Chapter 5: First Three Commandments: Loving God Above All Introduction: This chapter discusses the moral and spiritual truths related to the first three commandments, as they are expressed in Sacred Scripture and in teachings of the Catholic Church. The Ten Commandments are a gift—a gift revealed within the glory of a theophany, accepted in a covenant of love between God and his people. The essential truths of the covenant are constant and express the foundation of our life with God, others, and our own selves. This chapter explores the moral and spiritual truths that are made known by the first three commandments.

The First Commandment: Overview….This chapter begins with the first commandment, “I am the Lord your God: you shall not have strange gods before me.” This commandment directs us to live a life of faith, hope, and love. This virtue of religion binds us to God, and is expressed in adoration, prayer, sacrifice, and fidelity to one’s promises and vows. The chapter also examines many of the offenses and violations that occur against the first commandment. Some of these are heresy, apostasy, presumption, despair superstition, idolatry, sacrilege, atheism, and agnosticism. Overview….This chapter begins with the first commandment, “I am the Lord your God: you shall not have strange gods before me.” This commandment directs us to live a life of faith, hope, and love. This virtue of religion binds us to God, and is expressed in adoration, prayer, sacrifice, and fidelity to one’s promises and vows. The chapter also examines many of the offenses and violations that occur against the first commandment. Some of these are heresy, apostasy, presumption, despair superstition, idolatry, sacrilege, atheism, and agnosticism.

God has created us and endowed us with gifts and talents. He has also restored us to his friendship through his Son, Jesus Christ destining us for eternal glory. Living the first commandment expresses our adoration and praise of God, simply because he is God, and our gratitude to God for all he has given us The theological virtues of Faith, Hope, and Charity help us honor our loving God: Faith is our first duty to God. It helps us believe in, worship, and witness to God. Hope enables us to trust in God’s mercy, God’s Word, and God’s promise to eternal life. Charity empowers us to love God above everything and to love God’s creatures because of and for them. God has created us and endowed us with gifts and talents. He has also restored us to his friendship through his Son, Jesus Christ destining us for eternal glory. Living the first commandment expresses our adoration and praise of God, simply because he is God, and our gratitude to God for all he has given us The theological virtues of Faith, Hope, and Charity help us honor our loving God: Faith is our first duty to God. It helps us believe in, worship, and witness to God. Hope enables us to trust in God’s mercy, God’s Word, and God’s promise to eternal life. Charity empowers us to love God above everything and to love God’s creatures because of and for them.

The Virtue of Religion The virtue of Religion makes it possible for us to know and to love God. It binds us to God, the source of life and all that is good, who invites us to share in his very own divine life and love. The virtues expresses itself in the following: Adoration…acknowledges that God is the Creator and Master of all that exits. When we adore God, we recognize that God is God and we are not.

…Prayer lifts our minds and hearts to God. It takes many forms: praise, sorrow, thanksgiving, petition, intercession. Sacrifice…is a sign of adoration and gratitude. Sacrifice means “to make holy.” When it is genuine, it comes from within—from hearts given totally to God. For Catholics, participating in the Eucharist is the preeminent way to worship and pray to God Promises and vows…vows are free promises made to God for a possible or better good. Some vows are made by devoted people who dedicate themselves to God by promising to do some special work. When we keep our promises to God, the promises that we make in Confirmation or Matrimony, we are practicing an important dimension of our religion. …Prayer lifts our minds and hearts to God. It takes many forms: praise, sorrow, thanksgiving, petition, intercession. Sacrifice…is a sign of adoration and gratitude. Sacrifice means “to make holy.” When it is genuine, it comes from within—from hearts given totally to God. For Catholics, participating in the Eucharist is the preeminent way to worship and pray to God Promises and vows…vows are free promises made to God for a possible or better good. Some vows are made by devoted people who dedicate themselves to God by promising to do some special work. When we keep our promises to God, the promises that we make in Confirmation or Matrimony, we are practicing an important dimension of our religion.

Offenses against the Virtues of Faith, Hope, and Love: Many attitudes, acts, and failures to act work against living our call to love God above everything. a)Sins against faith: people commit sins against faith when they refuse to accept the truth of something God has revealed of the Church holds out for belief. – Heresy…denies some truth that is central to our Catholic faith. – Apostasy…totally repudiates Christ and the Christian faith. – Schism…is a refusal to submit to the teaching authority of the pope or to stay in union with those Christian subject to him.

b)Sins against hope: presumption and despair are serious failures in the practice of Christian hope. Presumption holds that people can save themselves without God’s help. Despair abandon all hope that God will save them, forgive their sins, or bestow his redemptive graces on them. It abandons hope and trust in God. c)Sins against charity: it include religious indifference, neglecting or refusing God’s love, ingratitude, spiritual laziness, and outright hatred of God.

Violations of the First Commandment Some practices are contrary to true worship and humble service of our loving God. Some practices are contrary to true worship and humble service of our loving God. 1)Superstition…attributes magical powers to certain objects, acts, words, or religious practices. 2)Idolatry…often takes the form of worshiping many gods. In today’s world, it takes the form of making sex, pleasure, power, money. 3)Divination…tries to discover what is hidden (occult). It attempts to look into the future. 4)Divination will resort to calling on Satan or other devils, conjuring up dead spirits, and practicing astrology or reading horoscopes. 5)It also involves palm reading and playing with Ouija boards. Some practices are contrary to true worship and humble service of our loving God. Some practices are contrary to true worship and humble service of our loving God. 1)Superstition…attributes magical powers to certain objects, acts, words, or religious practices. 2)Idolatry…often takes the form of worshiping many gods. In today’s world, it takes the form of making sex, pleasure, power, money. 3)Divination…tries to discover what is hidden (occult). It attempts to look into the future. 4)Divination will resort to calling on Satan or other devils, conjuring up dead spirits, and practicing astrology or reading horoscopes. 5)It also involves palm reading and playing with Ouija boards.

4)Magic or sorcery attempts to “tame occult powers, so as to place them at one’s service and have the supernatural power over others. 5)Sacrilege…is the “profaning or treating unworthily the sacraments and other liturgical actions, as well as persons, things, or places consecrated to God.” Sacrilege is a grave sin, most especially when directed against the Eucharistic Christ. Simony is the buying or selling of spiritual graces. 6)Atheism…is a grave rejection or denial of the existence of God 7)Agnosticism…denies that it is possible to know with certainty that God exists.

SECOND COMMANDMENT: “You shall not take the name of the Lord, your God, in vain.” SECOND COMMANDMENT: “You shall not take the name of the Lord, your God, in vain.” Values by the Second Commandment: The gift of a name belongs to the order of trust and intimacy. “The Lord’s name is holy.” 1.Respect for the name of God…is an expression of the respect for God. – We show great reverence for God’s name when we witness to our faith in one, true, holy God and venerate the name of Jesus, of Mary, and of the saints. – When we sign ourselves “in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,” we proclaim our faith in the Triune God. – When we pray at the start of our day or before beginning any activity with the Sign of the Cross, we acknowledge God’s presence with us

2.Respect for each other’s name…God calls each one by name, 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.

Actions Contrary to the Second Commandment 1.The abuse of the name of God, the Son of God, Jesus Christ, Mary, or any of the saints is wrong. 2.We are unfaithful to God when we break promises made in God’s name. 3.Blasphemy…is any thought, word, or act that expresses hate, contempt, or defiance against God and Jesus Christ, the Church, saints, or Holy things. 4.Perjury…lying under oath. False oaths call on God to witness to a lie. The taking of an oath with the intent to commit wrongdoing is a serious evil that dishonors God. (read p. 64)