The 5 precepts of the Church: the duty of all Catholics

The precepts of the Church are duties that the Catholic Church requires of all the faithful. Also called commandments of the Church, they are binding under the pain of mortal sin, but the point is not to punish. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church explains, the binding nature "intends to guarantee the faithful the bare minimum in the spirit of prayer and moral effort, in the growth of love of God and neighbor". If we follow these commands, we will know that we are headed in the right direction spiritually.

This is the current list of Church precepts found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Traditionally, there were seven precepts of the Church; the other two can be found at the end of this list.

Sunday duty

The first precept of the Church is "You must attend mass on Sundays and on holy days of obligation and rest from servile work". Often called Sunday duty or Sunday obligation, this is how Christians fulfill the third commandment: "Remember, keep the Sabbath day holy." We participate in the Mass and refrain from any work that distracts us from a correct celebration of the resurrection of Christ.

Confession

The second precept of the Church is "You must confess your sins at least once a year". Strictly speaking, we must take part in the Sacrament of Confession only if we have committed a mortal sin, but the Church urges us to make frequent use of the sacrament and, at the very least, to receive it once a year in preparation for the fulfillment of our Easter duty.

The Easter duty

The third precept of the Church is "You will receive the sacrament of the Eucharist at least during the Easter period". Today most Catholics receive the Eucharist at every Mass they attend, but this has not always been the case. Since the Sacrament of Holy Communion binds us to Christ and to our Christian companions, the Church requires us to receive it at least once a year, between Palm Sunday and Trinity Sunday (the Sunday after Pentecost Sunday).

Fasting and abstinence

The fourth precept of the Church is "You will observe the days of fasting and abstinence established by the Church". Fasting and abstinence, together with prayer and almsgiving, are powerful tools for developing our spiritual life. Today the Church requires Catholics to fast only on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday and to abstain from meat on Friday during Lent. On all other Fridays of the year, we can perform some other penance instead of abstinence.

Support to the Church

The fifth precept of the Church is "You will help to provide for the needs of the Church". The Catechism notes that this "means that the faithful are obliged to help with the material needs of the Church, each according to his or her own abilities". In other words, we don't necessarily have to decimate (give ten percent of our income) if we can't afford it; but we should also be willing to give more if we can. Our support for the Church can also be through donations of our time, and the point of both is not simply to maintain the Church but to spread the Gospel and bring others to the Church, the Body of Christ.

And two more ...
Traditionally, the precepts of the Church were seven instead of five. The other two precepts were:

Obey the Church's laws regarding marriage.
Participate in the mission of the Church for the evangelization of souls.
Both are still required from Catholics, but are no longer included in the official list of the Catechism of the precepts of the Church.