The Greatest Commandments
“You shall love the
Lord, your God,
with all your heart,
with all your soul,
and with all your
mind.”
First three
commandments
(I,II,III)
“You shall love
your neighbor as
yourself.”
The other seven
commandments (IV
through X)
The Decalogue
• AKA the Ten Commandments
• Summary of God’s Law 1) written in every
person’s heart.
This Law of God is called Natural Law, the
basis of all human laws: moral or civil. It is
also 2) universal in its precepts, 3) extends
to all people, and 4) established by
reason. (CCC 1956)
The First Commandment
“I am the Lord, your God. You shall not have
strange gods before me.”
• He is our Creator; we are the creatures.
• Some Sins against this commandment: atheism,
idolatry, superstition, sacrilege, divination.
• Virtue acquired: faith in the true God
• Historical note: In Church History, a group of
individuals called iconoclasts “image destroyers”
began a campaign to destroy all sacred art
representing God, Mary, angels, and saints. In
the year 787, the seventh Council of Nicaea
justified the use of such sacred images that
“whoever venerates an image venerates the
person portrayed in it.”
The First Commandment
“I am the Lord, your God. You shall not have
strange gods before me.”
• Atheism, agnosticism, sacrilege, idolatry,
astrology, magic, fortune-telling,
superstition, divination, simony
• Secularism, individualism, skepticism,
relativism, indifference, materialism
• Money, power, riches, status, drugs,
alcohol, sex
The First Commandment
“I am the Lord, your God. You shall not have
strange gods before me.”
What does the virtue of faith have to do with the First
Commandment?
God gave us these three ways to know Him: 1) by
reasoning 2) by our inner longing for the infinite 3) by
faith through revelation
‘Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of
things not seen.’ (Hebrews 11:1 )
The world is full of uncertainty, false and competing
ideologies, and unanswerable questions. The First
Commandment calls us to faith in God so we can live
with a blessed assurance in the reality of God and the
glorious conviction that we are loved and saved by God.
The Second Commandment
“ You shall not take the name of the Lord,
your God, in vain.”
• Holy is His Name and we must give due
reverence to His Name.
• This commandment invites everyone to be
conscious of the sacred and what is holy in
creation and in each person we meet.
• Sins against this commandment: blasphemy,
perjury, cursing, profanity, secularism
• Virtue acquired: Reverence for God and others
The Second Commandment
“ You shall not take the name of the Lord,
your God, in vain.”
• The Second Commandment also invites
us to not make wrong use of His name. To
use God’s name other than for praise or
glory or blessing is an affront to His very
name or His nature.
• Cursing or blasphemy dishonor God’s
name.
• “In the name of God (Allah)…”
The Second Commandment
“ You shall not take the name of the Lord,
your God, in vain.”
“Fear” and “Awe” are Christian feelings.
Why?
These are feelings that we should have
because such feelings make His Presence
known.
‘In proportion as we believe that He is
present, we shall have them; and not to
have them, is not to realize, not to believe
that He is present.’ –John Cardinal Newman
The Third Commandment
“Remember to keep holy the Lord’s Day.”
• The Christian Sunday is set aside as a day to honor
God. We keep this day holy by acknowledging the
primacy of our relationship with God.
• We worship God and re-create our proper relationship
with God, our family, with others, and all creation.
• The purpose of Sunday: Sunday is a day to pray and
play, giving time to God, ourselves, and our families;
giving us refreshment and renewal.
• Virtue acquired: worship, dependence on God
• Sins against this commandment: false pride, selfsalvation
The Third Commandment
“Remember to keep holy the Lord’s Day.”
• Do You Eat Food Regularly? Do You Get
Thirsty? Do You Eat Or Drink Alone?
• So is it necessary for you to spiritually nourish
your soul as when you nourish your own body.
• It is so important that we celebrate the Eucharist
with the whole Church that we are obligated to
participate in the celebration on Sundays as well
as holy days of obligation.
• Hear God’s Word…Partake in the Holy
Eucharist!
The Third Commandment
“Remember to keep holy the Lord’s Day.”
Holy Days of Obligation
Jan 1—Feast of Mary, the
Mother of God
Ascension Day—40 days after
Easter
Aug 15—Feast of the
Assumption of Mary
Nov 1—All Saints’ Day
Dec 8—Feast of the
Immaculate Conception
Dec 25—Christmas Day
Precepts of the Catholic Church
1) You shall attend Mass on
Sundays and on holy days of
obligation and rest from
unnecessary labor.
2) You shall confess your sins at
least once a year.
3) You shall receive the
sacrament of the Eucharist at
least during the Easter
season.
4) You shall observe the days of
fasting and abstinence
established by the Church.
5) You shall help to provide for the
needs of the Church.
The Third Commandment
“Remember to keep holy the Lord’s Day.”
What should our response to those who say that ‘Mass is boring’
or to those that stopped going to Mass because they ‘get
nothing out of it?’
• There are 168 hours in a week. God only requires 1 hour for His
praise and worship.
• “What one gets” is proportionate to “what one GIVES”—the
more you Give, the more you will receive.
• All week long we have been “getting” from God—it is time to
“pay up.” Sunday is the time for US to show humility and
appreciation for what God has given.
• The Mass is the highest form of liturgical worship—we pray
with the Whole Church living and dead; we even get fed with
His very Presence
Works Cited
Catholic Church. (1994). Catechism of the Catholic Church. Vatican: Libreria
Editrice Vaticana.
Hahn, S. (2003). Lord, have mercy: the healing power of confession. New York:
Double Day.
Klein, P. (2000). The Catholic source book: a comprehensive collection of
information about the Catholic Church. Orlando: Brown-Roa.
McBride, A. (1995). Father McBride’s teen catechism. Huntington,IN: Our Sunday
Visitor.
McBride, A. (2000). Father McBride’s college catechism. Huntington,IN: Our
Sunday Visitor.
Poust, M. (2008). The complete idiot’s guide to the Catholic catechism. New York:
Alpha Books