1. First, Second & Third Commandments
Honoring God
First, Second & Third Commandments

2. “I am the Lord, your God: you shall not have strange gods before me”
The First Commandment
“I am the Lord, your God: you shall not have strange gods before me”

3. Overview How do we live this commandment? What is idolatry?
Ancient
Modern
What are the other sins against the first commandment?

4. Living the First Commandment
Commitment to God and His Law
Living the Theological Virtues
Have faith in God
Put your hope in God
Love God completely

5. Theological Virtues
The gifts given to us by God to enable us to know God as God and lead us to union with him in mind and heart.
Faith: help to freely accept God’s full revelation in Jesus. We accept God’s revealed truth and respond in love to God and neighbor.
Hope: help to put our trust in God and expect both eternal life and the grace we need to attain it. Additionally the conviction that God’s grace is at work in the world.
Love: help to recognize and respond to the longing and desire for God and the selfless commitment to support the dignity and humanity or all people, solely because they are created by God in his image and likeness

6. Faith
A gift from God to help us freely accept God’s full revelation in Jesus. We accept God’s revealed truth and respond in love to God and neighbor.
Sins against Faith:
Disregarding the truths of faith
Questioning them without further investigation
Heresy, which is the denial of an essential truth of our faith
Apostasy, which is a complete rejection of the Christian faith

7. Hope
A gift from God that helps us to put our trust in God and expect both eternal life and the grace we need to attain it. Additionally the conviction that God’s grace is at work in the world.
Sins against this virtue are
Despair, stop believing that God cares for us
Presumption, that will save us because of our own efforts or even if we do not reform our lives

8. Love
A gift from God that helps us to recognize and respond to the longing and desire for God and the selfless commitment to support the dignity and humanity or all people, solely because they are created by God in his image and likeness
Sins against this virtue are
Hatred, from pride that denies God’s goodness

9. Living the Virtues Adoration Prayer Sacrifice Promises & vows
Acknowledging God as creator, savior, as the gift giver who provides our salvation. He is eternal Love
Prayer
Primary means to strengthening our relationship with God
liturgy
Sacrifice
Follow the example of Christ lading a life of sacrificial love
Fast and abstinence
Service to others
Celebrating the Eucharist
Promises & vows
Keep our promises to God
Made at Baptism and Confirmation
Evangelical counsels; Going beyond the Ten commandments
poverty, chastity, obedience

10. Idolatry Ancient Modern
Worship of other beings, creatures or material goods in a way that it fitting for God alone
Pantheon of gods
Baal and Asherah
Modern
Wealth and material goods
Pursuit of success or fame
Addictions
Has your focus on the things in question affected your relationship with God?
Has it caused you to spend less time in prayer, miss Mass, or be uncomfortable around you faith community?
Has it affected your relationship with family and friends?
Do you spend less time with them?
Is it causing you to keep secrets?

11. Sins against the 1st Commandment
Sinful excesses of Religion
Superstition
Magic: believing in a supernatural power that comes from a source other than God
Giving objects or creatures power
Black cats
Mirrors, ladders
Sacramentals used in a superstitious way
Divination: seeking knowledge through supernatural means apart from God
Astrology
Palm reading
Psychics

12. Sins against the 1st Commandment
Irreligion
Sacrilege
Abuse of a person, place or thing dedicated to God and the worship of God
Simony
The buying and selling of something spiritual such as grace or indulgences or even cures.
Atheism
The denial of the existence of God

13. The Second Commandment
“You Shall Not Take the Name of the Lord, Your God in Vain”

14. Overview Responding to the sacredness of God, “reverence”
Keeping sacred commitments
Sins against the 2nd Commandment

15. “Reverence” Using God’s name only for good purposes
Bless, praise or glorify
Showing reverence for God and his sacred name is showing true faith
Reverence in our daily lives and actions
Reverence for creation
Reverence for each other
Profanity is the opposite of reverence
Treating or speaking of something sacred disrespectfully

16. The Name of God
A person and his/her name are closely connected. Misuse of someone’s name would cause injury.
God’s name “Yahweh” is given in trust to Moses by God.
Jesus tells us to keep God’s name sacred when he teaches the Lord’s Prayer
Out of respect for God, the Jewish people do not say or write God’s name.
The word “vain” indicates not important, doesn’t mean much
It is sinful to us God’s name without the respect it deserves,

17. Names Can indicate something about the named.
Yahweh- I am who I am
Moses- to draw out
Jesus- God saves
Eve – mother of all things
Adam- first man
Matthew- gift from God
Baptism and Confirmation names should have significance

18. Keeping sacred commitments
Vows made in God’s name.
A life lived as a committed life with goals an accomplishments is a full, happy life.
Person
Persons who make a commitment to others
Group
Groups who promise some kind of commitment
Cause
Promises to uphold or eliminate a practice or policy

19. Sacred Commitments Covenants Promises made to God or each other
Swearing in of public servants
Marriage
Sacraments
Testimony
Lenten promises

20. Sins against the 2nd Commandment
Blasphemy
Speaking, acting or thinking about God, Jesus Christ, the Blessed Virgin or the saints in a way that is irreverent, mocking or offensive
Perjury
Lying about the truth while under oath, “So help me God”
Undermines the law and order of the community

21. “Remember to Keep Holy the Sabbath (Lord’s )Day"
The third Commandment

22. Observing the Sabbath Day
Overview
Observing the Sabbath Day
The Sabbath and Sunday
Keeping Sunday Holy

23. Observing the Sabbath Origin Significance Creation (Gen. 2: 2-3)
Reminder to live a balanced life
There are more important things than “making a dollar”
“The Sabbath was made for man, man not made for the Sabbath”
Reminder of God’s saving action
Part of the Law
No work to be done on the Sabbath
Slaves, animals, land

24. A Short History, Judaism
Jewish Sabbath “Keep holy the Sabbath”
Sundown Friday to Sundown Saturday
Evening came, morning followed
God rested on the 7th day
Celebration
Special meal
Synagogue services
Reading and study of the Torah
Leisure activities with family and friends

25. A Short History, Christianity
Sunday
Resurrection happened shortly after the Sabbath, first day of the week
The First Day
Re-creation, Christ made all things new again, a new beginning
On the first Day “Let there be light”- Jesus is the light of the world

26. Keeping Sunday Holy Attending Mass Works of service and charity
Opportunity to praise and worship God as a community- with one voice
Fed and strengthened by the Eucharist
Works of service and charity
Make time for those charitable works that we cannot do during the week because of our obligations, beginning with the needs of our family
Sunday rest
Goes back to the original reason for the Sabbath- to rest
We re-create ourselves

27. Eschatological Dimension
Rest, worship of God and peace and joy foreshadow the afterlife in Heaven
Eternal rest
Kingdom of God
Peace
Justice
Love
Doing God’s will
The “Eighth Day”