Some older Catholics will recall hearing about the Precepts of The Church, but they aren?t discussed much anymore. Despite the lack of publicity, they still exist and Catholics are obligated to follow them. Simply put, the Precepts of the Church define the bare minimum that one must do in order to be considered a Catholic in good standing. To put it bluntly, if all you are doing is meeting these precepts you have some work to do. If you aren?t even meeting them? you really better get busy!

The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines five precepts (CCC 2041-2043). They are:

1. You shall attend Mass on Sundays and on holy days of obligation and rest from servile labor ? Sadly, there are some Catholics that don?t feel the need to attend Mass on Sunday or holy days of obligation, which is not only a violation of this precept, but can be a grave sin. For those who do attend Mass faithfully, it is still possible to get caught up in the trap of using The Lord?s Day to catch up on chores and go shopping. While at times this is necessary, we should prayerfully consider the activities that occupy our Sundays. Time spent with family is very important and fulfills the intent of this precept. Although it goes against today?s culture, saying a family rosary or watching a religious program on TV would be a great Sunday activity. Sharing a leisurely meal with relatives gives us an opportunity to engage in fellowship and relaxation at the same time. Obviously, there are some people whose jobs necessitate working on Sunday and the Church understands. The main intent of this precept is to ensure that we obey the commandment to ?keep holy The Lord?s Day?.

2. You shall confess your sins at least once a year ? While the Church encourages frequent confession, all those conscious of mortal sins are required to receive the sacrament of Confession at least once each year. Frequent Confession is one of our ?10 Steps To A Greater Faith? and is highly recommended, even for venial sins. However, this precept gives us a concrete guideline to keep us on the right path.

3. You shall receive the Sacrament of the Eucharist at least during the Easter season ? Catholics are encouraged to receive The Body and Blood of Jesus as often as possible, but this precept binds us to do so ?during the Easter season?. This minimal requirement helps us to appreciate the importance of Christ?s rising from the dead and urges us to receive His Body and Blood during the joyous Easter season.

4. You shall observe the days of fasting and abstinence established by the Church – This one sounds simple, but many Catholics ignore it. The Church prescribes mandatory fasting and abstinence in order to help us share in the suffering of Christ. When compared to the excruciating pain suffered by Our Lord, abstaining from meat or fasting from food is a small sacrifice to make. Our human nature causes us to flee from any form of discomfort, so it really is a blessing that the Church helps us with this matter. The Church recognizes that most of us would not choose to voluntarily deprive ourselves, so they assist us with this precept.

5. You shall help to provide for the needs of the Church ? Certainly not a popular topic with many Catholics, but providing for the needs of the Church is a requirement that must be obeyed. The Church doesn?t mandate any particular amount, but we should be as generous as possible. It?s easy to forget that everything we own (including our money) comes from God, but keeping that in mind makes it easier to be generous with His resources.

As I mentioned earlier, these precepts should not be viewed as a goal to aspire toward, but rather as a starting point. If we desire to become closer to Christ, following the Precepts of the Church will give us a good foundation to build upon.

Today the Church celebrates the memorial of St. Timothy and St. Titus, bishops of the early Church. St. Paul?s letters to each of them can be found in the New Testament. In the gospel from today?s Mass, Jesus states, ?If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.? (Mk 3:24-25) While The Lord?s actual quote refers to Satan and his evil kingdom, we can also apply His statement to the Church.

In union with the Pope, the bishops have the authority to make laws that are binding for Catholics. This authority existed back in the days of Timothy and Titus and it still exists today. Unfortunately, there are some Catholics today that don?t feel the need to obey certain laws of the Church. A great deal of the blame for this can be placed on the changing values of today?s society, where ?law? and ?authority? have become dirty words. In the days of the Old Testament, the Israelites loved and reverenced the Law of God, as they looked at it as a way to determine His will. Today, some Catholics detest the word ?law? and will vehemently dissent from Church teaching if it doesn?t meet their approval.

Two very notable examples of this are the current United States Vice President and the Speaker of the House. Both of these individuals profess to be devout Catholics, but openly reject the Church?s teaching that abortion is always morally wrong. Their actions send a public message to their fellow Catholics that it is acceptable to defy infallible Church teaching if it doesn?t meet your approval. In a less public way, we see this type of defiance every day in our workplaces, neighborhoods and even in our families. Many people only obey those Church teachings that meet their approval.

Although the Church will never be destroyed by this behavior (Mt 16:18), it does weaken it. When The Catholic Church is faced with battles against such evils as abortion, embryonic stem cell research and gay ?marriage?, it?s hard to present a united front when some of our most prominent members follow their own personal doctrine. While we cannot control the behavior of others, we can control our own behavior and obey the teachings of Christ through His Church.
We can turn to our Blessed Mother for guidance and recall her words at the wedding at Cana as she told the servers, ?Do whatever He tells you? (Jn 2:5) By doing that, we will set a positive example for others and help to advance the Kingdom of God in the world.

People generally don?t like to be told that they need to repent. They especially don?t want to hear this from a friend, family member or a co-worker. The message to ?clean up your act? may be received slightly better coming from a member of the clergy or religious, but there will still be some resistance. When one warns another that their immoral behavior may have eternal consequences, it is often perceived as a ?holier and thou? speech and promptly ignored.

This reaction is not much different than what the prophets, and even Jesus, experienced when they tried to warn the people that they must change their ways. In the First Reading from today?s Mass (Jon 3:1-5, 10), there is a bit of a ?twist? in that the people actually heed the advice of the prophet Jonah and turn away from their sinful ways. As a result, they are spared God?s wrath.

In today?s Gospel (Mk 1:14-20), Jesus calls the first of His Apostles. Just like the people of Nineveh, they respond positively when the Lord states, ?repent and believe in the Gospel.? They left their old ways behind and followed Jesus. Today (January 25) is also the feast of The Conversion of Saint Paul. Saul of Tarsus was a notorious persecutor of Christians who also responded to the call of Christ and left his old way of life behind. The Lord changed his name to Paul and he went on to bring many people to Jesus.

During the course of our lives, you and I will be on both sides of this situation. Sometimes we will be the prophet proclaiming God?s word to people who may or may not be receptive. In this case, we can use Jonah as our role model. He wasn?t thrilled about his job of a prophet, but he did it anyway. As a result, the lives of many people were spared.

Other times, we will be the one being told to ?repent and believe in the Gospel?. In this situation, we can imitate the people of Nineveh, the Apostles and Saint Paul. They all responded to The Lord?s request and were ultimately rewarded. In the case of the Ninevites, their lives were spared. In the case of the Apostles and St. Paul, they were rewarded with eternal life in Heaven.

How does God instruct us today? It may be through reading the Bible or the Catechism of the Catholic Church. It may be in the form of a statement by the bishops or a declaration by The Holy Father. Whether we are the ones proclaiming the word or the ones receiving it, we must always strive to do God?s will. By doing that, we?ll know that one day we?ll receive our reward!

A few days ago, we witnessed the inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States. Those of us who believe in the right to life from conception to natural death are very concerned about his pro-abortion agenda. Yesterday, on the sad occasion of the 36th anniversary of legalized abortion in the United States, President Obama issued the following statement ; ?Roe v. Wade not only protects women’s health and reproductive freedom, but stands for a broader principle: that government should not intrude on our most private family matters.?

In the First Reading from today?s Mass (Heb 8:6-13), the New Covenant is discussed. The New Covenant, sealed by the blood of Jesus Christ, made it possible for President Obama and all Christians to become adopted children of God. In speaking of this New Covenant in the Letter to the Hebrews, the author quotes the book of Jeremiah (Jer 31:31-34):

Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord,
when I will conclude a new covenant with the house of
Israel and the house of Judah.
It will not be like the covenant I made with their fathers
the day I took them by the hand to lead
them forth from the land of Egypt;
for they did not stand by my covenant
and I ignored them, says the Lord.
But this is the covenant I will establish with the house of Israel
after those days, says the Lord:
I will put my laws in their minds
and I will write them upon their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they shall be my people.

My question for Mr. Obama and all other pro-abortion Christians is this; is murdering children really the law of God? If not, doesn?t the law of God (which according to this Bible passage is written on the hearts of Christians) conflict with laws that support killing the unborn? Yet somehow the same “compassionate” people who are so concerned about women?s health don?t have a problem with murdering unborn women (or men).

The cold, hard fact is that many people don?t think abortion is murder. Those of us who know otherwise need to convince them that they are wrong. As evidenced by the tens of thousands of pro-life supporters who marched in Washington yesterday, we will not give up. As long as God?s law is written upon our hearts we must continue to speak out for life.

On the eve of the 36th Anniversary of Roe vs. Wade, I?d like to tell you about my friend Joe. I first met him in 1996 when I attended daily Mass at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church in Moorestown, NJ. We became friendly and would chat after Mass. Joe was a thin, elderly man who was a chain smoker and hated the cold weather. He was never married and lived by himself. He was forced into retirement and didn?t have much money and no health insurance. He hardly watched TV and struggled to keep his lawn cut. He was even reported to the township for letting his grass grow too high.

In the beginning Joe and I talked mainly about the weather. Our conversations grew deeper when I asked him to pray for my unborn twins who were in serious danger of dying in my wife?s womb. It was then that I found out something about Joe that I would have never guessed: he was a devoted and active pro-life supporter. Never having been married and having no children, Joe just didn?t fit the mold of what I?d expect for somebody who was active in the pro-life movement. Due to his extremely dislike of cold weather (he started saying it was ?freezing? in the Fall), I was stunned to discover that he faithfully prayed the rosary outside of abortion clinics at least 2 times each week? Even in the rain and snow! To make matters worse, he wasn?t able to properly finger his rosary beads with gloves on, so he didn?t wear them while praying. It would be so cold that he would lose the feeling in his fingers, but he never missed a day.

Joe wouldn?t attempt to confront anyone; he would just pray peacefully. There were other people with him who would tell the mothers about alternatives to abortion. The pro-life advocates kept track of how many babies were ?saved?. Joe knew the importance of standing up for life and he attended many Pro-Life meetings in the area. I can?t tell you for sure how many babies Joe may have saved, but I know he had an impact.

Unfortunately, Joe passed away suddenly in 2002 and the pro-life movement lost a strong warrior. Joe would be pleased to know that someone was carrying on his work. God needs you and I to be the ?Joe?s? of today. Each day in the United States, approximately 3,800 babies are legally murdered. They can?t defend themselves and need our help.

There are many things that you and I can do to help. Contact your parish or check out the Pro-Life page of The Catholic Truth website for some ideas. If you can?t get involved actively, you can always pray or make a donation. Why not do something to support the Pro-Life movement today? Maybe you can be the next “Joe”.

Many of us who support the Pro-life movement are sad today as we say farewell to a friend. George Bush certainly has his share of critics, but it’s difficult to find fault with what he’s done to advance the Pro-life cause. Darla St. Martin, the Co-Executive Director of National Right To Life has written a wonderful thank you note to President Bush. Since I couldn’t possibly top what she said, I’d just like to add that I couldn’t agree more.

The late Congressman Henry Hyde (R-Ill) was a friend to the pro-life movement and is sorely missed since his death in 2007. The Jan 11th issue of the National Catholic Register ran a nice editorial about Hyde?s ?4 Rules for Pro-Lifers? and I thought it worthy to repeat them here.

1. Don?t compromise on the right to life?Ever. While it may be easier to ?go with the flow? and remain silent about the evils of abortion, doing so is a great mistake. One of the reasons that abortion is still legal is due to the apathy and politically correct behavior of many people. I heard former New York governor Mario Cuomo speak on television last night about how he couldn?t impose his personal opposition to abortion on his constituents. That is reminiscent of Pontius Pilate when ?he took water and washed his hands in the sight of the crowd, saying, ?I am innocent of this man’s blood. Look to it yourselves.? (Mt 27:24). Henry Hyde didn?t compromise for the sake of popularity and we shouldn?t either. Speaking about Hyde?s constant opposition to abortion, Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan) reflects, ?Henry taught me the lesson that some things are worth losing elections for, and life is one of them.?

2. Respect, and work with your opposition. We can respect or befriend those people that disagree with our pro-life position, even though we don?t agree with them. In this way, we build bridges instead of burning them. As long as we uphold rule number 1 and don?t compromise on the right to life, this is a very wise idea. It also helps us to remember the words of Jesus, when He told us to ?love one another? (Jn 13:34).

3. Support other pro-lifers. This rule reminds us that the common goal of protecting life is more important than the different approaches or philosophies of the numerous pro-life groups out there. Pro-life support comes from many different religions or nationalities and we should unite to achieve our common goal.

4. Never give up. This week, the United States will inaugurate Barack Obama, who promises to be the most pro-abortion president in history. In spite of that challenge, we must not give up. The helpless unborn children are counting on us. With God, who is always on the side of life, all things are possible (Lk 1:37) In addition to speaking out for life, we should pray for the conversion of all pro-abortion politicians.

Let’s close with some inspirational words by Henry Hyde. May these words inspire us all to continue the pro-life fight until the day when the rights of all are protected under the law.

“When the time comes as it surely will, when we face that awesome moment, the final judgment, I?ve often thought, as Fulton Sheen wrote, that it is a terrible moment of loneliness. You have no advocates, you are there alone standing before God – and a terror will rip through your soul like nothing you can imagine. But I really think that those in the pro-life movement will not be alone. I think there will be a chorus of voices that have never been heard in this world but are heard beautifully and clearly in the next world – and they will plead for everyone who has been in this movement. They will say to God, ?Spare him because he loved us,? – and God will look at you and say not, ?Did you succeed?? but ?Did you try??”