Saints LightThe Precepts of the Church
The five precepts of the Church are the basic minimum for every Catholic: Sunday Mass, yearly Confession, Easter Communion, keeping fast and abstinence days, and supporting the Church.
What this lesson teaches
- The precepts are the Church's minimum obligations to keep a living faith healthy.
- There are five: Sunday Mass, yearly Confession, Easter Communion, fasting and abstinence, and supporting the Church.
- Holy days and fasting rules are set by Church law and vary somewhat by country.
- The precepts are a floor that gives Catholic life a reliable rhythm, not a ceiling.
Catechism paragraphs this lesson cites
- CCC 2041-2043
- CCC 1457-1458
- CCC 2181
CCC means the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Saints Light teaches it in its own words and never quotes it. Look up any paragraph in a printed copy or at vatican.va. See every lesson by paragraph in the Catechism index.
Scripture read in this lesson: Luke 10:16; Acts 2:42.
A sample question from this lesson
Which of these is one of the five precepts of the Church?
- Pray the Rosary every day
- Go on a pilgrimage once in your life
- Receive the Eucharist at least during the Easter season
- Read the whole Bible in a year
Show the answer
Receive the Eucharist at least during the Easter season. The third precept asks Catholics to receive Communion at least during the Easter season (CCC 2042).
The lesson in the app has three questions, each with an explanation.
Words to know
- Precepts of the Church
- Five basic obligations the Church asks of all Catholics.
- Abstinence
- Refraining from meat on certain days as an act of penance.
More terms in the Catholic glossary. More passages in the Scripture index.
Read the full lesson in the app
"The Precepts of the Church" is lesson 9 of Grace, Virtue and Sin. In Saints Light you get the whole teaching, the Scripture quoted in full, all three questions and a step to live it this week.
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Related lessons
- How Do I Make My First Confession? (Becoming Catholic, free)
- After Easter: How Do I Not Drift Away? (Becoming Catholic, free)
- How Do I Go to Confession? (The Sacraments)
- Before Mass: What Should I Do (and Not Do)? (The Mass)