I’m baffled. A friend of mine came to me today and said: “How many are the precepts of the Church?”

I said, “Six.”

She said, “Name the sixth precept.”

I said, “Observe the marriage laws of the Catholic Church.”

Then she fetched a copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and opened it to para. 2041 where it discusses the Precepts of the Church. She said, “Read this.”

I read it and I found only five precepts of the Church:

Paragraph 2042 reads:
1. “You shall attend Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation.
2. “Confess your sins at least once a year.”
3. “Receive the sacrament of the Eucharist during the Easter season.”

Paragraph 2043 reads:
4. “You shall observe the days of fasting and abstinence established by the Church.
5. “You shall help to provide for the needs of the Church.”

But I found no sixth precept…

So what happened? I learned six precepts when I became Catholic, and I teach six precepts to my children for First Communion.

Why does the Catechism not mention the sixth precept, namely to “obey the laws of the Church concerning Holy Matrimony.” Is it mentioned somewhere else?

Godspeed,
Taylor

PS: I’d appreciate a prudent explanation for this. Vatican 2 bashers and sedevacantists need not apply.