Christian Life
Answers
28 AnswersCan our thoughts and desires themselves be sinful?
The Ninth Commandment — "you shall not covet your neighbour's wife" — reaches past outward actions to the desires of the heart, calling us to purity of heart…
How can we be free from greed and envy?
The Tenth Commandment — "you shall not covet your neighbour's goods" — addresses the inner craving for wealth and possessions, especially greed and envy. It…
What are the Beatitudes?
The Beatitudes are the set of blessings Jesus pronounces at the opening of the Sermon on the Mount — "blessed are the poor in spirit," "blessed are the…
What are the precepts of the Church?
The precepts of the Church are a short list of basic obligations that mark out the minimum of what it means to practise the Catholic faith — things like…
What are the seven deadly sins?
The "seven deadly sins" are better called the seven capital sins — pride, greed (avarice), envy, wrath (anger), lust, gluttony, and sloth. They're called…
What are the Ten Commandments?
The Ten Commandments are ten core directives God gave to Moses on Mount Sinai, summing up the basic duties of love we owe to God and to one another. They…
What are the works of mercy?
The works of mercy are concrete, practical ways of loving our neighbour — putting charity into action. There are two sets: the corporal works, which care for…
What does it mean to honour your father and mother?
The Fourth Commandment — "honour your father and your mother" — calls us to love, respect, and care for our parents, and by extension to give proper respect to…
What does it mean to put God first?
The First Commandment — "I am the Lord your God… you shall have no other gods before me" — calls us to put God first in everything: to believe in him, hope in…
What does the Church teach about abortion?
The Church teaches that human life begins at conception and must be protected from that first moment, so directly ending an unborn life through abortion is a…
What does the Church teach about euthanasia and end-of-life care?
The Church teaches that deliberately causing someone's death to end their suffering — euthanasia or assisted suicide — is always gravely wrong, because we are…
What does the Church teach about suicide?
The Church teaches that life is a gift from God and that taking one's own life is, in itself, contrary to the love we owe ourselves and others. But it also…
What does the Church teach about the death penalty?
The Catholic Church today teaches that the death penalty is inadmissible — it should not be used — because every person keeps their God-given dignity even…
What does the Church teach about war and self-defense?
The Church longs for peace and starts from a strong presumption against war, which it calls a failure and a source of terrible evils. Yet it recognises that a…
What gives every human being dignity?
Every human being has an unshakable dignity not because of what they achieve, produce, or possess, but because they are made in the image of God. That dignity…
What is conscience?
Conscience is the judgement of your mind about whether a specific action is right or wrong — the inner voice that says "do this" or "not that." It is not just…
What is freedom, and how does it relate to doing good?
Freedom isn't just the ability to do whatever you want — it's the God-given power to choose what is genuinely good and so become more fully yourself. The more…
What is grace?
Grace is God sharing his own life with us as a free gift. It is not a thing we earn or a feeling we work up, but God's loving presence at work in us — healing…
What is the greatest commandment?
When Jesus was asked which commandment is the greatest, he gave a twofold answer: love God with your whole heart, soul, mind, and strength — and love your…
What is the moral life really about?
The moral life isn't mainly about following rules to avoid getting in trouble — it's about becoming the kind of person God made you to be. At its heart it's…
What is the natural law?
The natural law is the basic moral truth built into human nature, which every person can come to know by reason — without needing a Bible or a Church to tell…
What makes an action good or bad?
Whether an action is morally good depends on three things working together: what you actually do, why you do it, and the situation you do it in. A genuinely…
Why are stealing and cheating wrong?
The Seventh Commandment — "you shall not steal" — protects justice in how we handle material things. It forbids taking or keeping what belongs to others and,…
Why does faithfulness in marriage and love matter?
The Sixth Commandment — "you shall not commit adultery" — protects the faithfulness and beauty of married love and, more broadly, calls everyone to chastity:…
Why does it matter how we use God's name?
The Second Commandment — "you shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain" — calls us to treat God's name, and so God himself, with reverence. It…
Why does telling the truth matter so much?
The Eighth Commandment — "you shall not bear false witness against your neighbour" — calls us to live in the truth: to be honest, to speak truthfully, and to…
Why is every human life sacred?
The Fifth Commandment — "you shall not kill" — protects the sacredness of human life. It forbids the direct, intentional killing of the innocent, and reaches…
Why should we keep the Lord's Day holy?
The Third Commandment — "remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy" — calls us to set aside a day for God and for rest. For Christians this is Sunday, the day…