Can you give an example
of vows that people make that are good?
A man entering the
priesthood, a woman becoming a nun, a man and woman receiving the Sacrament of
Matrimony are all examples of good, but very serious, vows.
The Church is a witness to these vows and persons taking them cannot
lightly "change their mind" and simply undo what they've promised in these vows.
What is the Third
Commandment?
Remember to keep holy the
Lord's Day.
You may note in the bible
that the words used for this Commandment are:
"Remember to keep holy the Sabbath" instead of "Remember
to keep holy the Lord's Day".
At the time that God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses, His people,
the Jewish people, honored the covenant that God made with them on what is
called the Sabbath Day. The Sabbath
is the seventh day of the week, which is Saturday.
When Jesus did away with
the old covenant and established the new covenant, which is celebrated in His
Passion, Death and Resurrection, the Catholic Church established Sunday (also
known as the Lord's Day) as the day to keep holy.
Jesus rose from the dead on Resurrection Morning, a Sunday morning.
We celebrate the resurrection from death to life that Jesus earned for
all of us on His day of resurrection.
What are we commanded
by the Third Commandment?
We are commanded to attend
Mass on Sundays and Holy Days that are celebrated in the Catholic Church.
A person who does not attend Mass on Sundays and/or Holy Days commits a
mortal sin. A person also commits a
mortal sin if they hinder someone under their authority (such as a child) from
attending Mass on Sundays and/or Holy Days.
What are we forbidden
by the Third Commandment?
The Third Commandment
forbids all unnecessary servile work on Sundays and Holy Days.
Servile works are those
which require labor of the body, but not of the mind.
Labor of the mind includes
any kind of reading, writing, or studying.
Paper work and school work are acceptable to do on Sundays and Holy Days.
We are forbidden to:
Mow the lawn, wash the car, paint the house, do the laundry, sewing,
unnecessary baking. These tasks can
be completed on the other days of the week.
People tend to use the excuse:
"Oh, this isn't work to me, I enjoy it!"
You may have the hobby of sewing, but it is forbidden, even as a hobby,
on Sundays and Holy Days. You may
find mowing the lawn, baking bread, washing the car as relaxing, but they are
all forbidden on Sundays and Holy Days.
Seek out the advice of a good, holy priest when in question of what is
acceptable or forbidden by this Commandment.
What is the Fourth
Commandment?
Honor your father and your
mother.
What are we commanded
by the Fourth Commandment?
By the Fourth Commandment
we are commanded to honor, love, and obey our parents in all that is not sin.
Are we required to
honor and obey others than our parents?
We are required to honor
and obey our bishops, priests, government officials, teachers, and other lawful
superiors.
Unfortunately, our
society, especially in the United States, has cultured an attitude of "I can
do whatever I want. I don't have to
listen to anyone else."
Almighty God has established hierarchy in our lives, in our societies.
HE has created this.
We are to have respect for our elders, for those who have authority over us, for
our Pope and clergy, for our teachers, for our government officials and our
President. We may not like a
teacher, or the President of the United States, but we still owe them honor and
respect as is put forth in this Commandment.
God expects it of us. It's
His Law, and we should obey it.
Have parents and
superiors any duties towards those who are under their authority?
It is the duty of parents
and superiors to take good care of all under their authority and give them
proper direction and example.
It is so much their duty
that God will hold them responsible for it, and punish them for neglecting it.
There are many times when a parent may feel it would be easier to give in
and let a child have their way. The
parent may be tired from all the battles they encounter when they instruct their
children. But no matter how
tiresome it becomes, they are responsible for what they teach their children,
and for how their children are brought up.
What is forbidden by
the Fourth Commandment?
The Fourth Commandment
forbids all disobedience, contempt, and stubbornness towards our parents and
superiors.
What do we mean by
contempt?
Showing by our words or
actions that we disregard or despise those placed over us.
An example would be a man
who is summoned to appear in court, and when he does not come, he is punished
for "contempt of court," because he shows that he disregards the authority of
the judge.
A thing not very bad in
itself may become very bad if done out of contempt.
For example, there would be a great difference between eating a little
more than the Church allows on a fast-day, simply because you were hungry, and
eating it because you wanted to show that you despised the Law of fasting and
the authority of the Church. The
first would be only a venial sin, but the latter would be a mortal sin.
This is true for all our actions.
An act which in itself
might be a venial sin could easily become a mortal sin if you did it through
contempt.
What do we mean by
stubbornness?
Stubbornness is an
unwillingness to give in, even when you know you are wrong and should give in.
Those who obey slowly and do what they are ordered in a sulky manner are
also guilty of stubbornness.
What is the Fifth
Commandment?
You shall not kill.
What are we commanded
by the Fifth Commandment?
By the Fifth Commandment
we are commanded to live in peace and union with our neighbor, to respect his
rights, to seek his spiritual and bodily good, and to take proper care of our
own life and health.
What do we mean "take
proper care of our own life and health"?
Our life is not our own.
It is for God. God gives us
life, it is up to God to choose when and how we will die.
Suicide -- the taking of
one's own life -- is forbidden by this Commandment.
It is also a sin to risk
our lives uselessly or to continue in any habit that we are sure is injuring our
health and shortening our lives.
Smoking is not a sin, unless a person doesn't smoke in moderation.
If by smoking a person finds them self continuously having sickness which
is caused by smoking too much, that could be a sin.
When would you know you are smoking too much?
If you begin to have bronchitis, pneumonia, emphysema, there's a good
chance it could be caused by smoking too much.
The same is true of over eating, or drinking too much alcohol.
All of these were created by God for man, but man can abuse God's gifts
and cause harm to his body, which would be sinful.
Examples of risking our
lives uselessly would include dangerous recreational activities and sports: race
car driving, sky diving, bungee jumping.
These activities all contain definite risks to a person's well-being.
If in question about an activity, seek the advise of a good, holy priest.
What is forbidden by
the Fifth Commandment?
The Fifth Commandment
forbids all willful murder, fighting, anger, hatred, and revenge.
Abortion -- the taking of
an innocent baby's life -- is forbidden by this Commandment.
A person may feel that it's "their body", therefore their choice to kill
the baby in their womb, but it is really murder, a mortal sin.
What is the Sixth
Commandment?
You shall not commit
adultery.
What are we commanded
by the Sixth Commandment?
We are commanded to be
pure in thought, and modest in all our looks words and actions.
What is forbidden by the