The Catholic Church has the right to make laws from Jesus Christ, Who said to the Apostles, the first bishops of His Church,

    No society can exist without the power to govern its members. No government is possible without laws. Unless the Church had the power and right to make laws, it could not lead its members to Heaven.

    "Our Lord said: 'If he refuse to hear even the Church, let him be to thee as the heathen and the publican. Amen I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound also in Heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed also in Heaven'" (Matthew 18:17-18). This power to bind and loose is called the "power of the keys."

    We are under a rigorous obligation to obey the laws or precepts of the Church. Disobedience to the Church is disobedience to God Who gave it full authority.

    A bad Catholic once said to a friend, "God will not punish me for not keeping the Church laws on fast and abstinence. I observe all the Ten Commandments, and I do not need to obey the laws made only by the Church." But the friend answered, "Did not God command us to hear the Church? Then if we do not obey its laws, we disobey Him as well."

    Authority to make laws includes power to enforce them. Hence the Church has the right to punish disobedient members by refusing them the sacraments, denying them Catholic burial, and other penalties. "He therefore said to them again, Peace be to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you'" (St. John 20:21).

    This right to make laws is exercised by the bishops - true bishops consecrated in the true rite not the new rite after 1968 - the successors of the Apostles, and especially by a lawful pope, who as a valid successor of the chief of the Apostles, Saint Peter, has the right to make laws for the universal Church.

    This, of course as we must sadly confess, has not been in force since the death of His Holiness Pope Pius XII since his successors have all been antipopes or worse for they have all been heretics and thus, according to Church teaching and the infallible, perennial Magisterium of the Church, have no authority whatsoever and all they have decreed is absolutely null and void with no force whatsoever. A valid pope's authority is supreme and unquestioned. Every bishop, every priest, every member of the Church must be subject to him if he is a valid pope. This brings up an interesting conundrum with the resist-yet-recognize traditional Catholics such as the SSPX. If they recognize the V2 "popes" as legitimate, then they have no right to resist anything. Yet they do resist because of the man's/mens' universal heresies, so they must acknowledge that he and his conciliar predecessors cannot possibly be Catholic, let alone true popes. Ergo, to castigate the position of sede vacante as "outside the Church" is to go against all the Church has taught and affirmed by the true Authority established by Christ Who promised "the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."

    This authority comes from Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Who chose Peter as Head of His Church. Because Catholics have been taught to obey the pope, it made it easier for the enemies of Christ to wrest control of the Seat of Peter and create the Great Apostasy thanks to Vatican II.

    Also, laws made by each "bishop" for his own diocese, and by a general council of "bishops" for the entire Church carry the same codicil as an invalid pope since the same parameters apply as to having no authority if one, they were appointed by like heretics, or two, even if valid bishops, caved to the apostasy by accepting the man-made rite of the Novus Ordo over the divinely-ordained Apostolic Immemorial Mass of Tradition - the Latin Mass or Tridentine Mass. Thus, so it is very, very clear: These last [general council of bishops] have NO efficacy WITHOUT the approval of a True pope

    A good Catholic shows obedience to God by conforming himself not only to the letter, but to the spirit of the laws of the Church. He obeys strictly what the Church commands, praises what it praises, condemns what it has always condemned. The Church is our Mother, good and wise, who looks only to our temporal and spiritual welfare; let us show our love for her by the obedience we render, but always obeying God before man.

    The Church is our Mother, given us by Christ Himself, to guide us until He comes again. If we obey this guide we shall have peace on earth, and eternal happiness with God in Heaven. The Church can truly say with our Divine Savior: "My yoke is easy, and My burden light" (St. Matthew 11:30).

    The laws of the Church, in general, do not command things which are of their nature obligatory. For example, abstinence for certain days is not a natural law, but a human law. Therefore, this being the case, the Church that made such human laws can also dispense from them, change them, or abolish them altogether, though prudence would favor not since abstinence and fasting are means of self-sacrifice and penance in conditioning us spiritually for the battles of the world. Yet, exceptions can be made and true bishops can excuse the faithful from fast and abstinence when they find good reason; this is why the holydays of obligation are not uniform throughout the entire world. The Church cannot abolish or change the Commandments of God, but it can do so for its own commandments when necessary. All natural laws are included in the Ten Commandments; these everybody, everywhere, must obey.

    The chief commandments, or laws, of the Church are these six:

• 1. To assist at Holy Mass on all Sundays and holydays of obligation.
• 2. To fast and to abstain on the days appointed.
• 3. To confess our sins at least once a year.
• 4. To receive Holy Communion during the Easter time.
• 5. To contribute to the support of the Church.
• 6. To observe the laws of the Church concerning marriage.

    Both of these were changed during the regimes of the aforementioned Vatican II anti-popes, thus going against the Catholic principles long upheld. While this might be an example of the Church having the power to change the laws, it is not what Christ had in mind when He proclaimed "whatever you shall loose on earth shall also be loosed in Heaven." Rather, these two changes are but the tip of the iceberg in attempting to destroy the Catholic Faith and sway the faithful to the world, the flesh and the devil. We can see where these changes have greatly contributed to the malaise of the church and society and some will argue that it was all part of the plot to deconstruct our Catholic schools by the Modernists.

    Another example is Canon Law. Laws for the government of the Catholic Church are contained in the Code of Canon Law, which, when Bishop Morrow wrote this, contained 2414 canons and the valid Codex Iuris of 1913 still stands as the valid canonical law for the same reasons above that any law made after a "pope" excommunicates himself by way of deviating from the Faith as St. Paul has affirmed in Galatians 1: 8-10 that they would be condemned, "anathama sit". Thus the "revised code of 1983" is completely null and void.

    The Church, through its rulers, has the power to dispense from its precepts. A true pope, true bishops, and true parish priests may for weighty reasons release or excuse the faithful from the observance of particular Church laws. As an example, it may happen that in a certain community the patronal feast may fall on a Friday of Lent. Because of the unusually great number of people, it would be difficult to provide abstinence food for everybody. In such cases the bishop may grant a dispensation from abstinence, and even fast, locally.

    For example, the dispensation clause is something His Excellency Bishop Mark Pivarunas has done at times for the feast of St. Joseph or St. Patrick for CMRI communities when the feast would fall on a Friday. He can do that because he is a true bishop. Those ordained or "consecrated" bishops in the conciliar church after 1968 via the new rite introduced by Giovanni Montini (aka Paul VI) are invalid and therefore not true priests or true bishops. Ergo, one Josef Ratzinger is merely Fr. Ratzinger and could not be a true bishop, cardinal or pope, and because of his own heresies, not even a Catholic. Now, if Bishop Pivarunas or Bishop Neville, or Bishop Dolan or any of the other true bishops would deem it necessary for cremation - such as for health reasons during a time of necessity, or if there were no Catholic schools (such as there are today regarding colleges), then they would have the right to dispense their congregations from such laws. However, because there is no One Authority with a true Pope who could rule universally on such dispensations, they have no jurisdiction to rule universally on such and thus each dispensation would apply only to those who place themselves under each bishop's authority.

    The important thing to remember in all these changes is the reason for the changes. If they are to accommodate the faithful so they can better observe their faith and grow closer to Christ, then that is commendable. If they are to accommodate a laxity to make life easier for the congregations in order to comply with societal norms, then that flies in the face of what Christ taught and is not commendable. And that is exactly what the reforms of Vatican II have done, thus, if it is not pleasing to God, how can it be pleasing to man?

First Commandment of the Church

To assist at Mass on all Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation

    On holydays of obligation, just as on Sundays, we must hear Mass and abstain from unnecessary servile work. If without any grave reason one fails to sanctify the holy days of obligation he commits a mortal sin. Those obliged to work on holy days of obligation should at least hear Mass before going to their work or after work when Masses are available either the morning or evening of, or in some areas, a noon Mass during the lunch hour. Catholic employers have a serious obligation of making it easy for those under them to sanctify holydays of obligation. All are children of the same Eternal Father.

    A Catholic, who through his own fault misses Mass on a Sunday or holy day of obligation, commits a mortal sin.

    The precept is not binding on one who must care for the sick, or lives rather far from a church, or who has urgent work, or is ill. If one does not have the true Holy Sacrifice of the Mass available to them even though they may be surrounded by churches offering the Novus Ordo, once they know the latter is invalid and not a true Mass, they must stay away from such and pray at home. If you do not have a Missal for the Propers before 1962, you are invited to follow every Sunday Mass and every day of the liturgical year on our site, still the only site in the world providing the Ordinary and Propers of the Mass for each day and feast of the year.

    The first precept of the Church requires us to sanctify Sundays and holy days of obligation. Then we render to God and the saints some of the honor due them. The early Christians celebrated many festivals so that they might keep alive the memory of certain events or benefits from God. The aim of instituting holydays is to have the faithful remember for all time the important events commemorated, and to have them give praise and thanksgiving to God for them. This is why we should always try to celebrate holydays in a becoming manner. Some persons unhappily treat holydays as merely days to eat and drink and be merry, without regard for the occasion commemorated.

    The civil law does not recognize as holy days some of the Church holy days of obligation; factories, offices, and schools stay open on those days. But even if Catholics must go to work on such holydays, they should at least try to hear Mass. Again, in many churches, there is Mass at an early hour in the morning, at noon, in the evening, and at night.

    Persons not obliged to work on holy days of obligation should avoid doing so. But those who must work need remember only Our Lord's words: "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath" (Mark 2:27-28).

    The holy days of obligation in the United States are these seven:]

1. The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception (December 8). God Himself proclaimed Mary's spotless purity in Paradise (Genesis 3:15); the archangel Gabriel announced it, calling her "full of grace." Christians throughout the ages have called Mary immaculate; the dogma was declared by the Pope in 1854. It is an article of faith to believe that Mary was conceived entirely free from Original Sin.

2. The Solemnity of the Nativity of Our Lord - Christmas Day (December 25). On this day we commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ I the stable at Bethlehem. "And it came to pass while they were there, that the days for her to be delivered were fulfilled. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn" (Luke 2:6-7).

3. The Circumcision of the Lord (January 1). When Jesus was eight days old. He was circumcised, according to the custom of the Jews. "And when eight days were fulfilled for His circumcision, His name was called Jesus" (St. Luke 2:21). In Hebrew, Jesus means "Savior." The name most commonly given to the Messiahs by the Prophets was "Emmanuel," which means, God with us.

4. The Solemnity of the Ascension of Our Lord into Heaven This is celebrated on Ascension Thursday (40 days after Easter). Forty days after His Resurrection from the dead, Our Lord ascended into Heaven from Mount Olivet. "Now He led them out towards Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. And it came to pass as He blessed them, that He parted from them and was carried up into Heaven" (St. Luke 24: 50-51). And when He had said this, He was lifted up before their eyes, and a cloud took Him out of their sight. And while they were gazing up to Heaven as He went, behold, two men stood by them in white garments, and said to them. 'Men of Galilee…this Jesus Who has been taken up from you into Heaven, will come in the same way as you have seen Him going up to Heaven" (Acts. 1: 9-11).

5. The Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (August 15). After her death, the soul of the Blessed Virgin Mary was reunited to her incorrupt body, and she was taken up to Heaven by the ministry of angels. No one has ever claimed possessing any relic of Mary's body. If she had not been assumed into Heaven, would not the Apostles, who revered her highly, have kept her relics?

5. The Solemnity of All Saints (November 1). On All Saints' Day we honor the memory of all the Saints in Heaven and implore their intercession.

    There are four other holy days of obligation in other countries such as the Feasts of Epiphany, Corpus Christi, Saint Joseph, and Saints Peter and Paul. With the approval of the Holy See before Vatican II, these four feasts are not holy days of obligation in the United States.

    The Church obliges us to abstain from servile work on holy days of obligation, just as on Sundays, as far as we are able. On these days Catholics should keep away from housework like washing and housecleaning. Holy days were instituted by the Church to remind us of the mysteries of our religion, and of the important events in the lives of Christ and of His Blessed Mother, and to recall to us the virtues and the rewards of the saints.

    The Church appoints festivals in honor of Our Lord, in order that we may recall the principal mysteries of our Redemption, thank God for the graces received through these mysteries, and make them bear fruit in our lives.

    The feasts of Our Lord that are always on Sunday are Easter and Pentecost.

    Other feasts of Our Lord that should be properly celebrated are: the Epiphany, January 6; and the Feast of Corpus Christi - the Body and Blood of Christ, and Trinity Sunday. The Epiphany celebrates the adoration of the newly-born Child by the Magi, the Wise Men from the East, Melchor, Gaspar, and Balthassar. The feast is called the Epiphany (or "manifestation") because it celebrates the manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles.

    The festivals in honor of Our Lady and the Saints are prescribed, that we may reverence them as God's friends, and profit by their intercession and example.

Second Commandment of the Church

To fast and abstain on the days appointed

    Fasting and abstinence are not something to be shunned, diminished or be ridiculed. Despite the fact the newchurch of Vatican II has done away with fasting and abstinence except for Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, the true Church still holds to the days of fast and abstinence, the latter being full abstinence on every Friday of the year. After all, Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself fasted often. He fasted forty days and forty nights before He began His public life. By Church law, all baptized persons between that ages of 21 and 59 years are bound to observe the law of fast, and all baptized persons over 7 years of age are bound to observe the law of abstinence.

What is a fast day?

    A fast day is a day on which only one full meal is allowed; but in the morning and evening some food may be taken, the quantity and quality of which are determined by approved local custom. The one full meal may be taken either at noontime or in the evening. Only at this meal may meat be taken. "Meat" is the flesh of warm-blooded land animals, including birds and fowl. At the principal meal meat may be taken on a day of fast except on days of complete abstinence. As mentioned above, meatless days are every Friday and the vigils of the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception and Christmas.

    Sad that 54 days of fast and abstinence, and eight days of fasting and partial abstinence have been reduced to a mere two days out of the entire year by the church posing as Catholic. No wonder satan has had the run of things. No wonder the modern church of Vatican II is a bad tree for it is in such turmoil today by letting down her defenses that it is destined to be cast into the fire.

Third Commandment of the Church

To confess our sins at least once a year

    The sacrament of Penance was instituted by Our Lord. The Apostles administered it. Thus in their time, as the Bible says, the Christian converts came to them, "confessing and declaring their deeds." Thus they came to St. Paul in Ephesus (Acts 19:18).

    The first Christians received the Body of Our Lord daily. It is the wish of the Church that if we cannot imitate them, we should at least receive Holy Communion every time we hear Mass, on Sundays and holydays of obligation. We should not need to go to Confession for each Communion.

    By the commandment to confess our sins at least once a year is meant that we are strictly obliged to make a good confession within the year, if we have a mortal sin to confess.

    All who have reached the age of reason, generally at the seventh year, are bound by this law, under pain of mortal sin. We may go to any confessor who is lawfully approved, whomever we prefer, in whatever church he may be. Keep in mind that we should know who we are confessing our sins to. Sad though it may be, this is very necessary for if the confessor was ordained before 1968 or ordained after that in the divinely-ordained true Sacrament of Holy Orders that was in effect before Vatican II, then you can be sure your sins will be forgiven if you are truly sorry. He has the power to absolve sins. On the other hand, any "priest" "ordained" in the new rite after 1968 has no power to give absolution. In fact he has no more power than a protestant minister and it's doubtful you'd go to a protestant minister for confession. It's something very serious to consider when you realize your soul is at stake. Do not be fooled. Accept no substitutes.

    No special time is ordered for the yearly confession, but it is usually made in preparation for the annual Easter Communion. The annual confession and communion is what we call "Easter Duty."

    Although the requirements only once a year, good Catholics will not be satisfied with such a meager partaking of the Sacrament of Reconciliation/Penance. It need hardly be said that if anyone has the misfortune to fall into mortal sin, he should go to confession without any delay. Should this not be possible, he must make an act of perfect contrition, and have the desire to receive the sacrament.

    We should strive to go to confession at least once a month. Many Catholics go to confession once a week, to the great benefit of their souls for the sacrament is a healing one that can be greatly used as a preventative means to avoid sin. However, with the shortage of true priests, many times these poor sacerdotes do not have the time to hear everyone's confession each week. Therefore, in deference to those who may need it more, be patient and plan accordingly. The less one sins, the less one has to avail oneself of the hospital of divine mercy to heal the soul from mortal sin.

    Nevertheless, it is important to go to confession frequently because frequent confession greatly helps us to overcome temptation, to keep in the state of grace, and to grow in virtue. We are building up graces as armor against the slings and arrows of sin. The graces that we receive from confession are given abundantly if we receive the sacrament frequently. Our soul is like a house undergoing cleaning at confession; the more often the house is swept and scrubbed, the cleaner it is bound to be.

    The devil, expelled from the soul at confession, tries to return again and again; but there will be no danger of his breaking in if the soul is barred and protected by the graces of confession, a strong defense against evil. "Confess, therefore, your sins to one another" (James 5:16).

    Confession not only serves to cleanse us from past offenses, but helps to strengthen us against sin, and increases us in virtue. It is a potent medicine that not only gives a thorough cleaning, but also injects powerful nourishment.

    Converted sinners are generally careful to go to confession frequently, because from confession they obtain strength to resist their former sins that try to tempt them back to the wrong path. Confession is like the Prodigal Son's father, who is filled with joy upon his return, and who brings out to offer him everything the house contains, in order to make him glad he has returned.

    It is not necessary to go to confession for each Holy Communion, so long as one has no mortal sin. For prudent advice, one should consult one's confessor. Today too many don't even have a confessor and pick out the priest who will go 'easiest on them' and give them the least strict penance; often times failing to reprimand the sinner as Christ did when He said to the adulteress. "Go thy way, and from now on sin no more" (John 8: 11).

    When in danger of death, baptized persons in the state of mortal sin have the obligation of receiving the sacrament of Penance.

Fourth Commandment of the Church

To receive Holy Communion during Easter Time

    A Catholic who neglects to receive Holy Communion worthily during the Easter time commits a mortal sin. All who have come to the use of reason are bound by this law of Easter communion. Parents, teachers, and pastors are obliged to see that the children under their care comply with their Easter duty.

    The obligation of the Easter Communion binds under pain of mortal sin. One does not fulfill the duty if his communion or confession is unworthy. Here again, we are referring to the true Latin Mass for any other, unless it is an Eastern rite that was recognized by Rome well before Vatican II and did not alter its liturgy or rites, is invalid and the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist cannot be confected because the so-called "priest", if ordained in the new rite after 1968, does not have the power granted by God. His ordination is merely an appointment and carries the same condemnation as Pope Leo XIII proclaimed for Anglican Orders in his infallible encyclical Apostolicae Curae - "completely null and utterly void." Thus those receiving "communion" in the Novus Ordo are receiving merely bread and wine, NOT the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ for He is only present in the true Mass by a true priest either ordained before 1968 or ordained in the valid and divinely-ordained rite in effect before 1968.

    Catholics should not be satisfied with receiving the Body of Our Lord only once a year. The early Christians used to receive Holy Communion every day. We should endeavor to receive Holy Communion frequently, as the Church urges. It does not seem very generous to make Our Lord wait one whole year when we may receive Him every day. If we only thought over our faith and realized what a great privilege it is for us to receive God Himself into our hearts, we would not need to be obliged to go to Holy Communion.

    Today you see the churches packed on Easter Sunday but where are they the rest of the year? Many Catholics feel by going once a year they are making their 'Easter Duty' without realizing that by missing Mass on the other Sundays they are in mortal sin. Sadly today, mortal sin is not talked about very much for what used to be black and white are now lumped into gray areas for many to rationalize their way around the sin without realizing they need to come clean in the confessional.

    The Church prescribes annual communion in order that we may comply with the divine command to receive the Holy Eucharist, and that the life of grace may be preserved in our souls. Christ Himself commanded: "Unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink His Blood, you shall not have life in you" (St. John 6:54). Holy Communion is the food of our souls - the Bread of Angels. Let us not starve our souls by denying them this Heavenly food.

    When we are sick, we are eager enough to rush here, there, and everywhere, seeking remedies. But Holy Communion is the supernatural remedy for sick souls; and how many are there who seek it?

    The Easter time in the United States begins on the first Sunday of Lent and ends on Trinity Sunday. Trinity Sunday on the First Sunday after Pentecost is eight weeks after Easter. It is fitting to receive Holy Communion at Easter, because it was just a few days before Easter, during the Last Supper, that Our Lord instituted the Holy Eucharist.

    In the early days of Christianity, Christians generally received Holy Communion as often as they could hear Mass. The law prescribing the reception of Holy Communion at Easter time was made in the thirteenth century.

    As Christ died and rose again in the Easter time, it is fitting that Christians should at this time die to sin by the Sacrament of Penance, and rise to the life of grace through the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, which is a pledge of the future resurrection.

    "As Christ has arisen from the dead...so we also may walk in newness of life" (Romans 6:4).

    If you do not have a true Mass available, you will not be held to the Easter Duty and may effect a spiritual communion each time you pray the Mass at home. Remember, the Faith was upheld in Japan for over 400 years without any priests, which meant the perpetuated the holy Faith without having the privilege of the Sacraments.

Fifth Commandment of the Church

To contribute to the support of the Church

    By the commandment to contribute to the support of the Church is meant that each of us is obliged to bear his fair share of the financial burden of the Church. This is a sticky wicket in these times when to contribute to Modern Rome or the apostate dioceses or even parishes in sync with Vatican II is not only counter-productive, but only enabling the enemy of the Faith for if you give to these you are giving to heretics. It is the same as supporting Henry VIII rather than Eternal Rome for contingent in aiding the support of the Church is for our own spiritual welfare, and there is nothing gratifying or grace-filled in aiding and abetting those in anathema.

    Therefore, Catholics seeing this may think they don't have to contribute. On the contrary, you have a duty before God to not only pursue the true Sacraments but to contribute to those parishes and traditional organizations doing the work of apostles and disciples in spreading the true Faith. By all means research whatever chapel or charitable organization you discover and seek out its mission and what funds are going for, but do not hold back for Christ expects all in the Church Militant to fight for the true Faith in whatever capacity we can. For many, time is not available to give; therefore their treasure would support those who do have the time to devote to the conversion of souls and perpetuating the holy Faith as well as carrying out Christ's charge to spread the Gospel to the four corners of the earth. As Saint Paul says: "What soldier ever serves at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its fruit? Who feeds the flock, and does not eat of the milk of the flock?" (1 Corinthians 9: 7-8).

    We are bound to support our true pastors, because justice commands it, and God ordained it. Our pastors are those true priests and bishops in whose districts or parishes we live or choose to be part of. This is especially true in these times when the true Church has been eclipsed and true Masses are held in small chapels or in the catecombs, if you will, much in the way it was in England when the majority went along with the Church of England and Catholics were persecuted. Our true bishops and priests are charged to give the necessary religious instruction, administer the sacraments, watch over the spiritual welfare of the faithful, etc. "The Lord directed that those who preach the gospel should have their living from the gospel" (1 Corinthians 9:14). Most good citizens seldom grumble about the taxes they pay the government when they are not excessive. They have as great, if not greater, obligation to help support the true Church, hidden and spread so thin though she may be.

    If we do not support the true Church, we are being unfaithful to Christ's command that it "go and make disciples of all nations" To teach, the Church has need of funds; our spiritual superiors need material support as much as we do, if not much more on account of their duties and the obstacles they must overcome since many are called, but few chosen and those few are overburdened as it is in working for the spiritual welfare of souls. "The laborer is worthy of his wages" (1 Timothy 5:18).

    Mass stipends are given, not in payment for the spiritual benefits, but as a means of support for the one who says the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. One cannot buy a Mass. The true Church needs help for many purposes, among which are the following:

• Maintenance of public worship, education, and charity, as instruction of the young, relief of the poor, upkeep of the churches, seminaries, schools, hospitals, cemeteries, orphanages, etc.

• Maintenance of missions in our country, and abroad. This is especially true when there so few true Masses available and our true priests must travel many miles and several foreign countries to bring the true Sacraments to those who realize the Great Apostasy has arrived.

    Some of the most common ways are by making a liberal and voluntary offering to the priest when he performs some religious ceremony in our behalf, such as blessing our houses and children, saying Mass in one's home or bringing Holy Communion on a sick call, etc.

    In parishes with an established schedule of fees for baptism, confirmation, marriage, and burial, the fee should be paid without arguing or bargaining. More than the scheduled fee should be given by persons of means, as the schedule is for those of ordinary financial ability. The very poor are not expected to give anything. Sacraments are administered to them without fee. It is left to those who have been blessed with more wealth to share their abundance with those who have focused on the spiritual welfare of souls. God loves a generous soul.

    Another way is by not failing to put some offering on the collection plate every Sunday and holyday. Even children should form the habit of putting in a few cents. It is a shame to see people with diamond rings on their fingers let the plate pass by unnoticed, or put in with their jeweled fingers a dime or a quarter. It certainly does not show much sense of proportion to give a quarter in church, and then to go out and ride in a luxurious car and proceed to a party that costs several times what one might have contributed in the collection basket.

    There is another way as well by contributing to special funds, such as for the erection of a church or a school, the maintenance of religious establishments, missions and the physical welfare of our true traditional priests and bishops as well as charitable organizations promoting what these men of God are preaching. Every little bit helps, including covering the high cost of gas for our true priests are constantly on the road bringing the Sacraments to the faithful in faraway, remote areas in the U.S. and other nations in response to Christ's charge.

    Up to the late fifties, it was encouraged to provide alms for the Holy Father in a fund called "Peter's Pence." Funds collected on Mission Day were always sent to Rome, too, for the Propagation of the Faith, the spread of the Faith in mission lands. However, with Vatican II true Catholics realize they were giving money to heretics for causes that were destroying the Faith, not encouraging it. Thus, we cannot recommend contributing any funds to "Peter's Pence", but rather earmark those for your local traditional chapel and priest, or for an organization that promotes the truths and traditions of holy Mother Church without compromise and will have nothing to do with any of the reforms of Vatican II.

    Yes, that is a strong hint to remember SANCTUS and DailyCatholic instead of donating to anything connected with conciliar causes.

    What merit before God it must be to support a student for the priesthood in a traditional seminary, or a true priest in the missions! If we cannot ourselves go to serve Him there, we, as it were, offer Him a representative. If a father has no son for the seminary, he keeps a substitute there! And we remember that such persons as we benefit only naturally feel towards us a special affection, and will devote many of their prayers for their benefactors: what blessings may we not expect from the Masses and prayers of one whom we have helped on the way to the true Priesthood!

    We should contribute as much as we can, according to our means. Persons who are in moderate circumstances and with large families cannot be expected to contribute as much as those who are rich. Persons who are rich should remember that God gave them their wealth. They should return some of it to Him in thanksgiving for His generosity, remembering that He gives wealth only as a trust. The rich have to account to God for what they do with the wealth that God has granted them. It is far from edifying to see so many wealthy persons throwing away money on food, clothes, cars, jewels, houses, travels, etc. and then give nothing at all to the pastor of their souls.

    Ordinarily, if we give each month one day's wages or revenue, the needs of the Church will as a rule be taken care of. This is surely not too heavy a burden.

    Many people go on year after year without giving a cent to the Church even when they can well do so. These people should remember that the Church and her ministers cannot subsist on air.

    Wealthy Catholics should remember the Church in their wills. Many of these Catholics leave funds to some secular institution or other, for the erection of this or that building, and completely forget to leave anything to their Mother Church and/or truly Catholic organizations.

    One reason you don't want to give even one penny to the conciliar church is threefold: One, you're not getting a 'bang for your buck' if you will. In other words, the monies you might be contributing are being used to build edifices that honor man's agenda, not focusing on God and the traditions that sustained Holy Mother Church for over 1900 years. Many of the contributions are being funneled into programs that dilute the absolutes of the true Faith, such as Renew and many diocesan programs that have wandered far from the teachings in the catechesis provided by Bishop Louis Laravoire Morrow, which he compiled in 1949 from the great Deposit of the Faith. Nothing has changed from that time regarding our doctrines and beliefs. Yet, sadly, there's little similarity to what is contained in this series to what is being passed off as 'Catholic' in Modern Rome. Three, those putting money in the collection plate may not be aware that a good deal of those funds go to either allow the presybter to live the high life or are funneled to the Modernist diocese to be used to cover-up or pay for grievous sins of men who are devoid of grace.

    The answer is "No doctrine, no dollars!" For traditional Catholic organizations who depend solely on the generosity of their readers are often times, though not the establishment, doing more to fulfill Christ's command in Mark 16: 15 then those in authority who have used their powers to manipulate minds to their way of thinking rather than what holy Mother Church has passed down for two millennia.

    "You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Neither do men light a lamp and put it under the measure, but upon the lamp-stand, so as to give light to all in the house. Even so let your light shine before men, in order that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in Heaven" (St. Matthew 5: 14-16).

    Money is not the only way we contribute and shouldn't be. It should be in giving of our time, talent and treasures. If one cannot give of one, then one can give of the other means available. It all comes down to giving of ourselves to God in gratitude for all He has given us. That's surely not asking too much!

Sixth Commandment of the Church

To observe the laws of the Church concerning Marriage

    The Catholic Church alone has the right to make laws regulating the marriages of baptized persons, because the Church alone has authority over the sacraments, and over sacred matters affecting baptized persons.

    The Church alone has authority over holy matters. The Church is the guardian, the custodian of the sacraments, the means of grace for men. On this account, the Church must safeguard these sacraments.

    God assigned to secular governments the duty to administer material things: but to His Church He gave power and authority over spiritual matters. "Render, therefore, to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."

    Marriage is not only a sacrament, but a contract. The Church, therefore, may interfere with this contract, by laying down laws: just as the civil government rules certain civil contracts binding, or null.

    Regarding the marriages of baptized persons, the State has the authority to make laws concerning their effects that are merely civil. The State may make laws about the aspects of marriage that are purely material, such as laws regarding the filing of the marriage contract, laws about the conjugal property, laws about income tax exemptions according to the number of children a married couple have. But they have NO RIGHT to usurp God's Law or the Natural Law such as condoning same-sex 'marriages' let alone unions, nor does the Government have the right to dictate to the Church what they should do regarding the Corporal Works of Mercy when they infringe on the Spiritual Works of Mercy. We see today the Obama Administration attempting to strong-arm religion with Catholics representing the majority. Of course, the Modernists have brought this on themselves by not speaking out strongly against sin for the past half century. What goes around, comes around. Did not Christ alert us in Luke 16: 9-10? "Make unto you friends of the mammon of iniquity; that when you shall fail, they may receive you into everlasting dwellings. He that is faithful in that which is least, is faithful also in that which is greater: and he that is unjust in that which is little, is unjust also in that which is greater."

    He has also said in no uncertain words. "What therefore God has joined together, let no man put asunder" (St. Matthew 19: 6). By these words Christ Our Lord restored marriage to its original unity and indissolubility; so that there is no power on earth that can dissolve a marriage that has been validly contracted and consummated. The civil divorces granted by the State to Christians, giving them a right to remarry cannot be recognized by the Church. The State has no right to legislate in contradiction to divine law. Again, see above re Government intrusion.

    Catholics should, however, obey the State laws on marriage as long as they do not contradict laws of God or the Church. But if some laws are not exactly according to Catholic principles, Catholics should work to have better laws, suited to the full exercise of their religious obligations. They should also realize the words of the esteemed holy Doctor of the Church and Cardinal of Trent St. Robert Bellarmine who proclaimed, "Unjust laws are, properly speaking, no laws at all."

    The ordinary law of the Church to be observed at the wedding of a Catholic is this: A Catholic can contract a true marriage only in the presence of an authorized priest and two witnesses. The laws of the Church requre a Catholic to be married in the presence of the parish priest, chaplain, or the bishop of the diocese, or a priest delegated by either of them, and before two witnesses. Catholics are absolutely prohibited from contracting marriage except before a priest of the Church and two witnesses.

    There is only one exception: If the pastor, or the bishop, or a priest delegated by either, cannot be had without great inconvenience:

• In danger of death marriage may be contracted validly and licitly before two witnesses; even if there is no danger of death the same may be done, provided it is forseen that the above condition will last for a month. Thus the couple are truly married and receive the Sacrament of Matrimony. The action should be written down, signed, and the document given to the bishop or pastor when he comes. No Catholics should take this unusual step except for an extraordinarily grave reason or when a true priest is not available.

      No Catholic can be married outside the Catholic Church. Catholics who go through the form of marriage before a civil official, such as a justice of the peace are not married. They have merely made a civil contract. Therefore, if they live together as man and wife (by a valid civil contract but non-sanctioned Church contract), or if they cohabitate outside the Sacrament of Matrimony, they sin againts the Sixth and Ninth Commandments. There are no exceptions to this! Their legal contract or lax civil laws may save the from jail, but it will not save them from hell. If they have children, these are registered as illegitimate in the baptismal records.

      If Catholics attempt to marry before a non-Catholic minister, they not only commit sin, but they are excommunicated from the Church. They are not married. They are excluded from the sacraments, may not be godparents for baptism and confirmation, and may not receive Christian burial. Their excommunication lasts until they go to confession, receive absolution from a true bishop or his appointed Marriage Tribunal representative, and get married before a true Catholic priest \, if they are to live as spouses. Once they have returned in full union with holy Mother Church they are again entitled to all the benefits of being Catholic including the above that were previously denied, for as the prodigal son, they have returned.

      The Church declares the separation of a validly married couple for very grave cause, such as adultery, heresy, threats on the life of either, etc. There is a difference between separation and annulment. The separation declared by the Church does not cut the valid marital bond; neither of the parties may marry again until the death of the other. Should the cause cease, they must live together again. The wronged party should obtain the sanction of a true bishop before separation. The need of separation will rarely arise when both husband and wife are good practical Catholics who seriously considered the responsibilities of matrimony before embarking upon it, and who did so with prayer and the blessings of the Church. Who has trusted in God and found Him deaf to supplication?

      Again here we must take into consideration that non-Catholic entities such as the apostate conciliar church have no power or authority to rule or to allow annulments for reasons we have already provided above as men who were not ordained or consecrated according to the divinely-ordained rite and thus are ineligible to exercise any power or authority from the false pope on down. In times when a true Pope ruled, he had all the authority to annul and direct Marriage Tribunals on how to proceed. Outside of valid annulments clearly outlined in Canon Law of 1913, the only 'divorce' permitted in the Catholic Church is a separation, with no right to marry anyone else. Not that the Church forces a couple who cannot agree in peace to continue living together. As far as separation includes property rights, Catholics are required to obtain ecclesiastical permission to start civil proceedings for a civil divorce. Once the divorce is granted, if the marriage had been a consummated sacramental bond, the contract remains in every other way; and neither of the parties can enter into marriage with another person.

      Often times the welfare of the family comes into play and when a couple remaining together becomes detrimental to the souls of either party or especially the children, then at least temporal separation is advised. However, despite this apart separation, both couples must maintain a chaste lifestyle, avoiding the near occasions of sin or temptations of the flesh.

      Every Catholic family should have the Holy Family of Nazareth, Jesus, Mary and Joseph as their model, and live in holiness and mutual love. Every family should preserve the custom of having family prayers in a unity of worship. The family that prays together stays together.

      The chief duty of husband and wife in the married state I to be faithful to each other, and to provide in every way for the welfare of the children God may give them.

      Husband and wife must comfort and support each other in the activities of their common life, in the fulfillment of their duties individual as well as mutual, in all important matters, both spiritual and material. "Now they are no longer two, but one flesh" (St. Matthew 19:6).

      The wife needs the husband to lean upon; the husband needs his wife to comfort and care for him. The man is the breadwinner and the head; the wife is the queen and mother. In true Christian marriage there is no question of selfishness, competition, or superiority between the spouses, for they two are "one flesh".

      Husband and wife must be faithful to their marriage vows; they owe fidelity to each other. They ought very carefully to avoid even the appearance of unfaithfulness, for where jealousy is awakened, conjugal felicity ends. They should bear with each other's faults and infirmities, and not ruin their home life by dissensions.

      The wife will influence her husband for good more effectually by silence, meekness, and prayer, than by nagging and scandalous scolding. The husband should remember that his wife also needs companionship; he should not be away long.

      The spouses should always live together, and have a real Christian family life. They must however remember that all marital relations must be in accord with divine and natural law in the "faithfulness of chastity." Their affection should not be purely human, but holy and supernatural, in accordance with the purpose of their state, which was instituted by God. "For we are the children of saints; and we must not be joined together like heathens that know not God" (Job. 8:5).

      For its type and model, marriage has the Mystical Union between Christ and His Church. The husband should love his wife as Christ loves the Church, with a holy and supernatural love, as his own self. The wife should love and obey her husband as the head of the family.

      "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the Church" (Ephesians 5:25). "Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is becoming in the Lord" (Colossians 3:19). In explaining the meaning of this latter passage, Pius XI, in his encyclical on Christian marriage says:

  "This subjection does not take away the liberty which fully belongs to the woman both in view of her dignity as a human person, and in view of her most noble office as wife and mother ad companion; nor does it bid her obey her husband's every request, even if not in harmony with right reason or the dignity due her as a wife... But it forbids that exaggerated liberty which cares not for the good of the family; it forbids that in this body which is the family, the heart be separated from the head, to the great detriment of the whole body, and the proximate danger of ruin. For if the man is the head, the woman is the heart, and as he occupies the chief place in ruling, she ought to claim for herself the chief place in love."

      It is the grave obligation of parents to provide for their children and to train them in the love and fear of God. The primary purpose of marriage is the begetting and rearing of children in the fear and love of God, in order that they may join Him in Heaven some day.

      Since the primary purpose of marriage is to bring children into the world, any attempt to frustrate this purpose while making use of its means is intrinsically evil, against natural and divine law, and necessarily a grievous sin.

      Some parents are at great pains to amass wealth to bequeath to their children, but pay no attention to their upbringing. The best legacy they can leave their children is the love of God.

      Some religious training of the child depends mostly on the mother. A mother who spends her time gossiping with her neighbors, going from one social function to another, or engrossing herself in useless amusements to the neglect of her children, has much to answer for before God. How happy good parents will be when they go before God's judgment seat and are able to say: "Those whom Thou hast given Me I have guarded" (St. John 17:12).

      Artificial birth control is immoral, contrary to both natural and divine law. Artificial birth control contravenes the primary purpose of marriage and prostitutes it for other ends.

      The practice of birth control and sterilization will, if carried out to its inevitable conclusion, some day, as a sarcastic writer comments, "give over the country to the animals." In the United States the birth rate is steadily going down. From 1960 on (at the very outset of the Great Apostasy) the population has steadily declined and since 1973's dastardly Roe v. Wade decision, population numbers have plummeted thanks to abortion and contraception and recently the rise of sodomy, all sins that cry to Heaven for vengeance.

      God severely punishes even in this life those who practice "birth control." It results in sterility, vice, weakness of the will, etc. besides physical diseases. And one still wonders how AIDS became such a plague and why there is no natural cure for something so unnatural?

      One who tries to circumvent God cannot escape punishment, both in this life and the next. The only licit way of preventing birth and limiting the number of children is by not using the marital rights. If in a formal and explicit stipulation before marriage a man says to a woman (or vice versa): "I marry you, provided we shall have no children," this marriage is null. It is against the natural law of God, confirmed and enforced the Church in Canon 1013, which says: "The primary end of marriage is the procreation and education of the offspring." If this end is willfully excluded, there can be no marriage.

      Direct abortion is evil, a grave sin, contrary to the law of God. Direct abortion is committed when the fetus is intentionally removed from the separate life, even if this were done in the very earliest period of pregnancy. Direct abortion is equivalent to murder; those guilty of it, or who cooperate either physically or morally, incur excommunication.

      Direct abortion cannot be permitted even to save a mother's life. If the fetus or the baby is killed purposely because by not doing so the mother might die, that is direct abortion. It is estimated that in this country there are more abortions than births.

      Indirect abortion may occur when, although not intended, the death of the fetus follows some operation or other treatment performed on the mother. Such treatments and operations are permitted only when it is certain that both mother and child would otherwise die. In such cases the child must receive Baptism.

      In order to be certain of circumstance, a conscientious Catholic physician should be consulted.

      "What therefore God has joined together, let no man put asunder." The bond of the sacrament of Matrimony lasts until the death of husband or wife; because Christ has said above.

      Christian marriage is a union between only one man and one woman. God created only one man and one woman in the beginning; there was unity in marriage.

      Under the Mosaic Law divorce was in some cases permitted, to avoid greater evils, because after the Fall the primitive revelation had become obscured to men. But when Christ came, He withdrew this permission absolutely, and restored marriage to its original unity, saying: "Have you not read that the Creator, from the beginning, made them male and female, and said, 'For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? Therefore now they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man put asunder" (St. Matthew 19:4-8).

      Christian marriage is a sacred and holy state pleasing to God. St. Paul compares it to the mystical union between Christ and His Church. As Christ is one, and the Church is one, so marriage is between one man and one woman. As Christ and the Church are inseparably united, so marriage is indissoluble. It makes the contracting parties "two in one flesh."

      St. Paul said: "This is a great mystery - I mean in reference to Christ and the Church" (Ephesians 5:32). Christ is the head of the Church; so is the man the head of the wife. The Church is subject to Christ, so must the wife by obedient to her husband. Christ never abandons the Church, and the Church is always faithful to; so a man and his wife must be faithful to each other.

      The important object of marriage is to provide for the proper upbringing of children. This could not be attained if divorce were permitted. What would become of children if parents were free to separate at their leisure? Court records show that many youthful criminals come from the broken homes of divorced parents. Divorce destroys the family and is quickly destroying society because the true Church has been eclipsed and the one posing as Catholic has no intention of converting souls to the truth.

      If the indissoluble character of Matrimony is well understood, even should - as may often happen - husband and wife disagree, their tendency would be to make up, not to rush to the divorce court.

      The preservation of the sacred character of marriage is vital to society; give in to divorce, and destruction of all social life is the result. Divorce is a breach in the wall of civilization, a destructive force in morality. Today three out of five marriages in our country end in divorce. Beginning with causes of adultery, now in many places divorce can be obtained on almost any grounds; it has become only an excuse to change partners. Is that Matrimony?

      Divorce is a legal separation of married persons; as generally understood today, it is a complete severance of the marriage bond giving the parties the right to marry other persons.

      Divorce is a legal separation of married persons; as generally understood today, it is a complete severance of the marriage bond giving the parties the right to marry other persons.

      Our Lord lifted marriage from the natural to the supernatural level, making of it a holy sacrament. And this consummated sacramental marriage can never be dissolved, except by the death of one of the parties; there can never be such a thing approved by the Church as divorce. The Church however in the past had the power to grant annulments when it was proven no marriage actually occurred. Because however said marriage was considered legal in the eyes of the state, a divorce is necessary but never granted by the Church.

      The marriage of unbaptized persons is not sacramental, though it may be valid. The valid marriage of two baptized persons is always sacramental, whether they be Catholics or non-Catholics. For this reason the valid marriage of two baptized non-Catholics performed in the authorized manner is always a sacrament. This is easily understood when we remember that neither pastor nor official is the minister of the sacrament of Matrimony; they do not really confer the sacrament. The contracting parties are themselves the ministers, and confer the sacrament upon each other. Therefore, in this case, marriages officiated by "priests" or presbyters ordained after 1968 are valid before God and the State.

      Christ definitely and strictly forbade the cutting, the breaking of the marriage bond. Nobody can misinterpret His meaning: "Everyone who puts away his wife and marries another commits adultery; and he who marries a woman who has been put away from her husband commits adultery" (St. Luke 16:18) and "For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.' Therefore now they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man put asunder" (St. Mark 10: 7-9) and "And He said to them: Whoever puts away his wife and marries another, commits adultery, and if the wife puts away her husband and marries another, she commits adultery" (St. Mark 10: 11-12).

      No power on earth can break a Christian marriage. The indissolubility of marriage is not a law ordained by the Church, but by God. The Church cannot and will not tamper with the laws of God. As St. Paul said: "To those who are married, not I, but the Lord, commands that a wife is not to depart from her husband, and if she departs, that she is to remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband. And let not a husband put away his wife" (Corinthians 7: 10, 11).

      Not even to avert the most serious calamities can the Church sanction divorce. When Nicholas I was Pope, the King of Lorraine, Lothaire II, had the Emperor Louis send an army to frighten Pope Nicholas into giving him a divorce from his wife. But the Pope did not grant the divorce. Napoleon Bonaparte appealed to Pope Pius VII to annul the marriage which his brother Jerome had contracted with Miss Patterson of Baltimore. The Pope sent the following reply after minute investigation: "Your majesty will understand that upon the information thus far received by Us, it is not in Our power to pronounce a sentence of nullity. We cannot utter a judgment in opposition to the rules of the Church, and We could not, without laying aside those rules, decree the invalidity of a union which, according to the Word of God, no human power can sunder."

      A non-consummated marriage between two baptized persons or between one baptized and another unbaptized, is dissolved either by the solemn religious profession of either party, or by papal dispensation for very grave cause. This has been greatly relaxed in recent times. Is that good? That is the result of not having a true pope, not having the protection of the Holy Ghost. After all, God is the Judge.

      In contrast to the attitude of the popes on divorce was the action taken by the Protestant "reformers," Luther, Melanchthon, etc., when Philip, Landgrave of Hesse, wished to have two wives at the same time. For sixteen years Philip had been married to Christiana, daughter of the Duke of Saxony, and the couple had been blessed with several children. Soon after the Protestant outbreak, Philip became attracted to Margaret Saal, a maid of honor in his household. He did not, however, apply for a divorce from the Protestant leaders, but wished them to sanction another marriage, so that he might have two wives, Christiana and Margaret, at one and the same time.

      The Protestant "reformers" gave this answer to Philip: "If Your Highness is resolved to marry a second wife, we judge that it should be done privately...Thus all opposition and scandal will be avoided. Still, we ought not to be anxious about what the world will say, provided the conscience is at rest. Thus we approve of it, and Your Highness has, in writing, our approbation." Can you say Pontius Pilate?

      Finally, we have that wonderful example of virtue NOT! in Henry VIII, king of England asked the Pope to grant him a divorce from his lawful wife, Catherine of Aragon, so that he might marry Anne Boleyn. The king had rendered valuable services to the Church, so much so that he had been declared "Defender of the Faith." If the Pope refused, England would surely be plunged in heresy. But Pope Clement VII stood firm. Not even to save England for the Church could he break God's Law. The only reply he gave was: "Non possumus; I have no authority to set aside divine law." As a result Henry VIII abandoned his obedience, and intent on his evil desires and yielding to his passions, he revolted from the Church. This was the beginning of the Protestant Church of England, a course that has continued and multiplied in heresies to include even the church posing as Catholic today of those charlatans who claim Vatican II as their creed.

  Next: Step Forty-Three: The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass - part one

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  Previously: Step Forty-One: The Eight Commandment

  For all steps to date, see Archives of Catholicism Made Simple