February 15, 2026 - Pastor Message
February 14, 2026THE PRECEPTS OF THE CHURCH
THE PRECEPTS OF THE CHURCH
“It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us not to place on you any burden beyond these necessities, namely, to abstain from meat sacrificed to idols, from blood, from meats of strangled animals, and from unlawful marriage. If you keep free of these, you will be doing what is right” (Acts 15:28-29).
The above passage from the Acts of the Apostles concludes the letter that the leaders of the church of Jerusalem, including the apostles, sent to the church in Antioch to resolve a major controversy that had erupted, not only there, but throughout the young Church: did Gentiles, that is, non-Jews, have to observe Jewish law in order to become Christian? In other words, what did it mean to be Christian? Was Christianity strictly a Jewish movement, or was it something new, a true world religion?
This question grew out of Christ’s final command to his disciples to “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20). The problem is that Jesus didn’t specify what “make disciples of all nations” meant. Jesus, who was himself Jewish, gave this command to a group of men who were also Jewish, and so many Jewish Christians came to believe that being Jewish was a prerequisite to becoming a disciple of Christ. Other Jewish Christians, such as Paul, thought differently, believing that being a disciple of Christ had nothing to do with being Jewish. They believed that Christ had made all things new (Revelations 21:5) and that the new law and teachings of Christ had fulfilled, and therefore replaced, the old law, opening the door fully to Gentile Christianity. Paul and his coworker, Barnabas, therefore traveled to Jerusalem to consult the apostles and other leaders of the Church to resolve the conflict. They gathered in council together and, after some debate, did just that by issuing a letter, the conclusion of which is above.
I mention this to point out two things: that the teachings of Jesus don’t answer every possible question; and that, from the earliest days, Christians have believed that Christ gave the leaders of the Church, particularly those who exercise the apostolic ministry, the authority to issue authoritative teachings to answer those questions in matters of faith and morals. A great example of how the leaders of the Church have exercised that authority can be found in the Precepts of the Church.
The Precepts of the Church are “positive laws decreed by the pastoral authorities meant to guarantee to the faithful the indispensable minimum in the spirit of prayer and moral effort, in the growth in love of God and neighbor” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2041). The Church has issued many laws and precepts by its own authority over the centuries, and continues to do so, but not every law or precept is equal. The Precepts of the Church form the essential minimum that Catholics must observe in order to guarantee a life of authentic prayer and Christian moral life. They do not replace or nullify God’s law (e.g. the Ten Commandments, the two Greatest Commandments, etc.) but, rather, apply God’s law in concrete ways, thus giving them special moral weight. As we begin the Lenten season this week, a time when we engage in a more intense examination of our spiritual and moral lives, I thought it would be instructive for us to review together the Precepts of the Church. May our look as these important teachings renew our commitment to observing them, and may our renewed commitment lead to greater growth in love of God and neighbor this Lent.
Fr. Marc Stockton
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