15. Fulfil Thy Duties Toward God and His Church

15. Fulfil Thy Duties Toward God and His Church

“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind, and with thy whole strength: this is the first commandment” (Mark 12:30).

All the fathers before the year 1200 taught that the highest happiness of man consisteth in the worship and contemplation of God.

• Keep holy the Lord’s Day and the feasts of the Church, for “the sabbath was made for man” (Mark 2:27) that he might be refreshed in God.
• Hear Mass devoutly, receive the sacraments worthily, and confess thy sins regularly, for “whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them” (John 20:23).
• Give alms, fast, and pray, as the Lord commandeth (Matthew 6:1-18).
• Honour the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, and the saints, invoking their intercession, for the Church hath ever done so from the catacombs unto this day (St Irenaeus †202, St Ephrem †373, St Augustine †430).

He who placeth God first findeth all other things added unto him (Matthew 6:33).
The soul that neglecteth divine worship wandereth in darkness and falleth into a thousand miseries.

16. Respect the Religious Beliefs of Others (Yet Hold Fast the True Faith)

“Render to all their dues… honour to whom honour” (Romans 13:7).
Treat every man with the courtesy due to one made in God’s image.

Yet the same Apostle commandeth:
“Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them” (Ephesians 5:11).
St Justin Martyr (†165), St Cyprian (†258), and St Augustine (†430) taught that while we must not persecute or revile those in error, we must never pretend that all beliefs are equal, for Christ alone is “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).

Therefore:

• Show charity and patience toward Jews, pagans, and heretics.
• Never mock their conscience, but bear witness to the truth with meekness (1 Peter 3:15).
• Pray for their conversion, as the Lord desireth “all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4).

Thus thou preservest both peace among men and the integrity of the one true Faith.

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