The First Commandment: I am the Lord, thy God. You shall have no other
gods before me.
Most people think this just applies to pagans and others who worship nature,
or to other religions that believe in many gods. We, too, have our own false gods
of power, fame, wealth, good looks and youthfulness, food, popularity, television,
the internet and anything computer related, material possessions. We offend
God by consulting horoscopes, palm-readers and psychics (even if only “for
fun”) astrology, crystals and tarot cards because we do not trust in God’s Divine
Providence. Do you spend more time at the gym than at church? Do you spend
more time watching mindless TV shows and talking about them to your friends
than reading scripture? Do you neglect the virtues of faith, hope and charity? If
the answer to any of these is yes, you are violating the First Commandment.
The Second Commandment: Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord, thy
God, in vain.
We can learn a great deal from our Jewish brothers and sisters. The name of
God is so holy to them that they do not even speak it - not even in their own
liturgies. Instead, they use the substitute word, Adonai, which means “Lord.” Yet
we Christians are guilty of this offense against God all the time. We use the name
of God profanely when we stub our toes, break a vase, when our favorite team
loses a game, or worse, when we call upon the holy name of God to curse another
one of His children. Instead of leaving the oaths in the courtroom, we violate
the Second Commandment whenever we add the phrase, “I swear to God!” to
whatever we are saying. And we trivially use the holy name of God whenever we
say something like, “Oh, my God, did you see what she was wearing?!” The Holy
Name is to be used in prayer and praise, supplication and thanksgiving. Nothing
else is worthy of Him.
The Third Commandment: Thou shalt keep holy the Sabbath day
The Catechism states, “The precept of the Church specifies the law of the
Lord more precisely: ‘On Sundays and other holy days of obligation, the faithful
are bound to participate in the Mass’”(Canon Law 1247). We are also called
to rest from unnecessary labor or any other activity that hinders us or others
from worshiping God. Sundays are sanctified primarily by going to and fully
participating in Mass, but they can also by sanctified by taking care of sick family
members or performing other works of mercy. Too many people skip Mass and use
the excuse, “God will understand.” Praising God with our brethren in community
is not a request or a suggestion. It is Church law and a grave sin to miss Mass
without a very serious reason.
The Fourth Commandment: Thou shalt honor thy father and thy mother
The first three commandments deal with our relationship with God; the
next seven deal with our relationship to each other. The first of these next seven
commandments deals with honoring our parents, for it is through the family, the
domestic church, that God first becomes known to us.The FourthCommandment,
however, doesn’t just deal with our parents. Through this law, citizens are required
to obey those in legitimate authority over them and to build up a society of
freedom, justice and truth. Citizens, however, are obliged in conscience not to
follow the directives of civil authorities when they are contrary to the moral order.
In return, public authority must respect the fundamental rights of the human
person, including the right to exercise freedom.
The Fifth Commandment: Thou shalt not kill
The Fifth Commandment forbids the direct and intentional killing of another
person. This includes murder, abortion, euthanasia, and suicide. These examples
are obvious to most of us, but what about the killing we don’t see or the ones we
ourselves are guilty of committing? How many reputations have we murdered
through our vicious gossip? How many marriages are destroyed because of
misunderstandings or lies? How many teenagers have committed suicide because
of the relentless bullying they have experienced at the hands of their peers? How
many souls have begun to die because of scandalous words or behavior? Every
human life is sacred, no matter the age. We must honor God by respecting all life,
from conception to natural death.
The Sixth Commandment: Thou shalt not commit adultery
At the heart of this commandment is the virtue of chastity. All people, whether
married or single, must practice this virtue. Jesus said that one need only to look at
another person lustfully and he or she has committed adultery in his or her heart
(
Mt 5:27-28). Physical intimacy is not required; one only needs to feel or think
about a person who is not their spouse in a sexual way to be guilty of adultery.
Adultery, however, is not the only way to offend against chastity. Fornication
(
sex outside of marriage), pleasing oneself sexually, the practice of homosexuality,
artificial contraception, sterilization, artificial means of conceiving a child, and
pornography are grave offenses against the Sixth Commandment. Our sexuality is
a beautiful gift from God and our dignity and identity as sexual creatures must be
protected through the practice of chastity.
The Seventh Commandment: Thou shalt not steal
“
Neither thieves, nor the greedy...nor robbers will inherit the Kingdom of
God” (1 Cor 6:10). This commandment forbids the unjust taking or using of
another’s property. While the Church teaches that we all have the right to private
property, She also teaches that the goods of this earth were created for all God’s
children to share with each other. We follow this commandment by performing
corporal works of mercy, including feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, caring
for the sick, and sheltering the homeless. These acts, along with giving alms to the
poor, are works of justice that are pleasing to God. If we look closely, we can see
the face of God in the poor, who are His brothers and sisters.
The Eighth Commandment: Thou shalt not bear false witness
The most common violation of this commandment is lying. We sometimes
justify lying because we think that the truth will hurt someone’s feelings, or that
someone “can’t handle the truth.” The truth is something to which all people
are entitled, and to keep the truth from someone for selfish purposes is a form
of stealing. We all know that perjury, or lying under oath, is not only a crime
but also a grave sin, yet few, if any, of us are guilty of perjury. We are guilty of
rash judgment by just looking at someone we don’t even know and presuming to
know exactly what kind of person they are. We are guilty of the sin of detraction
when we speak the truth about someone when that truth does not need to be
known to others (i.e., Billy is 13 and still wets the bed, or your neighbor is an
alcoholic). We are guilty of calumny when we just spread rumors or downright lies
about someone, causing others to judge a person falsely and harshly. Detraction
and calumny destroy people’s reputations and honor. The best way to avoid all
these sins and to stay true to the commandment is to interpret others’ words as
favorably as possible, and when necessary, to get an explanation from that person
himself, rather than rely on presumptions, misinformation, and rumors.
The Ninth Commandment: Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife
The Ninth Commandment, like the Sixth, relies on the virtue of chastity. We
must remain pure of heart and mind in order to remain faithful to this teaching.
We must speak and dress modestly, not subject ourselves to images or songs that
may lead us to sinful thoughts or actions, and avoid an unhealthy curiosity about
things and people. By fostering respect for the human person, we see others as gifts
from God and not as things to be used for our gain or pleasure. A strong prayer
life is invaluable in keeping this commandment.
The Tenth Commandment: Thou shalt not cover thy neighbor’s goods.
This commandment, along with the ninth, sums up all the precepts of the
Law. It forbids wanting the goods of another so badly that you would do anything
to get what your neighbor has, even if it means violence against him to take it by
force. In other words, this commandment forbids greed and envy. It was through
Satan’s envy, after all, that death was brought into the world. So how do we fight
this? Through good will, humility, and abandoning ourselves to God’s Providence.
Be happy for someone when that person has something that you want or think
you deserve. Instead of concentrating on what God gave them, be grateful for
what God gives you every day. The Beatitudes tell us that the Kingdom of God
belongs to the poor in spirit, those who rely on God and not on themselves or
their goods for their happiness and fulfillment.
Reflections on the Ten Commandments
Taken from the Catechism of the Catholic Church para. 2070-2557
