1. “You shall have no other gods before me.”
The First Commandment
“You shall have no other gods before me.”

2. Human obligation Fundamental human obligation
To acknowledge the existence of God and to worship Him
God’s relationship to humanity
not a “solitary” god
God is intimate and active in the lives of His people
the name Jesus means “God saves”

3. Theological virtues -- faith
Belief in all the truths that God has revealed, even though they cannot be proven, because they come from God Who is truth itself.
Fundamental attitudes to faith
Receive God’s revelations with humility
Intellectually cultivate faith by attempting to understand its content more clearly.

4. Duties toward faith Safeguarding the faith Communicating the faith
Sins against the virtue of faith
Voluntary doubt
Involuntary doubt
Atheism
Heresy
Apostasy
Schism

5. Theological virtue -- hope
Trusting in God’s promises and relying not on our strength but on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit
Sins against hope
Presumption – expecting salvation without personal effort
Despair – ceasing to hope for salvation

6. Theological virtue -- love
Love God above all things for God’s own sake and our neighbors for the love of God.
Christian love has three objects”
God
Neighbor
Self

7. Sins against charity Indifference Ingratitude Lukewarmness Acedia
Hatred of God

8. Virtue of Religion Regulates the relationship between God and mankind
Acts belonging to the virtue of religion
Adoration
Atonement
Petition
Thanksgiving
Fundamentally accomplished through prayer and especially in the sacrifice of the Mass

9. Sins against the virtue of religion
Idolatry—elevation of other realities to the state of gods
Superstition --any belief or practice that renders false worship to God or attributes supernatural or magical powers to objects or actions
Divination – prediction of the future by so-called paranormal means
Sacrilege – abuse of the sacraments, persons, places, or things consecrated to God

10. Sins against the virtue of religion
Magic (sorcery)– desire to control the occult forces that supposedly influence the world.
Irreligion
Tempting God
Simony

11. Idolatry Worship of gods or goddesses other than Yahweh Old testament
Polytheism – worship of many gods (pantheon)
Monotheism – worship of one god
Jesus expanded the concept of idolatry (“You cannot worship god and mammon”)