other gods

CHAPTER ONE “You Shall Love the Lord Your God With All Your Heart, With All Your Soul, and With All Your Mind” THE FIRST COMMANDMENT: I AM THE LORD YOUR GOD, YOU SHALL NOT HAVE OTHER GODS BEFORE ME 442. What is implied in the affirmation of God: “I am the Lord your God” (Exodus 20:2)? 2083-2094 2133-2134 This means that the faithful must guard and activate the three theological virtues and must avoid sins which are opposed to them. Faith believes in God and rejects everything that is opposed to it, such as, deliberate doubt, unbelief, heresy, apostasy, and schism. Hope trustingly awaits the blessed vision of God and his help, while avoiding despair and presumption. Charity loves God above all things and therefore repudiates indifference, ingratitude, lukewarmness, sloth or spiritual indolence, and that hatred of God which is born of pride. 443. What is the meaning of the words of our Lord, “Adore the Lord your God and worship Him alone” (Matthew 4:10)? 2095-2105 2135-2136 These words mean to adore God as the Lord of everything that exists; to render to him the individual and community worship which is his due; to pray to him with sentiments of praise, of thanks, and of supplication; to offer him sacrifices, above all the spiritual sacrifice of one’s own life, united with the perfect sacrifice of Christ; and to keep the promises and vows made to him.

seek

444. In what way does a person exercise his or her proper right to worship God in truth and in freedom? 2104-2109 2137 Every person has the right and the moral duty to seek the truth, especially in what concerns God and his Church. Once the truth is known, each person he has the right and moral duty to embrace it, to guard it faithfully and to render God authentic worship. At the same time, the dignity of the human person requires that in religious matters no one may be forced to act against conscience nor be restrained, within the just limits of public order, from acting in conformity with conscience, privately or publicly, alone or in association with others. 445. What does God prohibit by his command, “You shall not have other gods before me” (Exodus 20:2)? 2110-2128 2138-2140 This commandment forbids: Polytheism and idolatry, which divinizes creatures, power, money, or even demons. Superstition which is a departure from the worship due to the true God and which also expresses itself in various forms of divination, magic, sorcery and spiritism. Irreligion which is evidenced: in tempting God by word or deed; in sacrilege, which profanes sacred persons or sacred things, above all the Eucharist; and in simony, which involves the buying or selling of spiritual things. Atheism which rejects the existence of God, founded often on a false conception of human autonomy. Agnosticism which affirms that nothing can be known about God, and involves indifferentism and practical atheism. 446. Does the commandment of God, “You shall not make for yourself a graven image” (Exodus 20:3), forbid the cult of images? 2129-2132 2141 In the Old Testament this commandment forbade any representation of God who is absolutely transcendent. The Christian veneration of sacred images, however, is justified by the incarnation of the Son of God (as taught by the Second Council of Nicea in 787AD) because such veneration is founded on the mystery of the Son of God made man, in whom the transcendent God is made visible. This does not mean the adoration of an image, but rather the veneration of the one who is represented in it: for example, Christ, the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Angels and the Saints.

perjury

THE SECOND COMMANDMENT: YOU SHALL NOT TAKE THE NAME OF THE LORD YOUR GOD IN VAIN 447. How does one respect the holiness of the Name of God? 2142-2149 2160-2162 One shows respect for the holy Name of God by blessing it, praising it and glorifying it. It is forbidden, therefore, to call on the Name of God to justify a crime. It is also wrong to use the holy Name of God in any improper way as in blasphemy (which by its nature is a grave sin), curses, and unfaithfulness to promises made in the Name of God. 448. Why is a false oath forbidden? 2150-2151 2163-2164 It is forbidden because one calls upon God who is truth itself to be the witness to a lie. “Do not swear, whether by the Creator or by any creature, except truthfully, of necessity and with reverence.” (Saint Ignatius of Loyola) 449. What is perjury? 2152-2155 Perjury is to make a promise under oath with the intention of not keeping it or to violate a promise made under oath. It is a grave sin against God who is always faithful to his promises.

Sabbath

THE THIRD COMMANDMENT: REMEMBER TO KEEP HOLY THE LORD'S DAY 450. Why did God “bless the Sabbath day and declare it sacred” (Exodus 20:11)? 2168-2172 2189 God did so because on the Sabbath day one remembers God’s rest on the seventh day of creation, and also the liberation of Israel from slavery in Egypt and the Covenant which God sealed with his people. 451. How did Jesus act in regard to the Sabbath? 2173 Jesus recognized the holiness of the Sabbath day and with divine authority he gave this law its authentic interpretation: “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath” (Mark 2:27).

Sunday

452. For what reason has the Sabbath been changed to Sunday for Christians? 2174-2176 2190-2191 The reason is because Sunday is the day of the Resurrection of Christ. As “the first day of the week” (Mark 16:2) it recalls the first creation; and as the “eighth day”, which follows the sabbath, it symbolizes the new creation ushered in by the Resurrection of Christ. Thus, it has become for Christians the first of all days and of all feasts. It is the day of the Lord in which he with his Passover fulfilled the spiritual truth of the Jewish Sabbath and proclaimed man’s eternal rest in God. 453. How does one keep Sunday holy? 2177-2185 2192-2193 Christians keep Sunday and other days of obligation holy by participating in the Eucharist of the Lord and by refraining from those activities which impede the worship of God and disturb the joy proper to the day of the Lord or the necessary relaxation of mind and body. Activities are allowed on the Sabbath which are bound up with family needs or with important social service, provided that they do not lead to habits prejudicial to the holiness of Sunday, to family life and to health. 454. Why is the civil recognition of Sunday as a feast day important? 2186-2188 2194-2195 It is important so that all might be given the real possibility of enjoying sufficient rest and leisure to take care of their religious, familial, cultural and social lives. It is important also to have an opportune time for meditation, for reflection, for silence, for study, and a time to dedicate to good works, particularly for the sick and for the elderly.

Honor

CHAPTER TWO “You Shall Love Your Neighbour as Yourself” THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT: HONOR YOUR FATHER AND YOUR MOTHER 455. What does the fourth commandment require? 2196-2200 2247-2248 It commands us to honor and respect our parents and those whom God, for our good, has vested with his authority. 456. What is the nature of the family in the plan of God? 2201-2205 2249 A man and a woman united in marriage form a family together with their children. God instituted the family and endowed it with its fundamental constitution. Marriage and the family are ordered to the good of the spouses and to the procreation and education of children. Members of the same family establish among themselves personal relationships and primary responsibilities. In Christ the family becomes the domestic church because it is a community of faith, of hope, and of charity.

filial piety

457. What place does the family occupy in society? 2207-2208 The family is the original cell of human society and is, therefore, prior to any recognition by public authority. Family values and principles constitute the foundation of social life. Family life is an initiation into the life of society. 458. What are the duties that society has toward the family? 2209-2213 2250 Society, while respecting the principle of subsidiarity, has the duty to support and strengthen marriage and the family. Public authority must respect, protect and foster the true nature of marriage and the family, public morality, the rights of parents, and domestic prosperity. 459. What are the duties of children toward their parents? 2214-2220 2251 Children owe respect (filial piety), gratitude, docility and obedience to their parents. In paying them respect and in fostering good relationships with their brothers and sisters, children contribute to the growth in harmony and holiness in family life in general. Adult children should give their parents material and moral support whenever they find themselves in situations of distress, sickness, loneliness, or old age.