The Christian faithful are obliged to maintain communion with the Church and to fulfill their duties to the universal and particular church to which they belong. This Church law, Canon 209 in the section "The Obligations and Rights of All the Christian Faithful," does not give a list of the responsibilities to be carried out. However, clearly, these responsibilities include the love of God and of neighbor.
Canon 209 also expresses the fundamental obligations of all the baptized. The obligation and right expressed refers to one's internal relationship with a particular community or church through prayer, common worship, participation in the sacraments, and service to others – all "with great diligence."
All the faithful, each according to his or her own condition, must make a wholehearted effort to lead a holy life and to promote the growth of the Church and its continued sanctification, Church law also states in Canon 210. This canon reflects the teaching of Vatican II, and its theme runs throughout Church law for all the faithful. The means by which each person strives to fulfill this participation can occur either individually or through an association.
The Christian faithful are obliged to assist with the needs of the Church so that the Church has what is necessary for divine worship, for the works of the apostolate and of charity, and for the decent support of ministers (Canon 222 section 1).
The faithful are also obliged to promote social justice and to help the poor from their own resources (Canon 222, section 2). These are natural, mutual obligations incumbent on everyone and not specifically on Christians, where justice is concerned. The dignity of the human person demands social justice. The "option for the poor" cannot remain on the abstract level, but must be translated at all levels into concrete action. We are frequently reminded of this by Pope Francis.
Canon 211 reminds us that all of Christ's faithful have the duty and right to work for evangelization in every age and every land. Again, this is a prime directive of Pope Francis. Evangelization is bringing the Christian message to all.
This means include the entire face of the Church: sacramental life; all the vocations on its membership (laity, both single and married; parents; clerics; religious' families; parishes; dioceses; and associations through personal witness, preaching, catechetical instructions, missionary action and social media).
Editor's note: We are gratified to publish this series about the rights and obligations of the Christian faithful, as set forth in canon (Church) law, written especially for the Catholic News Herald by Mercy Sister Jeanne-Margaret McNally. Sister Jeanne-Margaret is a distinguished authority on canon law, author of the reference guide "Canon Law for the Laity," and frequent lecturer at universities and dioceses. A graduate of The Catholic University of America with multiple degrees including a doctorate in psychology and a licentiate of canon law (JCL), she is a psychologist for the Tribunal of the Diocese of Charlotte and a judge in the Metropolitan Tribunal of the Archdiocese of Miami.