Saturday, January 13, 2018
Sirach,
Chapter 19, Verse 18-20
18 Fear
of the Lord is the beginning of acceptance; and wisdom from him obtains love. 19
Knowledge of the Lord’s commandments is
life-giving instruction; those who do what pleases him will harvest the fruit
of the tree of immortality. 20 All wisdom is fear of the LORD; and in all wisdom, the
observance of the Law.
The beginning of wisdom
is to accept the precepts of the Church.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church lists 5 precepts. The
last two are included elsewhere in the catechism but are not listed as
precepts. And they are equally important. The original seven are listed here
for historic educational value.
I. To attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation, and resting from servile works.
II. To observe the days of abstinence and fasting.
III. To confess our sins to a priest, at least once a year.
IV. To receive Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist at least once a year during Easter Season.
V. To contribute to the support of the Church.
VI. To obey the laws of the Church concerning Matrimony.
VII. To participate in the Church's mission of Evangelization of Souls. (Missionary Spirit of the Church)
Catechism of the Catholic Church
IV. OFFENSES AGAINST THE DIGNITY OF
MARRIAGE
Other
offenses against the dignity of marriage
2387 The predicament of a man
who, desiring to convert to the Gospel, is obliged to repudiate one or more
wives with whom he has shared years of conjugal life, is understandable.
However polygamy is not in accord with the moral law." [Conjugal]
communion is radically contradicted by polygamy; this, in fact, directly
negates the plan of God which was revealed from the beginning, because it is
contrary to the equal personal dignity of men and women who in matrimony give
themselves with a love that is total and therefore unique and exclusive." The
Christian who has previously lived in polygamy has a grave duty in justice to
honor the obligations contracted in regard to his former wives and his
children.
2388 Incest designates
intimate relations between relatives or in-laws within a degree that prohibits
marriage between them. St. Paul stigmatizes this especially grave offense:
"It is actually reported that there is immorality among you for a man is
living with his father's wife. In the name of the Lord Jesus you are to deliver
this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh." Incest corrupts
family relationships and marks a regression toward animality.
2389 Connected to incest is
any sexual abuse perpetrated by adults on children or adolescents entrusted to
their care. The offense is compounded by the scandalous harm done to the
physical and moral integrity of the young, who will remain scarred by it all
their lives; and the violation of responsibility for their upbringing.
2390 In a so-called free
union, a man and a woman refuse to give juridical and public form to a liaison
involving sexual intimacy. The expression "free union" is
fallacious: what can "union" mean when the partners make no
commitment to one another, each exhibiting a lack of trust in the other, in
himself, or in the future? The expression covers a number of different
situations: concubinage, rejection of marriage as such, or inability to make
long-term commitments. All these situations offend against the dignity of
marriage; they destroy the very idea of the family; they weaken the sense of
fidelity. They are contrary to the moral law. The sexual act must take place
exclusively within marriage. Outside of marriage it always constitutes a grave
sin and excludes one from sacramental communion.
2391 Some today claim a
"right to a trial marriage" where there is an intention of getting
married later. However firm the purpose of those who engage in premature
sexual relations may be, "the fact is that such liaisons can scarcely
ensure mutual sincerity and fidelity in a relationship between a man and a
woman, nor, especially, can they protect it from inconstancy of desires or
whim." Carnal union is morally legitimate only when a definitive community
of life between a man and woman has been established. Human love does not tolerate
"trial marriages." It demands a total and definitive gift of persons
to one another.
49
Godly Character Traits[2]
During
this New Year let us take up the nature of God by reflecting on these traits
that make us a model for our children and our sisters and brothers in Christ.
Today reflect on:
Truthfulness vs.
Deception
Earning future trust by accurately reporting past facts (Ephesians 4:25)
676 The Antichrist's deception already begins to take shape in the
world every time the claim is made to realize within history that messianic
hope which can only be realized beyond history through the eschatological
judgment. The Church has rejected even modified forms of this falsification of
the kingdom to come under the name of millenarianism,
especially the "intrinsically perverse" political form of a secular
messianism.
2486 Since
it violates the virtue of truthfulness, a lie does real violence to another. It
affects his ability to know, which is a condition of every judgment and
decision. It contains the seed of discord and all consequent evils. Lying is
destructive of society; it undermines trust among men and tears apart the
fabric of social relationships.
2505 Truth
or truthfulness is the virtue which consists in showing oneself true in deeds
and truthful in words, and guarding against duplicity, dissimulation, and
hypocrisy.
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