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Personal Accountability

The Lord’s Two Great Commandments

(1) You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your soul, with all your strength… this is the first and the greatest commandment. The second is like it:

(2) You shall love your neighbor as you love yourself. Upon these two commandments is based the whole of the Law and the Prophets, as well.

The Precepts – Commandments – of the Church

[cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2041-46]

1) You shall attend Mass on all Sundays and holy days of obligation. The faithful may be excused from this obligation in the event of illness, caring for someone who is ill, physical inability to travel to church, no Catholic church reasonably close. Outside of all Sundays, holy days of obligation in the United States are: Solemnity of Blessed Mary, Mother of God – January 1, the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary – August 15, the Solemnity of All Saints – November 1, the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary (national patroness) – December 8, and Christmas – December 25. [When January 1, August 15, or November 1 fall on a Saturday or a Monday, the obligation is dispensed in the United States.]

2) You shall confess your sins at least once a year. Obviously this would be required only if serious sin exists, but all Catholics should strive to keep themselves accountable to the Lord by a frequent celebration of the sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation – 3 or 4 times a year wouldn’t kill any of us!

3) You shall humbly receive…Holy Communion at least during the Easter season. This presumes we are free from serious sin, and strive to honor the Eucharistic Lord in Holy Communion by receiving Him between the First Sunday of Lent and the close of the Easter season (Trinity Sunday, the Sunday after Pentecost). Lent and Easter seasons recall our death to sin and rising to new life in Christ Jesus. The Eucharist is the pledge of this new life in Christ.

4) You shall keep holy the holy days of obligation. See above, but again, this fourth precept completes the Sunday observance by participation in the principal liturgical feasts which honors the mysteries of the Lord Jesus, the Blessed Virgin Mary and the saints.

5) You shall observe the prescribed days of fasting and abstinence. We’re obliged to fast from food and drink – not counting plain water or medicine – at least one hour before receiving Holy Communion. Fridays of Lent are obligatory days of abstaining from eating meat. All Fridays are days of obligatory penance – we may select a manner of doing some form of penance (by not eating meat, or visiting a church, participating in Adoration, spiritual reading, etc.)

6) The faithful also have the duty of providing for the material needs of the Church, each according to his/her abilities. Time is a precious commodity for any of us these days… we’re not always in a position to be able to share adequately what talents we may possess… all of us, though, to some measure can support our parish financially and support works of charity. We have a spiritual need to give and to be generous. (see stewardship section?)