Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church

by Roman Catholic Church

  2095-2105

  2135-2136

  These words mean to adore God as the Lord of everything that exists; to render to him the individual and community worship which is his due; to pray to him with sentiments of praise, of thanks, and of supplication; to offer him sacrifices, above all the spiritual sacrifice of one’s own life, united with the perfect sacrifice of Christ; and to keep the promises and vows made to him.

  444. In what way does a person exercise his or her proper right to worship God in truth and in freedom?

  2104-2109

  2137

  Every person has the right and the moral duty to seek the truth, especially in what concerns God and his Church. Once the truth is known, each person he has the right and moral duty to embrace it, to guard it faithfully and to render God authentic worship. At the same time, the dignity of the human person requires that in religious matters no one may be forced to act against conscience nor be restrained, within the just limits of public order, from acting in conformity with conscience, privately or publicly, alone or in association with others.

  445. What does God prohibit by his command, “You shall not have other gods before me” (Exodus 20:2)?

  2110-2128

  2138-2140

  This commandment forbids:

  Polytheism and idolatry, which divinizes creatures, power, money, or even demons.

  Superstition which is a departure from the worship due to the true God and which also expresses itself in various forms of divination, magic, sorcery and spiritism.

  Irreligion which is evidenced: in tempting God by word or deed; in sacrilege, which profanes sacred persons or sacred things, above all the Eucharist; and in simony, which involves the buying or selling of spiritual things.

  Atheism which rejects the existence of God, founded often on a false conception of human autonomy.

  Agnosticism which affirms that nothing can be known about God, and involves indifferentism and practical atheism.

  446. Does the commandment of God, “You shall not make for yourself a graven image” (Exodus 20:3), forbid the cult of images?

  2129-2132

  2141

  In the Old Testament this commandment forbade any representation of God who is absolutely transcendent. The Christian veneration of sacred images, however, is justified by the incarnation of the Son of God (as taught by the Second Council of Nicea in 787AD) because such veneration is founded on the mystery of the Son of God made man, in whom the transcendent God is made visible. This does not mean the adoration of an image, but rather the veneration of the one who is represented in it: for example, Christ, the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Angels and the Saints.

  THE SECOND COMMANDMENT:

  YOU SHALL NOT TAKE THE NAME OF THE LORD YOUR GOD IN VAIN

  447. How does one respect the holiness of the Name of God?

  2142-2149

  2160-2162

  One shows respect for the holy Name of God by blessing it, praising it and glorifying it. It is forbidden, therefore, to call on the Name of God to justify a crime. It is also wrong to use the holy Name of God in any improper way as in blasphemy (which by its nature is a grave sin), curses, and unfaithfulness to promises made in the Name of God.

  448. Why is a false oath forbidden?

  2150-2151

  2163-2164

  It is forbidden because one calls upon God who is truth itself to be the witness to a lie.

  “Do not swear, whether by the Creator or by any creature, except truthfully, of necessity and with reverence.” (Saint Ignatius of Loyola)

  449. What is perjury?

  2152-2155

  Perjury is to make a promise under oath with the intention of not keeping it or to violate a promise made under oath. It is a grave sin against God who is always faithful to his promises.

  THE THIRD COMMANDMENT:

  REMEMBER TO KEEP HOLY THE LORD'S DAY

  450. Why did God “bless the Sabbath day and declare it sacred” (Exodus 20:11)?

  2168-2172

  2189

  God did so because on the Sabbath day one remembers God’s rest on the seventh day of creation, and also the liberation of Israel from slavery in Egypt and the Covenant which God sealed with his people.

  451. How did Jesus act in regard to the Sabbath?

  2173

  Jesus recognized the holiness of the Sabbath day and with divine authority he gave this law its authentic interpretation: “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath” (Mark 2:27).

  452. For what reason has the Sabbath been changed to Sunday for Christians?

  2174-2176

  2190-2191

  The reason is because Sunday is the day of the Resurrection of Christ. As “the first day of the week” (Mark 16:2) it recalls the first creation; and as the “eighth day”, which follows the sabbath, it symbolizes the new creation ushered in by the Resurrection of Christ. Thus, it has become for Christians the first of all days and of all feasts. It is the day of the Lord in which he with his Passover fulfilled the spiritual truth of the Jewish Sabbath and proclaimed man’s eternal rest in God.

  453. How does one keep Sunday holy?

  2177-2185

  2192-2193

  Christians keep Sunday and other days of obligation holy by participating in the Eucharist of the Lord and by refraining from those activities which impede the worship of God and disturb the joy proper to the day of the Lord or the necessary relaxation of mind and body. Activities are allowed on the Sabbath which are bound up with family needs or with important social service, provided that they do not lead to habits prejudicial to the holiness of Sunday, to family life and to health.

  454. Why is the civil recognition of Sunday as a feast day important?

  2186-2188

  2194-2195

  It is important so that all might be given the real possibility of enjoying sufficient rest and leisure to take care of their religious, familial, cultural and social lives. It is important also to have an opportune time for meditation, for reflection, for silence, for study, and a time to dedicate to good works, particularly for the sick and for the elderly.

  CHAPTER TWO

  “You Shall Love Your Neighbour as Yourself”

  THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT:

  HONOR YOUR FATHER AND YOUR MOTHER

  455. What does the fourth commandment require?

  2196-2200

  2247-2248

  It commands us to honor and respect our parents and those whom God, for our good, has vested with his authority.

  456. What is the nature of the family in the plan of God?

  2201-2205

  2249

  A man and a woman united in marriage form a family together with their children. God instituted the family and endowed it with its fundamental constitution. Marriage and the family are ordered to the good of the spouses and to the procreation and education of children. Members of the same family establish among themselves personal relationships and primary responsibilities. In Christ the family becomes the domestic church because it is a community of faith, of hope, and of charity.

  457. What place does the family occupy in society?

  2207-2208

  The family is the original cell of human society and is, therefore, prior to any recognition by public authority. Family values and principles constitute the foundation of social life. Family life is an initiation into the life of society.

  458. What are the duties that society has toward the family?

  2209-2213

  2250

  Society, while respecting the principle of subsidiarity, has the duty to support and strengthen marriage and the family. Public authority must respect, protect and foster the true nature of marriage and the family, public morality, the rights of parents, and domestic prosperity.

  459. What are the duties of children toward their parents?

  2214-2220

  2251

  Children owe respect (filial piety), gratitude, docility and obedience to their parents. In pay
ing them respect and in fostering good relationships with their brothers and sisters, children contribute to the growth in harmony and holiness in family life in general. Adult children should give their parents material and moral support whenever they find themselves in situations of distress, sickness, loneliness, or old age.

  460. What are the duties of parents toward their children?

  2221-2231

  Parents, in virtue of their participation in the fatherhood of God, have the first responsibility for the education of their children and they are the first heralds of the faith for them. They have the duty to love and respect their children as persons and as children of God and to provide, as far as is possible, for their physical and spiritual needs. They should select for them a suitable school and help them with prudent counsel in the choice of their profession and their state of life. In particular they have the mission of educating their children in the Christian faith.

  461. How are parents to educate their children in the Christian faith?

  2252-2253

  Parents do this mainly by example, prayer, family catechesis and participation in the life of the Church.

  462. Are family bonds an absolute good?

  2232-2233

  Family ties are important but not absolute, because the first vocation of a Christian is to follow Jesus and love him: “He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me” (Matthew 10:37). Parents must support with joy their children's choice to follow Jesus in whatever state of life, even in the consecrated life or the priestly ministry.

  463. How should authority be exercised in the various spheres of civil society?

  2234-2237

  2254

  Authority should always be exercised as a service, respecting fundamental human rights, a just hierarchy of values, laws, distributive justice, and the principle of subsidiarity. All those who exercise authority should seek the interests of the community before their own interest and allow their decisions to be inspired by the truth about God, about man and about the world.

  464. What are the duties of citizens in regard to civil authorities?

  2238-2241

  2255

  Those subject to authority should regard those in authority as representatives of God and offer their loyal collaboration for the right functioning of public and social life. This collaboration includes love and service of one's homeland, the right and duty to vote, payment of taxes, the defense of one's country, and the right to exercise constructive criticism.

  465. When is a citizen forbidden to obey civil authorities?

  2242-2243

  2256

  A citizen is obliged in conscience not to obey the laws of civil authorities when they are contrary to the demands of the moral order: “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts of the Apostles 5:29).

  THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT:

  YOU SHALL NOT KILL

  466. Why must human life be respected?

  2258-2262

  2318-2320

  Human life must be respected because it is sacred. From its beginning human life involves the creative action of God and it remains forever in a special relationship with the Creator, who is its sole end. It is not lawful for anyone directly to destroy an innocent human being. This is gravely contrary to the dignity of the person and the holiness of the Creator. “Do not slay the innocent and the righteous” (Exodus 23:7).

  467. Why is the legitimate defense of persons and of society not opposed to this norm?

  2263-2265

  Because in choosing to legitimately defend oneself one is respecting the right to life (either one’s own right to life or that of another) and not choosing to kill. Indeed, for someone responsible for the life of another, legitimate defense can be not only a right but a grave duty, provided only that disproportionate force is not used.

  468. What is the purpose of punishment?

  2266

  A punishment imposed by legitimate public authority has the aim of redressing the disorder introduced by the offense, of defending public order and people’s safety, and contributing to the correction of the guilty party.

  469. What kind of punishment may be imposed?

  2267

  The punishment imposed must be proportionate to the gravity of the offense. Given the possibilities which the State now has for effectively preventing crime by rendering one who has committed an offense incapable of doing harm, the cases in which the execution of the offender is an absolute necessity “are very rare, if not practically non-existent.” (Evangelium Vitae). When non-lethal means are sufficient, authority should limit itself to such means because they better correspond to the concrete conditions of the common good, are more in conformity with the dignity of the human person, and do not remove definitively from the guilty party the possibility of reforming himself.

  470. What is forbidden by the fifth commandment?

  2268-2283

  2321-2326

  The fifth commandment forbids as gravely contrary to the moral law:

  direct and intentional murder and cooperation in it;

  direct abortion, willed as an end or as means, as well as cooperation in it. Attached to this sin is the penalty of excommunication because, from the moment of his or her conception, the human being must be absolutely respected and protected in his integrity;

  direct euthanasia which consists in putting an end to the life of the handicapped, the sick, or those near death by an act or by the omission of a required action;

  suicide and voluntary cooperation in it, insofar as it is a grave offense against the just love of God, of self, and of neighbor. One’s responsibility may be aggravated by the scandal given; one who is psychologically disturbed or is experiencing grave fear may have diminished responsibility.

  471. What medical procedures are permitted when death is considered imminent?

  2278-2279

  When death is considered imminent the ordinary care owed to a sick person cannot be legitimately interrupted. However, it is legitimate to use pain-killers which do not aim at in death and to refuse “over-zealous treatment”, that is the utilization of disproportionate medical procedures without reasonable hope of a positive outcome.

  472. Why must society protect every embryo?

  2273-2274

  The inalienable right to life of every human individual from the first moment of conception is a constitutive element of civil society and its legislation. When the State does not place its power at the service of the rights of all and in particular of the more vulnerable, including unborn children, the very foundations of a State based on law are undermined.

  473. How does one avoid scandal?

  2284-2287

  Scandal, which consists in inducing others to do evil, is avoided when we respect the soul and body of the person. Anyone who deliberately leads others to commit serious sins himself commits a grave offense.

  474. What duty do we have toward our body?

  2288-2291

  We must take reasonable care of our own physical health and that of others but avoid the cult of the body and every kind of excess. Also to be avoided are the use of drugs which cause very serious damage to human health and life, as well as the abuse of food, alcohol, tobacco and medicine.

  475. When are scientific, medical, or psychological experiments on human individuals or groups morally legitimate?

  2292-2295

  They are morally legitimate when they are at the service of the integral good of the person and of society, without disproportionate risks to the life and physical and psychological integrity of the subjects who must be properly informed and consenting.

  476. Are the transplant and donation of organs allowed before and after death?

  2296

  The transplant of organs is morally acceptable with the consent of the donor and without excessive risks to him or her. Before allowing the noble act of organ donation after death, one must verify that the donor
is truly dead.

  477. What practices are contrary to respect for the bodily integrity of the human person?

  2297-2298

  They are: kidnapping and hostage taking, terrorism, torture, violence, and direct sterilization. Amputations and mutilations of a person are morally permissible only for strictly therapeutic medical reasons.

  478. What care must be given to the dying?

  2299

  The dying have a right to live the last moments of their earthly lives with dignity and, above all, to be sustained with prayer and the sacraments that prepare them to meet the living God.

  479. How are the bodies of the deceased to be treated?

  2300-2301

  The bodies of the departed must be treated with love and respect. Their cremation is permitted provided that it does not demonstrate a denial of faith in the resurrection of the body.

  480. What does the Lord ask of every person in regard to peace?

  2302-2303

  The Lord proclaimed “Blessed are the peacemakers” (Matthew 5:9). He called for peace of heart and denounced the immorality of anger which is a desire for revenge for some evil suffered. He also denounced hatred which leads one to wish evil on one’s neighbor. These attitudes, if voluntary and consented to in matters of great importance, are mortal sins against charity.

  481. What is peace in this world?

  2304-2305

  Peace in this world, which is required for the respect and development of human life, is not simply the absence of war or a balance of power between adversaries. It is “the tranquility of order” (Saint Augustine), “the work of justice” (Isaiah 32:17) and the effect of charity. Earthly peace is the image and fruit of the peace of Christ.

  482. What is required for earthly peace?

  2304

  2307-2308

  Earthly peace requires the equal distribution and safeguarding of the goods of persons, free communication among human beings, respect for the dignity of persons and peoples, and the assiduous practice of justice and fraternity.

  483. When is it morally permitted to use military force?

  2307-2310

  The use of military force is morally justified when the following conditions are simultaneously present: