THE FIVE PRECEPTS OF THE CHURCH AND THE HOLY DAYS OF OBLIGATION OF THE NEW COVENANT PEOPLE

THE FIVE PRECEPTS OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH

In order to nourish the moral and liturgical life of the Body of Christ, Mother Church has established 5 positive laws, decreed by the pastoral authorities, which are meant to identify the minimum spiritual commitment required of the faithful. These 5 laws are known as The Precepts of the Church and are found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church #s 1388-9; 1457; 2041-43; 2177, 80-81. In addition to the duty of providing for the material needs of the Church through time, talent and treasure [CCC# 1351], these are the minimum Covenant obligations of the People of God:

The faithful are required to attend the celebration of the Eucharist every Lord's Day =Sunday or Saturday vigil, unless excused for a serious reason [i.e. illness or the care of infants]. CCC# 1388-9; 2042; 2180
The faithful are required to confess sins at least once a year. CCC# 1457; 2042
The faithful are required to receive Holy Communion at least once a year during the Easter season [but are encouraged to receive Christ in the Eucharist daily if possible]. CCC# 1389; 2042
In addition to the Lord's Day the faithful are required to keep all Holy Days of Obligation. CCC# 2043; 2177; 2180; 2185; 2187-8; 2192-3
The faithful are required to observe the prescribed days of fasting and abstinence. CCC# 1387; 1438; 2043

CCC# 2177: The Sunday celebration of the Lord's Day and his Eucharist is the heart of the Church's life. "Sunday is the day on which the paschal mystery celebrated in light of the apostolic tradition and is to be observed as the foremost holy day of obligation in the universal Church" [quotation from Canon Law: Codex Iuris Canonici, can.1246, art. 1].

In addition to the Sunday obligation to worship on the Lord's Day (it is a mortal sin to purposely choose to miss worshipping on the Lord's Day; see CCC#2181), there are currently 6 annual Holy Days of Obligation celebrated in the Roman Catholic Church in the United States. IT IS A SERIOUS SIN TO PURPOSELY MISS THE CELEBRATION OF ANY ONE OF THESE FEASTS (see precept #4 listed above).

THE SOLEMNITIES AND ANNUAL HOLY DAYS OF OBLIGATION OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN THE UNITED STATES

A solemnity is the highest liturgical rank of a feast in the ecclesiastical calendar. In addition to the movable feasts like Easter and the Feast of Pentecost, fourteen solemnities are celebrated in the universal Roman Catholic Church. These fourteen solemnities include: Feast of the Mother of God (January 1^st), Epiphany (January 6^th), Feast of St. Joseph ( March 19^th ), Feast of the Annunciation (March 25^th), Trinity Sunday (first Sunday after Pentecost), Feast of the Body and Blood of the Lord/ Corpus Christi (the Thursday after Trinity Sunday now moved in the USA to the next Sunday), Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (the Friday after the second Sunday after Pentecost), Feast of St. John the Baptist (June 24^th), Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul (June 29^th), Assumption of the Blessed Virgin (August 15^th), Feast of All Saints (November 1^st), Feast of Christ the King (last Sunday of the ecclesiastical year), Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary (December 8^th), and the Feast of the Nativity of the Savior/ the Christ Mass (December 25^th). In addition to these solemnities of the universal Church, many Catholic parishes across the world now include the optional observance of the Feast of Divine Mercy on the first Sunday after Easter as part of the local liturgical calendar.

The Holy Days of Obligation are those feasts among the solemn feasts which are to be observed by the faithful by attendance at Mass and rest, as far as possible, from unnecessary work. The number and dates of these holy days of obligation vary among the different Catholic nations of the world. In the United States, six holy days of obligation are observed. On these special solemnities every parish pastor is required to offer a special Mass for the parishioners in honor of the feast day. In year 2008 in the United States these feasts are to be observed by the faithful by attendance at Mass as required by Precept #4 of the Five Precepts of the universal Roman Catholic Church (see CCC# 2043; 2177; 2180; 2185; 2187-8; 2192-3):

1. FEAST OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION	December 8^th: The conception without original sin of Mary the Mother of God.
2. FEAST OF THE CHRIST MASS	December 25^th: Celebration of the birth of the Savior.
3. FEAST OF MARY MOTHER OF GOD	January 1^st: This feast celebrates Jesus' naming, circumcision, and entrance into the Old Covenant Church on the 8^th day after His birth (Leviticus 12:1-4; Luke 2:21) and honors His Virgin Mother.
4. FEAST OF THE ASCENSION OF THE LORD	40 days from Easter Sunday as the ancients counted (Acts 1:3). In the US this feast may be celebrated on the next closest Sunday, according to the discretion of the local bishop.
5. FEAST OF THE ASSUMPTION OF MARY, MOTHER OF GOD	August 15^th: The Virgin Mary assumed body and soul into heaven.
6. FEAST OF ALL SAINTS	November 1^st: Celebration our brothers and sisters who have already entered the beatific presence of the Most Holy Trinity.
Michal Hunt, Copyright © 2008 Agape Bible Study. Permissions All Rights Reserved.

The conference of Bishops can abolish certain holy days of obligation or transfer them to a Sunday with prior approval of the Apostolic See. Under these rules certain Holy Days observed in the United States have been moved to the next Sunday while others have been eliminated as required holy days.