 As our lives change, the Ten Commandments have different things to teach us  They help us examine our consciences in a complete way  Our conscience is like a navigation chart. Needs to be developed

 1. I am the Lord your God. You shall have no other Gods before me (ex: money, power)

 If you use God’s name in anger/hate, you’re associating God with those negative emotions. That is disrespectful; God is loving and merciful, and shouldn’t be associated with anger/hate.  Also, don’t say “honest to God” if it’s not true

 This is a day to spend time with God (during mass) and with your family.

 Even if you disagree with your parents, you don’t disrespect them. They’re acting in your best interests, whether you like it or not!  Also includes other authority figures (teachers, police, etc)

 Refers not just to murder, but any kind of violence. Refers to physical violence, emotional violence or killing “in spirit” (bullying), even cyber-abuse.

 Can’t cheat on your spouse/significant other. This is disrespectful, breaks trust, and is contrary to love.  Forbids anything that disrespects your body, which includes dressing inappropriately or provocatively.

 Most people immediately think of the obvious “robbery” kind of stealing, but it can also include stealing information, identity theft, cheating on tests, and plagiarizing other people’s work.

 Includes “regular” lying, but other forms could be … ◦ Committing fraud ◦ Starting rumors or gossip

 Covet means “lust”, “desire”, “envy”  Basically says “don’t be jealous”. There’s nothing wrong with having nice things, but don’t be jealous of others. Jealousy can lead to other more serious actions.

 Complete the Ten Commandments assignment on your own.  It is FOR HOMEWORK, due WEDNESDAY if not completed in class.  Do NOT hand it in today, even if you are done. Keep it until Wednesday.

 Sin: A decision we make that goes against the truth that is God. It is NOT doing (on purpose) what we know Jesus would ask us to do  Weakens our love for … ◦ God ◦ Each other  Reconciliation (confession): To be forgiven of sins, we go to a priest to confess our sins (secret and private). Examine our conscience.

 When we sin, we distance ourselves from … ◦ Ourselves (diminishing effect on our inner selves) ◦ God (we think He is angry with us, so we distance ourselves from Him) ◦ The community (we break relationships with others. Sin causes problems in the community and divides us from family and friends)

 For something to be a serious sin, need the following conditions ◦ The action must be sinful ◦ We know the action is wrong ◦ We decide freely to do it anyway  Serious sins are more commonly called “mortal sins”  They totally separate us from God since we reject God on purpose  Less serious sins are called “venial sins”. They weaken our relationship with God, but don’t destroy it

 Social sin: Structures and accepted practices in society that make it hard for people to avoid sin  When we support or put up with policies that cause social sin, we are sinning  Examples  War  Media (cyberbullying)  Accepted gender stereotype of men and women ◦ Men: abs, jacked, tan, long hair (don’t care), trucks, rich, sports ◦ Women: physically attractive (“hot” – Sadie W), skinny legs, accentuate certain features  Plagiarism  Hand gestures/swearing at those who annoy you  Lying (especially to get ahead yourself)  Bullying  Discrimination  Gossip  Social media where you’re looking for attention  Alcohol or drug abuse  Abortion  Euthanasia

 We confess our sins to a priest and they offer God’s forgiveness to those who have sinned and repented  Reconciliation means “flow together again”  Mends the relationship with God after a sin has been committed.  One of the sacraments of the church.

 Repentance: Being truly sorry for our sins by admitting you are wrong, and trying to fix the damage.  We decide not to commit the sin again and we ask for forgiveness.  We are not just “automatically forgiven”. We need to strive to be better people, and to avoid sin in the future.

 God reaches out to heal us  We have a guilty conscience  We confess our sins to a priest  Our sins are forgiven through sacramental absolution  We are reconciled with the community  Absolution: The priest forgives the person of their sin on behalf of God.