The Ten Commandments I am the Lord, your God, you shall have no Gods before Me. You shall not take the name of the Lord in vain Remember to keep the Lord’s day holy Honor your father and mother You shall not kill You shall not commit adultery You shall not steal You shall not bear false witness against your neighber You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets." (Mt 22:37-40)

The first three commandments deal with our obligations toward God. The remaining seven deal with our obligations toward others. The Commandments are just the minimum that we as Christians are called to do. Loving God and neighbor does not only involve avoiding evil but also obligates us to do good.

The First Commandment I am the Lord, your God, you shall have no Gods before Me.

How do we live the first commandment?

We live the first commandment primarily by practicing the three theological virtues of faith, hope and charity. Through these virtues, we nurture and deepen our relationship with God.

What are some ways in which we deepen our relationship with God?

1. Adoration – Looking at God’s creation leaves us in awe of him and leads us to adore Him as the one who is responsible for all we have and all we see.

2. Prayer – Prayer is taking the time to acknowledge God’s presence in our lives.

We pray in three ways: A. Praise and Thanksgiving – We show our appreciation to God for all that he has given us B. Intercession and Petition – We bring our needs to God and ask him to provide for us what we need. C. Meditation and Contemplation – We find time alone to put ourselves in the presence of God, listening to him speak through in the silence of our hearts.

We experience all three types of prayer in the Liturgy.

3. Sacrifice – We are called to follow Christ’s example of sacrificial love by putting God and others before ourselves. Examples: A. Fasting and sacrificing during Lent B. Giving our time, resources and energy to help others, even when we might be tired or it is inconvenient. C. Accepting sickness and suffering with dignity and courage.

4. Promises and Vows – Just as God has fulfilled his promises to his people, we must keep the promises we make to Him in the Sacraments and in other ways.

Sins against the first commandment

Idolatry – Worshiping things or beings other than God. In today’s world there are many things which people sometimes put before God: money, popularity, entertainment, pleasure, for example.

Superstition – Assigning magical powers to practices or objects. Divination – The practice of seeking knowledge or power through some supernatural means apart from God. (e.g. astrology)

Sacrilege – The abuse of Sacraments, persons, things or places that are consecrated to God. (e.g. using a church for immoral purposes or mocking religious practices)

Simony – The practice of buying or selling spiritual things and favors. (e.g. promising miraculous cures if one contributes money.)

Atheism – The denial of the existence of God. Agnosticism – Demanding concrete proof of the existence of God.

Video: Answering Atheism