Friday, October 16, 2009
With what Authority does the Church Speak?
Luke 10:16 "He who hears you hears me, and he who rejects you rejects me, and he who rejects me rejects him who sent me."
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Sex and Holy Purity
What is the single greatest gift a young man and woman can give each other in marriage? It is their holy purity or chastity. Without holy purity, human love – popularly known as ‘sex’ - becomes corrupt. There is no true human love without holy purity.
What is the single greatest virtue a young man and woman find most difficult to practice in this 21st century? It is the virtue of holy purity or chastity.
The sixth and ninth Commandment of God teaches specifically against sins of the flesh. When we practice holy chastity as taught by God’s Commands, we also will obtain purity of mind and heart. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church notes, "purity of heart is the precondition of the vision of God."
Without a knowledge and great love for God, holy purity will be very hard to maintain. St. Paul teaches us that chastity is a ‘fruit of the Holy Spirit.’ A strong Sacramental life, especially frequent reception of the Sacrament of Confession and the Eucharist, is most important.
Nevertheless, what about the countless temptations that seemingly are everywhere?
The best defense is a good offense – maintain a holy attack against impurity. How can young people accomplish this?
Here is a list of weapons to use to maintain holy purity:
~Begin each day with Holy Mass, if possible, and fruitful prayer. Moreover, remember Sister Christine Joseph’s morning prayer and offer every thought, word, and deed of the day to Jesus.
~Dress modestly. Forget the current...fashions.
~Avoid inappropriate conversations. When a discussion becomes off color or the language is impure, change the subject or walk away from the group. Remember, the tongue and lips that receive Holy Communion should not be accused of uttering neither indecent words nor risqué stories.
~Arm oneself with holy sacramentals. Wear a blessed crucifix on your chest; wear a properly invested Brown Scapular around your neck; keep a blessed rosary in your pocket or purse. A blessed ‘Angus Dei’ medal could be attached to your rosary.
~Reject bad forms of entertainment. Imagine sitting next to the guest of honor, Pope John Paul II. Would he be offended at the television program or the movie we were watching? If it is not appropriate for the Pope, it is not appropriate for persons desiring holy purity.
~Avoid useless activities. Ask the question: ‘By performing this activity, would it be giving honor and glory to God?’ If it would not, best to leave the activity alone.
~Remain cheerful. The crowd will follow a cheerful, courageous leader. Care not for human respect and give your heart to God. Observers will want to possess and imitate this same courage and dignity.
~Avoid occasions of sin. Very often young people feel compunction for their faults and yet they go back to the very sins they previously condemned and commit them again…and again. Do not return to the scene of the crime, for it will tempt the heart once more.
Saint (Mother) Theresa of Calcutta had this advice for young people:
~You are the future of family life.
~You are the future of the joy of loving.
~You are the future of making your life something beautiful for God…a pure love.
~That you love a girl or that you love a boy is beautiful, but do not spoil it, do not destroy it.
~Keep your heart pure…Keep your heart virgin.
~Keep your love virgin, so that on the day of your marriage you can give something beautiful to each other…the joy of a pure love.
What is the holy remedy? The first step is to begin again…and again. Seek the forgiveness of our merciful Lord in the confessional. The second step is to go to our Holy Mother, Mary, Mater pulchrae dilectionis, Mother of Fair Love. Mary Most Pure will help us overcome the many temptations of the flesh and to live holy purity as she lived it so perfectly with Saint Joseph.
Barbara Kralis
What is the single greatest virtue a young man and woman find most difficult to practice in this 21st century? It is the virtue of holy purity or chastity.
The sixth and ninth Commandment of God teaches specifically against sins of the flesh. When we practice holy chastity as taught by God’s Commands, we also will obtain purity of mind and heart. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church notes, "purity of heart is the precondition of the vision of God."
Without a knowledge and great love for God, holy purity will be very hard to maintain. St. Paul teaches us that chastity is a ‘fruit of the Holy Spirit.’ A strong Sacramental life, especially frequent reception of the Sacrament of Confession and the Eucharist, is most important.
Nevertheless, what about the countless temptations that seemingly are everywhere?
The best defense is a good offense – maintain a holy attack against impurity. How can young people accomplish this?
Here is a list of weapons to use to maintain holy purity:
~Begin each day with Holy Mass, if possible, and fruitful prayer. Moreover, remember Sister Christine Joseph’s morning prayer and offer every thought, word, and deed of the day to Jesus.
~Dress modestly. Forget the current...fashions.
~Avoid inappropriate conversations. When a discussion becomes off color or the language is impure, change the subject or walk away from the group. Remember, the tongue and lips that receive Holy Communion should not be accused of uttering neither indecent words nor risqué stories.
~Arm oneself with holy sacramentals. Wear a blessed crucifix on your chest; wear a properly invested Brown Scapular around your neck; keep a blessed rosary in your pocket or purse. A blessed ‘Angus Dei’ medal could be attached to your rosary.
~Reject bad forms of entertainment. Imagine sitting next to the guest of honor, Pope John Paul II. Would he be offended at the television program or the movie we were watching? If it is not appropriate for the Pope, it is not appropriate for persons desiring holy purity.
~Avoid useless activities. Ask the question: ‘By performing this activity, would it be giving honor and glory to God?’ If it would not, best to leave the activity alone.
~Remain cheerful. The crowd will follow a cheerful, courageous leader. Care not for human respect and give your heart to God. Observers will want to possess and imitate this same courage and dignity.
~Avoid occasions of sin. Very often young people feel compunction for their faults and yet they go back to the very sins they previously condemned and commit them again…and again. Do not return to the scene of the crime, for it will tempt the heart once more.
Saint (Mother) Theresa of Calcutta had this advice for young people:
~You are the future of family life.
~You are the future of the joy of loving.
~You are the future of making your life something beautiful for God…a pure love.
~That you love a girl or that you love a boy is beautiful, but do not spoil it, do not destroy it.
~Keep your heart pure…Keep your heart virgin.
~Keep your love virgin, so that on the day of your marriage you can give something beautiful to each other…the joy of a pure love.
What is the holy remedy? The first step is to begin again…and again. Seek the forgiveness of our merciful Lord in the confessional. The second step is to go to our Holy Mother, Mary, Mater pulchrae dilectionis, Mother of Fair Love. Mary Most Pure will help us overcome the many temptations of the flesh and to live holy purity as she lived it so perfectly with Saint Joseph.
Barbara Kralis
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
How Do I Know It's True?
Someone asked in class the other day, "What if our Faith is not true?" Interesting question. In order to find an answer, however, one must ask a series of questions, very carefully, to see that our Faith is indeed true, as it comes from the God who is Truth itself.
Here's a quotation from GK Chesterton, an English journalist, and convert to Catholicism. It's not a bad place to start:
It is very hard for a man to defend anything of which he is entirely convinced. It is comparatively easy when he is only partially convinced. He is partially convinced because he has found this or that proof of the thing, and he can expound it. But a man is not really convinced of a philosophic theory when he finds that something proves it. He is only really convinced when he finds that everything proves it. And the more converging reasons he finds pointing to this conviction, the more bewildered he is if asked suddenly to sum them up. Thus, if one asked an ordinary intelligent man, on the spur of the moment, “Why do you prefer civilisation to savagery?” he would look wildly round at object after object, and would only be able to answer vaguely, “Why, there is that bookcase . . . and the coals in the coal-scuttle . . . and pianos . . . and policemen.”
The whole case for civilisation is that the case for it is complex. It has done so many things. But that very multiplicity of proof which ought to make reply overwhelming makes reply impossible. There is, therefore, about all complete conviction a kind of huge helplessness. The belief is so big that it takes a long time to get it into action. And this hesitation chiefly arises, oddly enough, from an indifference about where one should begin. All roads lead to Rome; which is one reason why many people never get there. In the case of this defence of the Christian conviction I confess that I would as soon begin the argument with one thing as another; I would begin it with a turnip or a taximeter cab.—GKC, Orthodoxy, Ch. 6
Here's a quotation from GK Chesterton, an English journalist, and convert to Catholicism. It's not a bad place to start:
It is very hard for a man to defend anything of which he is entirely convinced. It is comparatively easy when he is only partially convinced. He is partially convinced because he has found this or that proof of the thing, and he can expound it. But a man is not really convinced of a philosophic theory when he finds that something proves it. He is only really convinced when he finds that everything proves it. And the more converging reasons he finds pointing to this conviction, the more bewildered he is if asked suddenly to sum them up. Thus, if one asked an ordinary intelligent man, on the spur of the moment, “Why do you prefer civilisation to savagery?” he would look wildly round at object after object, and would only be able to answer vaguely, “Why, there is that bookcase . . . and the coals in the coal-scuttle . . . and pianos . . . and policemen.”
The whole case for civilisation is that the case for it is complex. It has done so many things. But that very multiplicity of proof which ought to make reply overwhelming makes reply impossible. There is, therefore, about all complete conviction a kind of huge helplessness. The belief is so big that it takes a long time to get it into action. And this hesitation chiefly arises, oddly enough, from an indifference about where one should begin. All roads lead to Rome; which is one reason why many people never get there. In the case of this defence of the Christian conviction I confess that I would as soon begin the argument with one thing as another; I would begin it with a turnip or a taximeter cab.—GKC, Orthodoxy, Ch. 6
Sixth Commandment
254. What is the sixth commandment of God?
The sixth commandment of God is: Thou shalt not commit adultery.
Thou shalt not commit adultery. (Exodus 20:14)
255. What are we commanded by the sixth commandment?
By the sixth commandment we are commanded to be pure and modest in our behavior.
I exhort you therefore, brethren, by the mercy of God, to present your bodies as a sacrifice, living, holy, pleasing to God. (Romans 12:1)
256. What does the sixth commandment forbid?
The sixth commandment forbids all impurity and immodesty in words, looks, and actions, whether alone or with others.
But immorality and every uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as becomes saints. (Ephesians 5:3)
257. What are the chief dangers to the virtue of chastity?
The chief dangers to the virtue of chastity are: idleness, sinful curiosity, bad companions, drinking, immodest dress, and indecent books, plays, and motion pictures.
258. What are the chief means of preserving the virtue of chastity?
The chief means of preserving the virtue of chastity are to avoid carefully all unnecessary dangers, to seek God's help through prayer, frequent confession, Holy Communion, and assistance at Holy Mass, and to have a special devotion to the Blessed Virgin.
Be sober, be watchful! For your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, goes about seeking someone to devour. (I Peter 5:8)
from Baltimore Catechism Online
The sixth commandment of God is: Thou shalt not commit adultery.
Thou shalt not commit adultery. (Exodus 20:14)
255. What are we commanded by the sixth commandment?
By the sixth commandment we are commanded to be pure and modest in our behavior.
I exhort you therefore, brethren, by the mercy of God, to present your bodies as a sacrifice, living, holy, pleasing to God. (Romans 12:1)
256. What does the sixth commandment forbid?
The sixth commandment forbids all impurity and immodesty in words, looks, and actions, whether alone or with others.
But immorality and every uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as becomes saints. (Ephesians 5:3)
257. What are the chief dangers to the virtue of chastity?
The chief dangers to the virtue of chastity are: idleness, sinful curiosity, bad companions, drinking, immodest dress, and indecent books, plays, and motion pictures.
258. What are the chief means of preserving the virtue of chastity?
The chief means of preserving the virtue of chastity are to avoid carefully all unnecessary dangers, to seek God's help through prayer, frequent confession, Holy Communion, and assistance at Holy Mass, and to have a special devotion to the Blessed Virgin.
Be sober, be watchful! For your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, goes about seeking someone to devour. (I Peter 5:8)
from Baltimore Catechism Online
Fifth Commandment from CCC
Biblical Directive (2261-2262)
Scripture specifically says: "Do not slay the innocent and the righteous" (Ex 23:7). The deliberate murder of an innocent person is gravely contrary to man's dignity, to the golden rule and to the holiness of God. This law is universally valid, obliging everyone at all times and all places.
In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus went further. He prohibited anger, hatred and vengeance. Later, he asked his disciples to love their enemies. In his Passion, he did not defend himself and he told Peter to put away his sword.
Self Defense - The Principle of Double Effect (2263-2264)
The act of self-defense is not an exception to this prohibition. "The act of self-defense can have a double effect: the preservation of one's own life and the killing of an aggressor. The one is intended, the other is not" (St. Thomas Aquinas).
Love for oneself is a fundamental principle of morality and defending one's life is not murder even if it results in the death of another.
"If a man, in self-defense, uses more than necessary violence, it is unlawful, whereas if he repels force with moderation, his defense will be lawful" (St. Thomas Aquinas).
Additional Items:
1.
scandal
(LL: scandalum, stumbling block)
Any word or action which has at least the appearance of evil, and which is the occasion of sin to another. It is a grave sin in grave matter because it is opposed to the law of charity. Christ speaks of scandal: "Woe to the world because of scandals. For it must needs be that scandals come: but nevertheless woe to that man by whom the scandal, cometh." (Matthew 18)
New Catholic Dictionary
2.Euthanasia
(From Greek eu, well, and thanatos, death), deliberately taking the life of an ill person. This is here considered in so far as it may be artificially brought about by the employment of anaesthetics. When these last are of a character to deprive the sufferer of the use of reason, their effect at this supreme hour of human life is not viewed with approbation by the received teaching of the Catholic Church. The reason for this attitude is that this practice deprives a man of the capacity to act meritoriously at a time when the competency is most necessary and its product invested with finality.
Two passages from Evangelium Vitae(1995):
The deliberate decision to deprive an innocent human being of his life is always morally evil and can never be licit either as an end in itself or as a means to a good end. It is in fact a grave act of disobedience to the moral law, and indeed to God himself, the author and guarantor of that law; it contradicts the fundamental virtues of justice and charity. "Nothing and no one can in any way permit the killing of an innocent human being, whether a fetus or an embryo, an infant or an adult, an old person, or one suffering from an incurable disease, or a person who is dying. Furthermore, no one is permitted to ask for this act of killing, either for himself or herself or for another person entrusted to his or her care, nor can he or she consent to it, either explicitly or implicitly. Nor can any authority legitimately recommend or permit such an action."
Within this same cultural climate, the body is no longer perceived as a properly personal reality, a sign and place of relations with others, with God and with the world. It is reduced to pure materiality: it is simply a complex of organs, functions and energies to be used according to the sole criteria of pleasure and efficiency. Consequently, sexuality too is depersonalized and exploited: from being the sign, place and language of love, that is, of the gift of self and acceptance of another, in all the other's richness as a person, it increasingly becomes the occasion and instrument for self-assertion and the selfish satisfaction of personal desires and instincts.
Thus the original import of human sexuality is distorted and falsified, and the two meanings, unitive and procreative, inherent in the very nature of the conjugal act, are artificially separated: in this way the marriage union is betrayed and its fruitfulness is subjected to the caprice of the couple. Procreation then becomes the "enemy" to be avoided in sexual activity: if it is welcomed, this is only because it expresses a desire, or indeed the intention, to have a child "at all costs", and not because it signifies the complete acceptance of the other and therefore an openness to the richness of life which the child represents.
In the materialistic perspective described so far, interpersonal relations are seriously impoverished. The first to be harmed are women, children, the sick or suffering, and the elderly. The criterion of personal dignity which demands respect, generosity and service-is replaced by the criterion of efficiency, functionality and usefulness: others are considered not for what they "are", but for what they "have, do and produce". This is the supremacy of the strong over the weak.
--Pope John Paul II
Scripture specifically says: "Do not slay the innocent and the righteous" (Ex 23:7). The deliberate murder of an innocent person is gravely contrary to man's dignity, to the golden rule and to the holiness of God. This law is universally valid, obliging everyone at all times and all places.
In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus went further. He prohibited anger, hatred and vengeance. Later, he asked his disciples to love their enemies. In his Passion, he did not defend himself and he told Peter to put away his sword.
Self Defense - The Principle of Double Effect (2263-2264)
The act of self-defense is not an exception to this prohibition. "The act of self-defense can have a double effect: the preservation of one's own life and the killing of an aggressor. The one is intended, the other is not" (St. Thomas Aquinas).
Love for oneself is a fundamental principle of morality and defending one's life is not murder even if it results in the death of another.
"If a man, in self-defense, uses more than necessary violence, it is unlawful, whereas if he repels force with moderation, his defense will be lawful" (St. Thomas Aquinas).
Additional Items:
1.
scandal
(LL: scandalum, stumbling block)
Any word or action which has at least the appearance of evil, and which is the occasion of sin to another. It is a grave sin in grave matter because it is opposed to the law of charity. Christ speaks of scandal: "Woe to the world because of scandals. For it must needs be that scandals come: but nevertheless woe to that man by whom the scandal, cometh." (Matthew 18)
New Catholic Dictionary
2.Euthanasia
(From Greek eu, well, and thanatos, death), deliberately taking the life of an ill person. This is here considered in so far as it may be artificially brought about by the employment of anaesthetics. When these last are of a character to deprive the sufferer of the use of reason, their effect at this supreme hour of human life is not viewed with approbation by the received teaching of the Catholic Church. The reason for this attitude is that this practice deprives a man of the capacity to act meritoriously at a time when the competency is most necessary and its product invested with finality.
Two passages from Evangelium Vitae(1995):
The deliberate decision to deprive an innocent human being of his life is always morally evil and can never be licit either as an end in itself or as a means to a good end. It is in fact a grave act of disobedience to the moral law, and indeed to God himself, the author and guarantor of that law; it contradicts the fundamental virtues of justice and charity. "Nothing and no one can in any way permit the killing of an innocent human being, whether a fetus or an embryo, an infant or an adult, an old person, or one suffering from an incurable disease, or a person who is dying. Furthermore, no one is permitted to ask for this act of killing, either for himself or herself or for another person entrusted to his or her care, nor can he or she consent to it, either explicitly or implicitly. Nor can any authority legitimately recommend or permit such an action."
Within this same cultural climate, the body is no longer perceived as a properly personal reality, a sign and place of relations with others, with God and with the world. It is reduced to pure materiality: it is simply a complex of organs, functions and energies to be used according to the sole criteria of pleasure and efficiency. Consequently, sexuality too is depersonalized and exploited: from being the sign, place and language of love, that is, of the gift of self and acceptance of another, in all the other's richness as a person, it increasingly becomes the occasion and instrument for self-assertion and the selfish satisfaction of personal desires and instincts.
Thus the original import of human sexuality is distorted and falsified, and the two meanings, unitive and procreative, inherent in the very nature of the conjugal act, are artificially separated: in this way the marriage union is betrayed and its fruitfulness is subjected to the caprice of the couple. Procreation then becomes the "enemy" to be avoided in sexual activity: if it is welcomed, this is only because it expresses a desire, or indeed the intention, to have a child "at all costs", and not because it signifies the complete acceptance of the other and therefore an openness to the richness of life which the child represents.
In the materialistic perspective described so far, interpersonal relations are seriously impoverished. The first to be harmed are women, children, the sick or suffering, and the elderly. The criterion of personal dignity which demands respect, generosity and service-is replaced by the criterion of efficiency, functionality and usefulness: others are considered not for what they "are", but for what they "have, do and produce". This is the supremacy of the strong over the weak.
--Pope John Paul II
Fourth Commandment on Famly:
The Family of Singular Importance (2204-2206)
The Christian family is "the domestic church." The New Testament shows that it has singular importance in the Church (Eph 5:21-6:4).
The Christian family is a sign of the communion of the Trinity. In procreating and educating children the family reflects the Father's work of creation. The family must pray together, read God's Word, and evangelize.
Within the family, an affinity of feelings and interests arise from the mutual respect of each other. The family is a "privileged community" in which the spouses share their thoughts and cooperate in their children's upbringing.
The Christian family is "the domestic church." The New Testament shows that it has singular importance in the Church (Eph 5:21-6:4).
The Christian family is a sign of the communion of the Trinity. In procreating and educating children the family reflects the Father's work of creation. The family must pray together, read God's Word, and evangelize.
Within the family, an affinity of feelings and interests arise from the mutual respect of each other. The family is a "privileged community" in which the spouses share their thoughts and cooperate in their children's upbringing.
Love is Answered with Love
With all your heart honor your father, and do not forget the birth pangs of your mother. Remember that through your parents you were born; what can you give back to them that equals their gift to you?
--Sirach (7:27-28)
--Sirach (7:27-28)
FILIAL PIETY
Respect for parents (filial piety) derives from gratitude towards those who, by the gift of life, their love and work, have brought children into the world and enabled them to grow in stature, wisdom, and grace. CCC 2214
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Benedict XVI on the Law:
VATICAN CITY, MARCH 19, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the homily Benedict XVI delivered during a Mass dedicated to workers, in anticipation of Monday's feast of St. Joseph.
Dear Brothers and Sisters:
We have heard together a well-known passage of the Book of Exodus, in which the holy author recounts God's giving of the Decalogue to Israel.
A detail causes an immediate impression: The enunciation of the Commandments is introduced by a significant reference to the liberation of the people of Israel. The text says: "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery" (Exodus 20:20). The Decalogue, therefore, is a confirmation of the freedom won.
In fact, if the Commandments are examined in depth, they are the means the Lord gives us to defend our freedom both from the internal conditionings of the passions as well as from the external abuses of the malicious. The "no's" of the Commandments are as many "yes's" to the growth of authentic freedom. There is a second dimension in the Decalogue which must also be emphasized: Through the Law given by Moses' hand, the Lord reveals that he wills to conclude a covenant with Israel.
Therefore, more than an imposition, the Law is a gift. More than commanding what man must do, the Law manifests God's choice to all: He is on the side of the chosen people; he has delivered them from slavery and surrounds them with merciful kindness. The Decalogue is a testimony of a love of predilection.
Dear Brothers and Sisters:
We have heard together a well-known passage of the Book of Exodus, in which the holy author recounts God's giving of the Decalogue to Israel.
A detail causes an immediate impression: The enunciation of the Commandments is introduced by a significant reference to the liberation of the people of Israel. The text says: "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery" (Exodus 20:20). The Decalogue, therefore, is a confirmation of the freedom won.
In fact, if the Commandments are examined in depth, they are the means the Lord gives us to defend our freedom both from the internal conditionings of the passions as well as from the external abuses of the malicious. The "no's" of the Commandments are as many "yes's" to the growth of authentic freedom. There is a second dimension in the Decalogue which must also be emphasized: Through the Law given by Moses' hand, the Lord reveals that he wills to conclude a covenant with Israel.
Therefore, more than an imposition, the Law is a gift. More than commanding what man must do, the Law manifests God's choice to all: He is on the side of the chosen people; he has delivered them from slavery and surrounds them with merciful kindness. The Decalogue is a testimony of a love of predilection.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Worth Listening to:
"Love is the lamp of knowledge."
--Gavin D’Costa, Theology in the Public Square (Oxford: Blackwell, 2005), 128.
--Gavin D’Costa, Theology in the Public Square (Oxford: Blackwell, 2005), 128.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
The Fourth and Fifth Commandments of God
Lesson 19 from the Baltimore Catechism
241. What is the fourth commandment of God?
The fourth commandment of God is: Honor thy father and thy mother.
Honor thy father and thy mother, that thou mayest be long-lived upon the land which the Lord thy God will give thee. (Exodus 20:12)
242. What are we commanded by the fourth commandment?
By the fourth commandment we are commanded to respect and love our parents, to obey them in all that is not sinful, and to help them when they are in need.
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for that is right. (Ephesians 6:1)
243. Does the fourth commandment oblige us to respect and to obey others besides our parents?
Besides our parents, the fourth commandment obliges us to respect and obey all our lawful superiors.
Let everyone be subject to the higher authorities, for there exists no authority except from God, and those who exist have been appointed by God. Therefore he who resists authority resists the ordinance of God; and they that resist bring on themselves condemnation. (Romans 13:1-2)
244. What duty have parents toward their children and superiors toward those under their care?
Parents must provide for the spiritual and bodily welfare of their children; superiors, according to their varying degrees of responsibility, must care for those entrusted to them.
And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but rear them in the discipline and admonition of the Lord. (Ephesians 6:4)
245. What are the duties of a citizen toward his country?
A citizen must love his country, be sincerely interested in its welfare, and respect and obey its lawful authority.
246. How does a citizen show a sincere interest in his country's welfare?
A citizen shows a sincere interest in his country's welfare by voting honestly and without selfish motives, by paying just taxes, and by defending his country's rights when necessary.
247. Why must we respect and obey the lawful authority of our country?
We must respect and obey the lawful authority of our country because it comes from God, the Source of all authority.
248. Why are we obliged to take an active part in works of good citizenship?
We are obliged to take an active part in works of good citizenship because right reason requires citizens to work together for the public welfare of the country.
249. What are the chief duties of those who hold public office?
The chief duties of those who hold public office are to be just to all in exercising their authority and to promote the general welfare.
Give ear, you that rule the people, and that please yourselves in multitudes of nations; for power is given you by the Lord, and strength by the most High, who will examine your works, and search out your thoughts. (Wisdom 6:3-4)
250. What does the fourth commandment forbid?
The fourth commandment forbids disrespect, unkindness, and disobedience to our parents and lawful superiors.
Cursed be he that honoreth not his father and mother. (Deuteronomy 27:16)
251. What is the fifth commandment of God?
The fifth commandment of God is: Thou shalt not kill.
Thou shalt not kill. (Exodus 20:13)
252. What are we commanded by the fifth commandment?
By the fifth commandment we are commanded to take proper care of our own spiritual and bodily well-being and that of our neighbor.
253. What does the fifth commandment forbid?
The fifth commandment forbids murder and suicide, and also fighting, anger, hatred, revenge, drunkenness, reckless driving, and bad example.
Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer. And you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. (I John 3:15)
241. What is the fourth commandment of God?
The fourth commandment of God is: Honor thy father and thy mother.
Honor thy father and thy mother, that thou mayest be long-lived upon the land which the Lord thy God will give thee. (Exodus 20:12)
242. What are we commanded by the fourth commandment?
By the fourth commandment we are commanded to respect and love our parents, to obey them in all that is not sinful, and to help them when they are in need.
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for that is right. (Ephesians 6:1)
243. Does the fourth commandment oblige us to respect and to obey others besides our parents?
Besides our parents, the fourth commandment obliges us to respect and obey all our lawful superiors.
Let everyone be subject to the higher authorities, for there exists no authority except from God, and those who exist have been appointed by God. Therefore he who resists authority resists the ordinance of God; and they that resist bring on themselves condemnation. (Romans 13:1-2)
244. What duty have parents toward their children and superiors toward those under their care?
Parents must provide for the spiritual and bodily welfare of their children; superiors, according to their varying degrees of responsibility, must care for those entrusted to them.
And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but rear them in the discipline and admonition of the Lord. (Ephesians 6:4)
245. What are the duties of a citizen toward his country?
A citizen must love his country, be sincerely interested in its welfare, and respect and obey its lawful authority.
246. How does a citizen show a sincere interest in his country's welfare?
A citizen shows a sincere interest in his country's welfare by voting honestly and without selfish motives, by paying just taxes, and by defending his country's rights when necessary.
247. Why must we respect and obey the lawful authority of our country?
We must respect and obey the lawful authority of our country because it comes from God, the Source of all authority.
248. Why are we obliged to take an active part in works of good citizenship?
We are obliged to take an active part in works of good citizenship because right reason requires citizens to work together for the public welfare of the country.
249. What are the chief duties of those who hold public office?
The chief duties of those who hold public office are to be just to all in exercising their authority and to promote the general welfare.
Give ear, you that rule the people, and that please yourselves in multitudes of nations; for power is given you by the Lord, and strength by the most High, who will examine your works, and search out your thoughts. (Wisdom 6:3-4)
250. What does the fourth commandment forbid?
The fourth commandment forbids disrespect, unkindness, and disobedience to our parents and lawful superiors.
Cursed be he that honoreth not his father and mother. (Deuteronomy 27:16)
251. What is the fifth commandment of God?
The fifth commandment of God is: Thou shalt not kill.
Thou shalt not kill. (Exodus 20:13)
252. What are we commanded by the fifth commandment?
By the fifth commandment we are commanded to take proper care of our own spiritual and bodily well-being and that of our neighbor.
253. What does the fifth commandment forbid?
The fifth commandment forbids murder and suicide, and also fighting, anger, hatred, revenge, drunkenness, reckless driving, and bad example.
Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer. And you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. (I John 3:15)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)