In the month of March a series of talks have been given on the 10 Commandments. Members found these talks most helpful in preparing for the Sacrament of Reconciliation during this Holy Season of Lent. At the end of each talk Fr. Dominic, our Spiritual Director also shared his valuable insights with us.
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I AM
THE LORD YOUR GOD
YOU SHALL HAVE NO OTHER GODS BEFORE ME!
THE FIRST
COMMANDMENT
Exodus
Ch 20:3
I
am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the
house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for
yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above,
or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you
shall not bow down to them or serve them.3
A .YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD
God
makes himself known by recalling his all-powerful loving, and liberating action
in the history of the one he addresses: "I brought you out of the land of
Egypt, out of the house of bondage." The first word contains the first
commandment of the Law: "You shall fear the LORD your God; you shall serve
him. . . . You shall not go after other gods."5 God's
first call and just demand is that man accept him and worship him.
The first commandment embraces faith, hope,
and charity. When we say 'God' we confess a constant, unchangeable being,
always the same, faithful and just, without any evil.
It
follows that we must necessarily accept his words and have complete faith in
him and acknowledge his authority. He is almighty, merciful, and infinitely
beneficent. Who could not place all hope in him? Who could not love him when
contemplating the treasures of goodness and love he has poured out on us?
B..HIM ONLY SHALL YOU SERVE"
Adoration
is the first act of the virtue of religion. To adore God is to acknowledge
him as God, as the Creator and Savior, the Lord and Master of everything
that exists, as infinite and merciful Love. "You shall worship the Lord
your God, and him only shall you serve," says Jesus, citing Deuteronomy.13
To adore God is to acknowledge, in
respect and absolute submission, the "nothingness of the creature"
who would not exist but for God. To adore God is to praise and exalt him and to
humble oneself, as Mary did in the Magnificat, confessing with gratitude that
he has done great things and holy is his name.14 The worship of the
one God sets man free from turning in on himself, from the slavery of sin and
the idolatry of the world.
II "YOU SHALL HAVE NO
OTHER GODS BEFORE ME"
The
first commandment forbids honoring gods other than the one Lord who has
revealed himself to his people. It proscribes superstition and irreligion.
Superstition in some sense represents a perverse excess of religion; irreligion
is the vice contrary by defect to the virtue of religion.
The Christian veneration of
images is not contrary to the first commandment which proscribes idols. Indeed,
"the honor rendered to an image passes to its prototype," and
"whoever venerates an image venerates the person portrayed in it."70
The honor paid to sacred images is a "respectful veneration," not the
adoration due to God alone:
Religious
worship is not directed to images in themselves, considered as mere things, but
under their distinctive aspect as images leading us on to God incarnate. The
movement toward the image does not terminate in it as image, but tends toward
that whose image it is.71
IN BRIEF
"You
shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and
with all your strength" (Deut 6:5).
The
first commandment summons man to believe in God, to hope in him, and to love
him above all else.
"You
shall worship the Lord your God" (Mt 4:10). Adoring God, praying to
him, offering him the worship that belongs to him, fulfilling the promises and
vows made to him are acts of the virtue of religion which fall under obedience
to the first commandment.
Superstition is a departure from the worship
that we give to the true God. It is manifested in idolatry, as well as in
various forms of divination and magic.
Tempting
God in words or deeds, sacrilege, and simony are sins of irreligion forbidden
by the first commandment.
The
veneration of sacred images is based on the mystery of the Incarnation of the
Word of God. It is not contrary to the first commandment.
God Gave this
commandment to us to show us he loves us
God Gave this
commandment to us to show he protects us
God Gave this
commandment to us to show he provides for us
Note:
We as adults
need to focus.God wants us
to place him first in our lives.
When we trust
him and know him and are confident that he is in control then all the
sicknesses,accidents,unemployment,death of loved one will not beat us and will
not hold us captive. We will see it from a perspective of a God who cares for
us. We are free to seek alternatives thoughts,hopes and dreams. Because we
trust in a living God who is there and who cares about us.
You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in
vain.72
THE SECOND
COMMANDMENT
Exodus
Ch 20:7
I. THE NAME OF THE
LORD IS HOLY
The
second commandment prescribes respect for the Lord's name. Like the
first commandment, it belongs to the virtue of religion and more particularly
it governs our use of speech in sacred matters.
Among
all the words of Revelation, there is one which is unique: the revealed name of
God. God confides his name to those who believe in him; he reveals himself to
them in his personal mystery. The gift of a name belongs to the order of trust
and intimacy. "The Lord's name is holy." For this reason man must not
abuse it. He must keep it in mind in silent, loving adoration. He will not
introduce it into his own speech except to bless, praise, and glorify it.
Respect
for his name is an expression of the respect owed to the mystery of God himself
and to the whole sacred reality it evokes. The sense of the sacred is
part of the virtue of religion:
The
faithful should bear witness to the Lord's name by confessing the faith without
giving way to fear.76 Preaching and catechizing should be permeated
with adoration and respect for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The
second commandment forbids the abuse of God's name, i.e., every improper
use of the names of God, Jesus Christ, but also of the Virgin Mary and all the
saints.
Promises
made
to others in God's name engage the divine honor, fidelity, truthfulness, and
authority. They must be respected in justice. To be unfaithful to them is to
misuse God's name and in some way to make God out to be a liar.
Blasphemy
is
directly opposed to the second commandment. It consists in uttering against God
- inwardly or outwardly - words of hatred, reproach, or defiance; in speaking
ill of God; in failing in respect toward him in one's speech; in misusing God's
name. St. James condemns those "who blaspheme that honorable name [of
Jesus] by which you are called."78 The prohibition of blasphemy
extends to language against Christ's Church, the saints, and sacred things. It
is also blasphemous
to make use of God's name to cover up criminal practices, to reduce peoples to
servitude, to torture persons or put them to death. The misuse of God's name to
commit a crime can provoke others to repudiate religion.
Oaths
which
misuse God's name, though without the intention of blasphemy, show lack of
respect for the Lord.
II. TAKING THE
NAME OF THE LORD IN VAIN
The
second commandment forbids false oaths. Taking an oath or swearing is to
take God as witness to what one affirms. It is to invoke the divine
truthfulness as a pledge of one's own truthfulness. An oath engages the Lord's
name. "You shall fear the LORD your God; you shall serve him, and swear by
his name."81
In
the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus explained the second commandment: "You have
heard that it was said to the men of old, 'You shall not swear falsely, but
shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.' But I say to you, Do not swear
at all. . . . Let what you say be simply 'Yes' or 'No'; anything more
than this comes from the evil one."82 Jesus teaches that every
oath involves a reference to God and that God's presence and his truth must be
honored in all speech.
Following
St. Paul,83 the tradition of the Church has understood Jesus' words
as not excluding oaths made for grave and right reasons (for example, in
court). "An oath, that is the invocation of the divine name as a witness
to truth, cannot be taken unless in truth, in judgment, and in justice."84
The
holiness of the divine name demands that we neither use it for trivial matters,
nor take an oath which on the basis of the circumstances could be interpreted
as approval of an authority unjustly requiring it. When an oath is required by
illegitimate civil authorities, it may be refused. It must be refused when it
is required for purposes contrary to the dignity of persons or to ecclesial
communion.
There
are many people who do all sorts of stuff though I haven’t gone into details
but rockstars,musicians like Madonna,lady gaga
Matthew 12:36-37
I tell you that men will have to give account on the day
of judgment for every
careless word they have spoken. 37 for by your words you will be acquitted, and
by your words you will be condemned.
III. THE
CHRISTIAN NAME
The
sacrament of Baptism is conferred "in the name of the Father and of the
Son and of the Holy Spirit."85 In Baptism, the Lord's name
sanctifies man, and the Christian receives his name in the Church. The
"baptismal name" can also express a Christian mystery or Christian
virtue. "Parents, sponsors, and the pastor are to see that a name is not given
which is foreign to Christian sentiment."86
The
Christian begins his day, his prayers, and his activities with the Sign of the
Cross: "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen." The baptized person dedicates the day to the glory of God and calls
on the Savior's grace which lets him act in the Spirit as a child of the Father. The Sign of the Cross strengthens us in temptations and difficulties.
God
calls each one by name.87 Everyone's name is sacred. The name is the
icon of the person. It demands respect as a sign of the dignity of the one who
bears it.
The
name one receives is a name for eternity. In the kingdom, the mysterious and
unique character of each person marked with God's name will shine forth in
splendor.
IN BRIEF
The
second commandment forbids every improper use of God's name. Blasphemy is the
use of the name of God, of Jesus Christ, of the Virgin Mary, and of the saints
in an offensive way.
False
oaths call on God to be witness to a lie. Perjury is a grave offense against
the Lord who is always faithful to his promises.
"Do
not swear whether by the Creator, or any creature, except truthfully, of
necessity, and with reverence" (St. Ignatius of Loyola, Spiritual
Exercises, 38).
In
Baptism, the Christian receives his name in the Church. Parents, godparents,
and the pastor are to see that he be given a Christian name. The patron saint
provides a model of charity and the assurance of his prayer.
The
Christian begins his prayers and activities with the Sign of the Cross:
"in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen."
We
have the clueless curser (those who are uninformed) : is when we or say our
children for eg hear words like say for suppose “hell” and they use it hearing
it from other it becomes a habit so they are clueless and we as parents should
make them understand.
We have the careless curser:
who know about the commandments but say they sometimes lose control.
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