10 Commandments
-Which are the Ten Commandments of God?
They are:
1.I am the Lord thy God; thou shalt have no other gods beside me.
2.Thou shalt not make graven images to worship.
3.Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.
4.Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
5.Honorthy father and thy mother.
6.Thou shalt not kill.
7.Thou shalt not commit adultery.
8.Thou shalt not steal.
9.Thou, shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
10.Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s goods nor thy neighbor’s wife.
-To whom did God give these commandments?
God gavethese commandments to Moses on Mount Sinai. Jesus Christ perfected them by teaching us the law of love and mercy in the Sermon on the Mount, and elsewhere in the Gospels.
THE FIRST COMMANDMENT
-What does the first commandment of God teach us?
The first commandment of God teaches us to worship God alone, and to love Him above all created things.
-What does it mean to worship God?
To worship God means to express our love and admiration for God in songs and prayers, and with acts of charity.
-How must our worship of God be?
Our worship of God must be cheerful, full of joy and heartfelt reverence.
-What are the sins committed against the first commandment?
The sins committed against the first commandment are irreligion, sacrilege, superstition, and indifferentism.
-What is irreligion?
Irreligion or infidelity is rejection of Christian faith by one who has received it.
-What is sacrilege?
Sacrilege is misusing or mistreating sacred objects, persons, or places. It is sacrilege to steal sacred vessels or other church properly, to despise churches, holy pictures or relics, to lay violent hands upon a priest or any other person loyally and dutifully consecrated to God.
-What is superstition?
Superstition is to attribute to an object or a creature a power that belongs to God alone.
-What is indifferentism?
Indifferentism is a lack of interest in religion. It is to think that all religions are equally good.
THE SECOND COMMANDMENT -What does the second commandment of God teach us?
The second commandment of God teaches usnot to worship graven images or idols.
-What is a graven image, or idol?
A graven image or idol is a statue made by man out of metal, wood or stone, which is used as an object of worship by ignorant people.
-Are there any people who still worship idols?
Yes, some semi-savage and primitive people still worship idols, or sun, fire or animals.
-Is veneration of saints, relics and holy pictures against this commandment?
No, devotion to Blessed Virgin Mary, veneration of saints, relics and holy pictures do not oppose this commandment.
-Do we worship saints?
No, we don’t worship saints; we only honor them as the special friends and servants of God. We worship God alone. Neither do we worship holy pictures or relics; we only pay them honor as representing God or the saints, in a similar manner we commonly cherish the photographs and souvenirs of our parents and dear friends.
-What else does the second commandment of God teach us?
It teaches also to refrain from excessive love of money, pleasure, business, position and human glory.
THE THIRD COMMANDMENT
-What does the third commandment of God teach us?
The third commandment of God teaches usnot to use the name of the Lord Our God in vain.
-What do we mean by using the name of the Lord our God in vain?
We mean: to use the name of God irreverently, to take a false oath in the nameof God, to utter blasphemy, and to break some promise made to God.
-What does taking false oath mean?
Taking false oath means to call on God to witness to the truth of what we say in the presence of men, when we know that what we say is not true.
-What is blasphemy?
Blasphemy is insulting language, which expresses contempt for God, for saints, and holy things.
-What does breaking of our vows mean?
Breaking of our vows means to refuse to keep a deliberate promise made to God, or to men, and deny that we hr made it.
THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT
-What does the fourth commandmentof God teach us?
The fourth commandment of God teaches us to keep holy the seventh day ofthe week.
-Has the day of rest ever been changed?
Yes, before Jesus Christ the day ofrest was Saturday; the Church has adopted Sunday as the Lord’s Day.
-Who changed the day of rest, and why was it changed?
The Apostles were the first to observe Sunday as a holy day of the Church, because on that day Jesus Christ rose from the dead. It was also on a Sunday that theHoly Spirit descended upon the Apostles.
-What should we do to keep Sunday holy?
To keep Sunday holy we should not work on the Lord’s Day, and we should go to Church, and avoid all unhealthy pleasures.
THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT
-What does the filth commandment of God teach us?
The fifth commandment of God teaches us to respect our parents, to obey them in all that is right, and to help and take care of them when they are in need.
-Why should we honor and respect our parents?
We should honor and respect our parents because they brought us into thin world, and because they are responsible before God for our physical and spiritual welfare until we grow up to be able to take care of ourselves.
-Whom else should we honor besides our parents?
Besides our parents we should honor all our lawful superiors and old people.
-How can we honor our spiritual superiors?
We can honor our priest and bishop as our fathers in Christ by obeying them in spiritual matters, and praying for them.
-What are sins against the fifth commandment?
1.Not to consult parents about important steps one contemplates.
2.To neglect the parents when they are in need, and in old age.
3.To speak ill, or to gossip about one’s parents, priests or bishops.
THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT
-What other duties does the fifth commandment teach us?
The fifth commandment teaches us to love our country, to be sincerely interested in its welfare, and respect and obey its lawful authority.
-How does a citizen show a sincere interest in his country’s welfare?
A citizen shows a sincere interest in his country’s welfare by voting honestly and without selfish motives, by paying just taxes, and by defending his country’s rights when necessary.
-What does the sixth commandment of God teach us?
The sixth commandment of God teaches us not to Kill.
-What else does the sixth commandment forbid?
The sixth commandment also forbids suicide, fighting, anger, hatred, revenge, drunkenness, which leads to killing.
-Is suicide a sin?
Yes, suicide is a grievous sin because God isthe Lord of our lives and not we. It is such a great offense against God that the Church refuses to bury the person who commits suicide.
THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT -What does, the seventh commandment of God teach us?
The seventh commandment of God teaches us not to commit adultery.
-What is adultery?
Adultery is the illegal living together of a man and a woman.
-What is the legal living together of a man and a woman?
The legal living together of a man and woman is marriage, blessed by a priest in accordance with the rules of the Church.
-What else does the seventh commandment forbid?
The seventh commandment also forbids all impurity and immodesty in words, looks, and actions, whether alone or with others.
-What are the chief dangers to the virtue of chastity?
The chief dangers to the virtue of chastity are idleness, sinful curiosity, bad companions, drunkenness, immodest dress and dancing, indecent books, plays, and motion pictures.
-What are the chief means of preserving the virtue of chastity?
The chief means of preserving the virtue of chastity are to avoid carefully all unnecessary dangers, to seek God’s help through prayer, frequent confession, Holy Communion, and assistance at Divine Liturgy and to have a devotion to the Blessed Mary and the saints.
THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT -What does the eighth commandment of God teach us?
The eighth commandment teaches us not to steal.
-What is stealing?
Stealing is taking something that does not belong to us and unjustly keeping it as our own.
-What else we commanded by the eighth commandment?
We are also commanded to respect what belongs to others, to live up to our business agreements, and to pay our just debts.
-What does, the eighth commandment forbid?
Besides stealing, the eighth commandment forbids cheating, unjustly keeping what belongs to others, damage to the property of others with intention, and the accepting of bribes by public officials.
-Are we obliged to restore to the owner-stolen goods, or their value?
We are obliged to restore to the owner-stolen goods, or their value, whenever we are able.
THE NINTH AND TENTH COMMANDMENTS
-What does the ninth commandment teach us?
The ninth commandment of God teaches us not to 1ie, and not to harm the good name of others by smear.
-Does lying bring harm to others?
Yes, lying brings harm not only to the liar, but to others also. Those who follow the commandments of God and the Church should never tell lies.
-How do we harm the good name of others?
We harm the good name of others by calumny and slander.
-What does the tenth commandment of God teach us?
The tenth commandment of God teaches us not to covet our neighbor’s goods.
-What is covetousness?
Covetousness is a feeling or desire to have what belongs rightly to others.
-What does the man who covets do?
The man who covets uses every unlawful means to take unjustly what belongs to others.
-What else does the tenth commandment forbid?
The tenth commandment also forbids us to envy the success of others, their wealth or their position.
