- Attend Mass every Sunday and Holy Day of Obligation
- Go to Confession annually or when necessary.
- Receive Holy Communion during Easter, although it is recommended that you receive it at least once a week.
- Observe the fasting and abstinence laws: Only one meal on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, and no meat on Fridays during Lent.
- Obey the laws of marriage within the Church.
- Support the Church financially, usually at least 10 percent of your income.
We will cover some of these rules in more detail in later posts. Generally, Catholics are required to live a good, Christian life. This involves praying daily, participating in the Sacraments, exercising sound moral judgment, and accept the teachings of Christ and His Church.
The first step for being Catholic is knowing the precepts and faith. This process is called Catechesis, the process of learning the Catholic faith, theology and doctrines.
The second step is accepting the faith, or Trust. Catholic believers must trust that what they are learning is, in fact, the truth. After learning what the Church believes, the Catholic must believe the truth in which he/she has been instructed (another area where some Protestants disagree).
The third, final, and most difficult step is practicing the faith. A Catholic is not supposed to just blindly obey the Church's rules, but should understand the wisdom and reason behind each belief. Catholics are instructed to practice what they believe. The main premise is that all men and women were made in the image and likeness of God and that all have been saved by Christ and ALL are the children of God. A person must carry this over into their daily lives in order to truly believe it. Racism and anti-Semitism contradict this belief.
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