Catholic Faith Refresher Course

THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT

 "Thou shalt not kill." (Exodus 20:13)

DIRECTIONS TO THE STUDENT

Many people today misunderstand the ownership of human life; and this is their big mistake about the Fifth Commandment. They think that life belongs to man. Therefore, they do not realize that anger, drunkenness, abortion, mercy killing (euthanasia), and neglect of health are sins.

You cannot understand this lesson unless you accept the basic Christian principle about life; namely, that life belongs to God, the Author of life. Human beings do not have absolute mastery over life.

A. LIFE BELONGS TO GOD, NOT TO MAN

Let's imagine that the president of General Motors, out of the goodness of his heart, lends you a big Cadillac. You thank him and tell him that you will repay him in the only way you can, by taking good care of his car (gift) and using it well. But when you start driving the Cadillac you forget all your promises and obligations; you try to have collisions with every automobile you see. And besides trying to wreck everyone else's automobile, you do your best to die in the Cadillac that isn't yours -you pour alcohol into the gas tank just to see what will happen. And then, when you get tired of "bumping off other cars, you go home and entertain yourself by taking the Cadillac apart. You remove the headlights and use them for salad bowls, you take off the horn and use it for a door bell, and then give the wheels to your children for playthings. You have received a beautiful piece of machinery, but you dismantled it, mutilated it, misused it. And it was not yours!

Now, God has given you a wonderful machine for your use -your body. You must not dismantle it, mutilate it, or misuse it. Remember, it is really not yours; it belongs to God. Therefore, you must not injure (do anything wrong to) your own body, your own life; you must not injure (do anything wrong to) the body or the life of another. Life does not belong to us; it belongs to God. Man did not give life; he may not take it away. God alone is the Author and Owner of life.

B. WHAT THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT COMMANDS

The Fifth Commandment obliges you to preserve your own life and the lives of others. You must take ordinary care of your life; you may do nothing to injure another's life.

C. WHAT THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT FORBIDS

The Fifth Commandment forbids unjust killing, wounding, striking, or mutilation of the body. It forbids anything that may lead to the killing or injuring of another, such as anger, hatred and revenge.

D. MURDER

Murder is the unjust killing of an innocent person. It is always a mortal sin.

E. SELF DEFENSE

In case of unjust at tack, you may do all that is necessary to defend yourself or another. To defend yourself, it is even permitted to kill the attacker, if that is the only way you can protect yourself. But, if you can get someone in authority, such as a policeman, to protect you, you may not injure or kill the person who is unjustly attacking you when that authority is present.

F. ABORTION

There is a story told of a mother who went to a surgeon and asked him to perform an abortion. The surgeon refused and made this suggestion to her. He told her to wait until the baby was born and then to hold her finger against the baby's windpipe, until the child stopped breathing. The mother cried out in dismay, "Oh I could not do such a terrible thing! It would be murder .""That's what you are asking me to do," said the doctor. "1 can't commit murder any more than you can."

Abortion is the killing of an unborn child. It is murder, no matter what the reason is for committing it. Any Catholic mother, doctor, nurse, or anyone else who has anything to do with an abortion is excommunicated and can return to the Church only through absolution that comes from the bishop. It is murder of the innocent, and what is even worse, it denies the child the opportunity of ever getting to heaven, because the child dies without being baptized. In the case of danger to the life of a mother at the time of childbirth, abortion is not the only way out; very often the mother and child can be saved by other medical means.

Science today tries to prove (falsely) that the fetus (they will not call it a baby) is not a human until it is born. True medical science contradicts this. As a Catholic we believe that life begins at conception. No one has a right to take the life of the innocent child.

THE USE OF BIRTH CONTROL: Some forms of birth control cause the in-utero death of the child, or death before implantation. Even risking this possibility of the murder of the unborn child is a grave sin.

G. SUICIDE

Life belongs to God. God gave the body and life for a purpose. Man cannot serve God and achieve this purpose without his body. because man is a composite of body and soul. Suicide makes it impossible for man to use his life as God wants him to use it Suicide is self-murder, it is a direct violation of the law of nature and, therefore, of God's Law. Catholic suicide victims are refused Christian burial.

A suicide exchanges a life of suffering here on earth for the intense and never-ending suffering of hell. A suicidal person is generally one who has lost hope and the desire to persevere through the hardships we all have to face. He is afraid to face a life of suffering on earth. He doesn't realize that his act could only bring him the intense and never-ending suffering of hell.

If an insane person kills himself, he is not guilty of the sin of suicide and could be buried from the Catholic Church.

H. MERCY KILLING (EUTHANASIA)

Mercy killing is murder. Life belongs to God. not to man. Neither doctor. nor patient, nor relatives have the right to take the life of a sick person. The doctor has taken an oath to preserve life and not to destroy it When the patient has a choice he does not want to die; and even if he did want to die, he would be asking for suicide or murder. The sufferings before death have a purpose, namely, to make up for the sins of a whole lifetime. More good is sometimes done on a bed of pain. than in a lifetime of activity. Let us be careful not to mistake a misplaced compassion at the sight of the sufferings of another for an ill-placed zeal to stop their suffering.

I. CAUSING DEATH OR INJURY BY SERIOUS CRIMINAL NEGLECT

To neglect your property so that others will be in danger of loss of life or limb is a serious sin. Sometimes employers in a factory commit this sin, by not having proper safety devices on their machinery .Landlords commit this sin by neglecting their property, so that it is hazardous to others. By seriously neglecting your automobile, for example the brakes, or by driving at dangerous speeds, you can commit a serious sin.

J. CAPITAL PUNISHMENT

God has given to the State the right over life and death, as He has given to every man the right of self defense against unjust attack. It is declared in Scripture (Exod. 22:18) and was recognized by St. Paul: "For he (the prince) is God's minister to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, fear; for he beareth not the sword in vain."

So that this power may not be exercised so as to interfere with human rights, the accused must normally have opportunities to plead his case, the crime punished by death must be legally deserving of this supreme penalty, and the guilt must be established beyond all doubt. No one, no matter how guilty, may be put to death by private initiative, except in the case of self defense.

K. WAR

A just war is permitted because it is self-defense.

A war is just if the following conditions are fulfilled: (1) It must be declared by the government; ( 2 ) War must be absolutely necessary -the last resort to settle the dispute; (3) There must be a just and serious reason for the war; (4) War must be fought in a just manner (for example, hospital ships must not be attacked); (5) The purpose of the war must be good; (6) The war may not be carried on after the enemy has been defeated, and (7) The conditions for peace must be just. In a just war you are obliged to defend your country.

Before the outbreak of World War II, Pope Pius XII said: "Everything is gained by peace; nothing is gained by war." Pray for peace. We should do everything possible by prayer and good works to avoid war.

L.  ANGER, HATRED, REVENGE, FIGHTING

Anger is not sinful if it is reasonable. For example, scolding a disobedient child is not only not sinful, but is necessary .But if you become more angry than the cause deserves, you sin; for example, a teacher breaks a boy's nose for merely whispering in school.

"But I say to you that whosoever is angry with his brother shall be in danger of the judgment." (Matt 5:22)

Hatred means seriously wishing evil to another. All hatred is forbidden; it is often a mortal sin. "Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer." (I John 3:15) "But I say to you: love your enemies: do good to them that hate you." (Matt 5:44)

You must forgive injuries from your heart. "If thy enemy be hungry, give him to eat: /he is thirsty, give him to drink." (Rom. 12:20)

Dislike is not hatred. If you dislike a person you have no obligation to associate with him or be particularly friendly. When people don't II get along'. well together, it is often better for them to stay apart lest there be occasion for quarreling, bickering, uncharitableness or even greater sins. If you cannot associate with some person without committing sins of uncharitableness, stay away from that person; but pray for him. Even some of the saints could not be in the company of another saint.

Fighting at home makes family life miserable; it can be a mortal sin. If the fighting is so constant that it puts the home in continual disorder, someone is guilty of serious sin. It is serious because it undermines the health and welfare of the whole family, especially children.

M. STERILIZATION

In a man. sterilization is an operation to prevent the emission of sperm; in a woman it is an operation to prevent conception by tying the Fallopian tubes or removing the uterus so that conception won't take place. The only time any operation is permitted is when it is necessary for the health of the whole body. When sterilization is done for the purpose of birth control, it is a mortal sin. It is a mortal sin because God made the body and the functions of the body; we cannot destroy these functions unless it is absolutely necessary to maintain the life or health of the whole body.

Unfortunately, many doctors today recommend sterilization. It is becoming a more common practice in many hospitals. Don't let irreligious doctors perform this immoral operation.

N. THE USE OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES

The moderate use of alcohol is no sin. If you "get tipsy" or are "feeling high " it is a venial sin -you want to sing, shake hands with everybody, but you still know your way home. If you get drunk, it is a mortal sin; for instance, you drink so much that you don't know what you are doing. You could be guilty of further sins you commit while in this state. Giving alcoholic drinks to a minor can be an occasion of sin. Narcotics may be used only with a doctor's prescription. Otherwise it is sinful.

O.  ALCOHOLISM OR DRUNKENNESS

Alcoholism today is a scourge of humanity. God attached a certain pleasure to eating and drinking. But God gave us reason by which we govern our eating and drinking. God compares the drunkard to the fornicator and the adulterer: "Neither fornicators ...nor adulterers. ..nor drunkards. ..shall possess the Kingdom of God." (1 Cor. 6:9)

Unfortunately, the drunkard harms not only himself, but his wife and children, too. He poisons his own system and degrades himself as a father. Because of the drunkard, the home becomes unhappy and degenerate. The drunkard easily falls into sins of impurity and can fall victim to serious venereal diseases. And the result- stillbirths, blindness, insanity! This is to say nothing of the increasing danger of contracting serious sexually transmitted diseases. Promiscuity has brought with itself many curses on mankind.

Girls who keep company should know whether the boy drinks heavily or uses drugs. If he does, you may be sure that you won't reform him after marriage. You can't make a silk purse out of a swine's ear.

P. SCANDAL

Scandal is any word or act that leads another into sin. Scandal is acting as if something that is really wrong is somehow right.

"Woe to the world because of scandals. For it must needs be that scandals come, but nevertheless woe to that man by whom the scandal cometh ...He that shall scandalize one of these little ones that believe in M e , it were far better for him that a millstone should be hanged about his neck and that he should be drowned in the depth of the sea.' (Matt. 18:7-6)

Scandal may be called murder of the soul. Parents commit this spiritual murder by missing Mass; married persons by keeping undesirable company; parents by using loose talk about sexual matters before their children.

Q. EXAMINE YOUR CONSCIENCE

Next to the grace of God in our souls our life is our most valuable possession. Do you value your life highly? Do you get enough food and sleep? Do you see that your children get enough, too? Do you smoke too much? Are you on the borderline of sin in your use of alcohol? Do you and your children get enough exercise and fresh air?

See to it that you and your children practice patience, humility, generosity, self -control, and mildness so that you have a family that is gentle and thoughtful like the Holy Family, Jesus, Mary and Joseph. If your children do not learn these virtues when they are young, they will commit many of the sins listed in this lesson when they become adults. A Christian is expected to be like Christ, who tells us "Learn of Me, because I am meek, and humble of heart." (Matt. 11:29)

QUESTIONS FOR REVIEW From Lessons 45 & 46

I. What are our duties towards civil authority?

2. Why do we say all authority comes from God?

3. What obedience is promised by the Profession of Faith?

4. What are our duties to the pope?

5. What are our duties toward the bishop?

6. What are our duties toward the parish priest?

Are the following mortal sins, venial sins or no sins at all:

7. Abortion?

8. Suicide?

9. Euthanasia (Mercy Killing)?

10. Serious criminal neglect of your property?

11. Sterilization?

12. Getting drunk?

13. Moderate drinking?

14. Being slightly drunk?

15. Using illegal drugs?

16. Anger and hatred?