Man made law

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Three of my Catholic friends say not eating fish on Friday during lent, fasting before Communion, the necessity of going to Mass on Holy Days of obligation,confession once a year etc are man made laws that do not result in sin if disobeyed. One of them a college grad says to ask a knowledgeable priest and he will verify that it is no sin to break a man made law. I reply when you devoutely say the Creed at Mass you state that you believe in the Holy Catholic Church you believe in the authority of the Church given to the Church by Jesus and if the Church says something is a sin this is done through the authority given to the Church by Christ when he gave the keys to the kingdom and said whatever you bind on earth will be bound in Heaven and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven.What info can you give concerning man made laws in the Church and our obligation to obey them or sin by disobeying them.
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There are three types of law in the Church: natural law, divine law, and ecclesiastical law. Natural law derives from how God created nature. Divine law derives from God’s divine revelation. Ecclesiastical law derives from the authority that Jesus left to his Church, in particular, to Saint Peter and the apostles, and to their successors, the Pope and the bishops.

The examples that you mention, e.g., fasting before Holy Communion, are examples of ecclesiastical law. Canon law defines the applicability of ecclesiastical law:
Canon 11 Merely ecclesiastical laws bind those who were baptised in the catholic Church or received into it, and who have a sufficient use of reason and, unless the law expressly provides otherwise, who have completed their seventh year of age.
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Tom:
You pretty much answered your own question.
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I agree 100%!

Trust your gut on things like this. (If you were properly catechized, that is, and it sounds as if you were.) 👍
 
The cliche’…“Man made law” is an uneducated display of ones lack of religious knowledge

Mayors, Governors, etc, enact “man made laws” all the time…and its generally accepted these laws are for the GOOD of SOCIETY…

The same when Bishops and Popes enact “Law” “Decrees” etc…EVEN MORE SO…cause it benefits the SOUL.

Show me a Priest who says its okay to NOT follow a Church law and I’ll show ya one who is headed for eternal oblivion if he doesnt start spending some time in front of the Blessed Sacrament in order to regain his mental equilibrium.
 
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Donxyz:
One of them a college grad says to ask a knowledgeable priest and he will verify that it is no sin to break a man made law.
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I could give a slew of Catechism quotes that disprove this, but there really is no point. The person in question would just say that the Catechism is man-made law.

And, of course, his definiton of a “knowledgable” priest is only going to be one that agrees with him.

My point is, that people who feel that they have the personal authority to pick-and-choose the teachings of the Church are not going to accept the teaching of the Church that point out that they can’t pick-and-choose.
 
Faithful 2 Rome:
Show me a Priest who says its okay to NOT follow a Church law and I’ll show ya one who is headed for eternal oblivion if he doesnt start spending some time in front of the Blessed Sacrament in order to regain his mental equilibrium.
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:amen:
 
Sounds like your friends are missing the whole point of being Catholic.
 
Catholics are bound to civil law, ecclesiastical law, and Divine Law. We are also bound to obey our superiors in all things lawful (such as obedience to our parents). Ecclesiastical laws do indeed include “man made” laws such as abstaining from meat on certain days of penance. However, it is a sin to disobey any lawful obligation. Your friend has very little understanding of Catholic doctrine. Even breaking civil law is a sin, so long as that civil law does not oblige you to act contrarily to ecclesiastical and Divine Law.

Here’s an answer from a knowledgeable priest to share with your friend…

St. Thomas Aquinas:

“The sin of disobedience to parents is reckoned (Rm. 1:30; 2 Tim. 3:2) among other mortal sins.” (St. Thomas Aquinas, *Summa Theologica, *IIb, 105, 1)

“the commandments of God contain the precept of obedience to superiors. Wherefore also disobedience to the commands of a superior is a mortal sin, as being contrary to the love of God, according to Rm. 13:2, “He that resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God.” It is also contrary to the love of our neighbor, as it withdraws from the superior who is our neighbor the obedience that is his due.” (ibid)
 
More from a knowedgeable priest, St. Thomas Aquinas…
Whether Christians are bound to obey the secular powers? …

It is written (Titus 3:1): “Admonish them to be subject to princes and powers,” and (1 Pt. 2:13,14): “Be ye subject . . . to every human creature for God’s sake: whether it be to the king as excelling, or to governors as sent by him.”

I answer that, Faith in Christ is the origin and cause of justice, according to Rm. 3:22, “The justice of God by faith of Jesus Christ:” wherefore faith in Christ does not void the order of justice, but strengthens it." Now the order of justice requires that subjects obey their superiors, else the stability of human affairs would cease. Hence faith in Christ does not excuse the faithful from the obligation of obeying secular princes. (ST, IIb, 104, 6)
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Dave-

Love your signature. I repeat this to my kids often, especially when the I feel they may misinterperet defending the faith for anti-whatever-ism.
 
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