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Show DUTY. That which man is bound by natural, moral or legal obligation to do or perform, per-form, is his duty. The obligations of a child towards the parents are natural. Hence there is a duty on the part of the child to obey the parent. The state will maintain the rights of the parents until the child attains his majority. Under Pagan Rome the child belonged to the paterfamilias, pater-familias, whose authority over his family, fam-ily, wife, children and slaves was absolute, abso-lute, to the exclusion of the city or state. Christian influence changed this order, and when the Empire became Christian the child was to belong to the parents, whose authority was subject to the rights of God. Duties to God! The obligation of a child and parents, and all individuals to God are the moral obligation under which all are placed to worship Him and from which man cannot by any act of his withdraw himself, and from which God Himself could not dispense. "Fear God and keep His commandments: command-ments: for this is the whole duty of man." (Eccl. XII. 13.) A denial of one's obligation to worship God, or that he is in duty bound to serve Him is a denial all morals. A moral action may not be always agreeable or convenient to . perform, but inasmuch as it is a debt due, man is bound to do it. To refuse it is to become guilty of an injustice.. The principle of duty is the foundation of all morality, and duty itself rests on justice, which exacts that we give every man what belongs to him. If obligated obli-gated to fellow man by the rigorous laws of justice, under the same principle prin-ciple man is bound to worship God. Obligation to God includes all ot'her obligations, ob-ligations, like the child, during his mi-' nority, who is in duty bound to obey the parent, so is man at all times bound to obey God. Nor can man, like the minor, contract debts in His name, since he belongs wholly to God and without his Father's consent, is incompetent. incom-petent. Man's duties, then, are primarily pri-marily to God, in whom and through whom he can be bound. It Includes man's duties to his neighbor, who is God's property, and who must be esteemed es-teemed and loved, if not for his own sake, at least for his Master's sake. Hence the command, "Love your neighbor neigh-bor as yourself," because your neighbor Is God's child equally as you are. Religious duties! Religion, the uniting link between God and man, points out man's duties, ifter first giving an ade quate knowledge of God and His holy will. Catholic duties may be found in the precepts of the Church. Like Catholic Cath-olic faith, only those defined and set forth by the Church are obligatory. All are reasonable, and must be so, inasmuch inas-much as they have sanction of the Church, the living teacher appointed by Christ to govern and instruct the faithful. faith-ful. As a private devotion, good In itself, and suitable to certain Individuals, Individ-uals, may be discarded by others, not being a part of the deposit of faith, so may self-imposed duties, or duties not having the sanction of the living representative of the Church, be discarded. dis-carded. Vows freely made have for those who make them certain duties, but being self-imposed are binding only on those who make them. A parent could not, or should not ask his child to make a vow which would interfere with the child's liberty. If made through persuasion, or under coercion, It would not bind the conscience. The same rule applies to duties not sanctioned by the Church. , Tp protect its members the universal Church is guided and directed by its head, the Supreme Pontiff, who, in turn, appoints Bishops to represent him in governing, directing and protecting the faithful intrusted in-trusted to his charge. To appeal to the faithful collectively or individually in the name of religion, and say "this ot that is your duty," without the sanction sanc-tion of the Bishop, the divinely appointed appoint-ed authority, is an imposition, which has often led to abuses.. As the duties of the members of the Church include the rights of their chief pastor to point out their duties, each member should, as a matter of self-protection, only do that which they know to be their duty, and when a doubt arises, ask for directions direc-tions from him who alone has the right to give. Accordins to Canon Law only a Bishop has a right to ask contributions from all dis dioceseners, clergy and faithful. The same law. which gives this right, states also that "these of ferings, whether of the faithful or clergy, should, however, as far as possible, pos-sible, assume the form of voluntary contributions." As belief without authority is credulity, credul-ity, folly or superstition, so with duties imposed in the name of religion, and without the sanction of authority. Hence the rigorous disciplinary laws of the Church on this point to protect the innocent and avoid abuses. |