CHAPTER ONE
YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR
GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND
WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH
ALL YOUR MIND
2083 Jesus summed up man's duties toward God in this saying: "You shall love the Lord
your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind."[1] This
immediately echoes the solemn call: "Hear, O Israel: the LORD our God is one
LORD."[2]
God has loved us first. The love of the One God is recalled in the first of the "ten
words." The commandments then make explicit the response of love that man is called
to give to his God.
ARTICLE 1 - THE FIRST COMMANDMENT
I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house
of bondage. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a
graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth
beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them or serve
them.[3]
It is written: "You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve."[4]
I. "YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR
GOD AND HIM ONLY SHALL YOU SERVE"
2084 God makes himself known by recalling his all-powerful loving, and liberating
action in the history of the one he addresses: "I brought you out of the land of Egypt,
out of the house of bondage." The first word contains the first commandment of the
Law: "You shall fear the LORD your God; you shall serve him.... You shall not go after
other gods."[5] God's first call and just demand is that man accept him and worship him.
2085 The one and true God first reveals his glory to Israel.[6] The revelation of the
vocation and truth of man is linked to the revelation of God. Man's vocation is to make
God manifest by acting in conformity with his creation "in the image and likeness of
God":
There will never be another God, Trypho, and there has been no other since the world
began . . . than he who made and ordered the universe. We do not think that our God is
different from yours. He is the same who brought your fathers out of Egypt "by his
powerful hand and his outstretched arm." We do not place our hope in some other
god, for there is none, but in the same God as you do: the God of Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob.[7]
2086 "The first commandment embraces faith, hope, and charity. When we say 'God' we
confess a constant, unchangeable being, always the same, faithful and just, without any
evil. It follows that we must necessarily accept his words and have complete faith in him
and acknowledge his authority. He is almighty, merciful, and infinitely beneficent. Who
could not place all hope in him? Who could not love him when contemplating the
treasures of goodness and love he has poured out on us? Hence the formula God
employs in the Scripture at the beginning and end of his commandments: 'I am the
LORD.'"[8]
Faith
2087 Our moral life has its source in faith in God who reveals his love to us. St. Paul
speaks of the "obedience of faith"[9] as our first obligation. He shows that "ignorance of
God" is the principle and explanation of all moral deviations.[10] Our duty toward God
is to believe in him and to bear witness to him.
2088 The first commandment requires us to nourish and protect our faith with prudence
and vigilance, and to reject everything that is opposed to it. There are various ways of
sinning against faith:
Voluntary doubt about the faith disregards or refuses to hold as true what God has
revealed and the Church proposes for belief. Involuntary doubt refers to hesitation in
believing, difficulty in overcoming objections connected with the faith, or also anxiety
aroused by its obscurity. If deliberately cultivated doubt can lead to spiritual blindness.
2089 Incredulity is the neglect of revealed truth or the willful refusal to assent to it.
"Heresy is the obstinate post-baptismal denial of some truth which must be believed
with divine and catholic faith, or it is likewise an obstinate doubt concerning the same;
apostasy is the total repudiation of the Christian faith; schism is the refusal of
submission to the Roman Pontiff or of communion with the members of the Church
subject to him."[11]
Hope
2090 When God reveals Himself and calls him, man cannot fully respond to the divine
love by his own powers. He must hope that God will give him the capacity to love Him
in return and to act in conformity with the commandments of charity. Hope is the
confident expectation of divine blessing and the beatific vision of God; it is also the fear
of offending God's love and of incurring punishment.
2091 The first commandment is also concerned with sins against hope, namely, despair
and presumption:
By despair, man ceases to hope for his personal salvation from God, for help in
attaining it or for the forgiveness of his sins. Despair is contrary to God's goodness, to
his justice - for the Lord is faithful to his promises - and to his mercy.
2092 There are two kinds of presumption. Either man presumes upon his own
capacities, (hoping to be able to save himself without help from on high), or he
presumes upon God's almighty power or his mercy (hoping to obtain his forgiveness
without conversion and glory without merit).
Charity
2093 Faith in God's love encompasses the call and the obligation to respond with
sincere love to divine charity. The first commandment enjoins us to love God above
everything and all creatures for him and because of him.[12]
2094 One can sin against God's love in various ways:
- indifference neglects or refuses to reflect on divine charity; it fails to consider its
prevenient goodness and denies its power.
- ingratitude fails or refuses to acknowledge divine charity and to return him love for
love.
- lukewarmness is hesitation or negligence in responding to divine love; it can imply
refusal to give oneself over to the prompting of charity.
- acedia or spiritual sloth goes so far as to refuse the joy that comes from God and to be
repelled by divine goodness.
- hatred of God comes from pride. It is contrary to love of God, whose goodness it
denies, and whom it presumes to curse as the one who forbids sins and inflicts
punishments.
II. "HIM ONLY SHALL YOU SERVE"
2095 The theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity inform and give life to the moral
virtues. Thus charity leads us to render to God what we as creatures owe him in all
justice. The virtue of religion disposes us to have this attitude.
Adoration
2096 Adoration is the first act of the virtue of religion. To adore God is to acknowledge
him as God, as the Creator and Savior, the Lord and Master of everything that exists, as
infinite and merciful Love. "You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall
you serve," says Jesus, citing Deuteronomy.[13]
2097 To adore God is to acknowledge, in respect and absolute submission, the
"nothingness of the creature" who would not exist but for God. To adore God is to
praise and exalt him and to humble oneself, as Mary did in the Magnificat, confessing
with gratitude that he has done great things and holy is his name.[14] The worship of the
one God sets man free from turning in on himself, from the slavery of sin and the
idolatry of the world.
Prayer
2098 The acts of faith, hope, and charity enjoined by the first commandment are
accomplished in prayer. Lifting up the mind toward God is an expression of our
adoration of God: prayer of praise and thanksgiving, intercession and petition. Prayer is
an indispensable condition for being able to obey God's commandments. "[We] ought
always to pray and not lose heart."[15]
Sacrifice
2099 It is right to offer sacrifice to God as a sign of adoration and gratitude, supplication
and communion: "Every action done so as to cling to God in communion of holiness,
and thus achieve blessedness, is a true sacrifice."[16]
2100 Outward sacrifice, to be genuine, must be the expression of spiritual sacrifice: "The
sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit...."[17] The prophets of the Old Covenant
often denounced sacrifices that were not from the heart or not coupled with love of
neighbor.[18] Jesus recalls the words of the prophet Hosea: "I desire mercy, and not
sacrifice."[19] The only perfect sacrifice is the one that Christ offered on the cross as a
total offering to the Father's love and for our salvation.[20] By uniting ourselves with his
sacrifice we can make our lives a sacrifice to God.
Promises and vows
2101 In many circumstances, the Christian is called to make promises to God. Baptism
and Confirmation, Matrimony and Holy Orders always entail promises. Out of personal
devotion, the Christian may also promise to God this action, that prayer, this almsgiving,
that pilgrimage, and so forth. Fidelity to promises made to God is a sign of the
respect owed to the divine majesty and of love for a faithful God.
2102 "A vow is a deliberate and free promise made to God concerning a possible and
better good which must be fulfilled by reason of the virtue of religion,"[21] A vow is an
act of devotion in which the Christian dedicates himself to God or promises him some
good work. By fulfilling his vows he renders to God what has been promised and
consecrated to Him. The Acts of the Apostles shows us St. Paul concerned to fulfill the
vows he had made.[22]
2103 The Church recognizes an exemplary value in the vows to practice the evangelical
counsels:[23]
Mother Church rejoices that she has within herself many men and women who pursue
the Savior's self-emptying more closely and show it forth more clearly, by undertaking
poverty with the freedom of the children of God, and renouncing their own will: they
submit themselves to man for the sake of God, thus going beyond what is of precept in
the matter of perfection, so as to conform themselves more fully to the obedient
Christ.[24]
The Church can, in certain cases and for proportionate reasons, dispense from vows
and promises[25]
The social duty of religion and the right to religious freedom
2104 "All men are bound to seek the truth, especially in what concerns God and his
Church, and to embrace it and hold on to it as they come to know it."[26] This duty
derives from "the very dignity of the human person."[27] It does not contradict a
"sincere respect" for different religions which frequently "reflect a ray of that truth
which enlightens all men,"[28] nor the requirement of charity, which urges Christians "to
treat with love, prudence and patience those who are in error or ignorance with regard to
the faith."[29]
2105 The duty of offering God genuine worship concerns man both individually and
socially. This is "the traditional Catholic teaching on the moral duty of individuals and
societies toward the true religion and the one Church of Christ."[30] By constantly
evangelizing men, the Church works toward enabling them "to infuse the Christian spirit
into the mentality and mores, laws and structures of the communities in which [they]
live."[31] The social duty of Christians is to respect and awaken in each man the love of
the true and the good. It requires them to make known the worship of the one true
religion which subsists in the Catholic and apostolic Church.[32] Christians are called to
be the light of the world. Thus, the Church shows forth the kingship of Christ over all
creation and in particular over human societies.[33]
2106 "Nobody may be forced to act against his convictions, nor is anyone to be
restrained from acting in accordance with his conscience in religious matters in private
or in public, alone or in association with others, within due limits."[34] This right is
based on the very nature of the human person, whose dignity enables him freely to
assent to the divine truth which transcends the temporal order. For this reason it
"continues to exist even in those who do not live up to their obligation of seeking the
truth and adhering to it."[35]
2107 "If because of the circumstances of a particular people special civil recognition is
given to one religious community in the constitutional organization of a state, the right
of all citizens and religious communities to religious freedom must be recognized and
respected as well."[36]
2108 The right to religious liberty is neither a moral license to adhere to error, nor a
supposed right to error,[37] but rather a natural right of the human person to civil
liberty, i.e., immunity, within just limits, from external constraint in religious matters by
political authorities. This natural right ought to be acknowledged in the juridical order of
society in such a way that it constitutes a civil right.[38]
2109 The right to religious liberty can of itself be neither unlimited nor limited only by a
"public order" conceived in a positivist or naturalist manner.[39] The "due limits" which
are inherent in it must be determined for each social situation by political prudence,
according to the requirements of the common good, and ratified by the civil authority in
accordance with "legal principles which are in conformity with the objective moral
order."[40]
III. "YOU SHALL HAVE NO OTHER GODS
BEFORE ME"
2110 The first commandment forbids honoring gods other than the one Lord who has
revealed himself to his people. It proscribes superstition and irreligion. Superstition in
some sense represents a perverse excess of religion; irreligion is the vice contrary by
defect to the virtue of religion.
Superstition
2111 Superstition is the deviation of religious feeling and of the practices this feeling
imposes. It can even affect the worship we offer the true God, e.g., when one attributes
an importance in some way magical to certain practices otherwise lawful or necessary.
To attribute the efficacy of prayers or of sacramental signs to their mere external
performance, apart from the interior dispositions that they demand, is to fall into
superstition.[41]
Idolatry
2112 The first commandment condemns polytheism. It requires man neither to believe
in, nor to venerate, other divinities than the one true God. Scripture constantly recalls
this rejection of "idols, [of] silver and gold, the work of men's hands. They have mouths,
but do not speak; eyes, but do not see." These empty idols make their worshippers
empty: "Those who make them are like them; so are all who trust in them."[42] God,
however, is the "living God"[43] who gives life and intervenes in history.
2113 Idolatry not only refers to false pagan worship. It remains a constant temptation to
faith. Idolatry consists in divinizing what is not God. Man commits idolatry whenever he
honors and reveres a creature in place of God, whether this be gods or demons (for
example, satanism), power, pleasure, race, ancestors, the state, money, etc. Jesus says,
"You cannot serve God and mammon."[44] Many martyrs died for not adoring "the
Beast"[45] refusing even to simulate such worship. Idolatry rejects the unique Lordship
of God; it is therefore incompatible with communion with God.[46]
2114 Human life finds its unity in the adoration of the one God. The commandment to
worship the Lord alone integrates man and saves him from an endless disintegration.
Idolatry is a perversion of man's innate religious sense. An idolater is someone who
"transfers his indestructible notion of God to anything other than God."[47]
Divination and magic
2115 God can reveal the future to his prophets or to other saints. Still, a sound Christian
attitude consists in putting oneself confidently into the hands of Providence for
whatever concerns the future, and giving up all unhealthy curiosity about it.
Improvidence, however, can constitute a lack of responsibility.
2116 All forms of divination are to be rejected: recourse to Satan or demons, conjuring
up the dead or other practices falsely supposed to "unveil" the future.[48] Consulting
horoscopes, astrology, palm reading, interpretation of omens and lots, the phenomena
of clairvoyance, and recourse to mediums all conceal a desire for power over time,
history, and, in the last analysis, other human beings, as well as a wish to conciliate
hidden powers. They contradict the honor, respect, and loving fear that we owe to God
alone.
2117 All practices of magic or sorcery, by which one attempts to tame occult powers, so
as to place them at one's service and have a supernatural power over others - even if this
were for the sake of restoring their health - are gravely contrary to the virtue of religion.
These practices are even more to be condemned when accompanied by the intention of
harming someone, or when they have recourse to the intervention of demons. Wearing
charms is also reprehensible. Spiritism often implies divination or magical practices; the
Church for her part warns the faithful against it. Recourse to so-called traditional cures
does not justify either the invocation of evil powers or the exploitation of another's
credulity.
Irreligion
2118 God's first commandment condemns the main sins of irreligion: tempting God, in
words or deeds, sacrilege, and simony.
2119 Tempting God consists in putting his goodness and almighty power to the test by
word or deed. Thus Satan tried to induce Jesus to throw himself down from the Temple
and, by this gesture, force God to act.[49] Jesus opposed Satan with the word of God:
"You shall not put the LORD your God to the test."[50] The challenge contained in
such tempting of God wounds the respect and trust we owe our Creator and Lord. It
always harbors doubt about his love, his providence, and his power.[51]
2120 Sacrilege consists in profaning or treating unworthily the sacraments and other
liturgical actions, as well as persons, things, or places consecrated to God. Sacrilege is a
grave sin especially when committed against the Eucharist, for in this sacrament the true
Body of Christ is made substantially present for us.[52]
2121 Simony is defined as the buying or selling of spiritual things.[53] To Simon the
magician, who wanted to buy the spiritual power he saw at work in the apostles, St. Peter
responded: "Your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain God's
gift with money!"[54] Peter thus held to the words of Jesus: "You received without pay,
give without pay."[55] It is impossible to appropriate to oneself spiritual goods and
behave toward them as their owner or master, for they have their source in God. One
can receive them only from him, without payment.
2122 The minister should ask nothing for the administration of the sacraments beyond
the offerings defined by the competent authority, always being careful that the needy are
not deprived of the help of the sacraments because of their poverty."[56] The competent
authority determines these "offerings" in accordance with the principle that the Christian
people ought to contribute to the support of the Church's ministers. "The laborer
deserves his food."[57]
Atheism
2123 "Many . . . of our contemporaries either do not at all perceive, or explicitly reject,
this intimate and vital bond of man to God. Atheism must therefore be regarded as one
of the most serious problems of our time."[58]
2124 The name "atheism" covers many very different phenomena. One common form
is the practical materialism which restricts its needs and aspirations to space and time.
Atheistic humanism falsely considers man to be "an end to himself, and the sole maker,
with supreme control, of his own history."[59] Another form of contemporary atheism
looks for the liberation of man through economic and social liberation. "It holds that
religion, of its very nature, thwarts such emancipation by raising man's hopes in a future
life, thus both deceiving him and discouraging him from working for a better form of
life on earth."[60]
2125 Since it rejects or denies the existence of God, atheism is a sin against the virtue of
religion.[61] The imputability of this offense can be significantly diminished in virtue of
the intentions and the circumstances. "Believers can have more than a little to do with
the rise of atheism. To the extent that they are careless about their instruction in the
faith, or present its teaching falsely, or even fail in their religious, moral, or social life,
they must be said to conceal rather than to reveal the true nature of God and of
religion."[62]
2126 Atheism is often based on a false conception of human autonomy, exaggerated to
the point of refusing any dependence on God.[63] Yet, "to acknowledge God is in no
way to oppose the dignity of man, since such dignity is grounded and brought to
perfection in God...."[64] "For the Church knows full well that her message is in
harmony with the most secret desires of the human heart."[65]
Agnosticism
2127 Agnosticism assumes a number of forms. In certain cases the agnostic refrains
from denying God; instead he postulates the existence of a transcendent being which is
incapable of revealing itself, and about which nothing can be said. In other cases, the
agnostic makes no judgment about God's existence, declaring it impossible to prove, or
even to affirm or deny.
2128 Agnosticism can sometimes include a certain search for God, but it can equally
express indifferentism, a flight from the ultimate question of existence, and a sluggish
moral conscience. Agnosticism is all too often equivalent to practical atheism.
IV. "YOU SHALL NOT MAKE FOR YOURSELF A
GRAVEN IMAGE . . ."
2129 The divine injunction included the prohibition of every representation of God by
the hand of man. Deuteronomy explains: "Since you saw no form on the day that the
Lord spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire, beware lest you act corruptly by
making a graven image for yourselves, in the form of any figure...."[66] It is the
absolutely transcendent God who revealed himself to Israel. "He is the all," but at the
same time "he is greater than all his works."[67] He is "the author of beauty."[68]
2130 Nevertheless, already in the Old Testament, God ordained or permitted the
making of images that pointed symbolically toward salvation by the incarnate Word: so it
was with the bronze serpent, the ark of the covenant, and the cherubim.[69]
2131 Basing itself on the mystery of the incarnate Word, the seventh ecumenical council
at Nicaea (787) justified against the iconoclasts the veneration of icons - of Christ, but
also of the Mother of God, the angels, and all the saints. By becoming incarnate, the Son
of God introduced a new "economy" of images.
2132 The Christian veneration of images is not contrary to the first commandment
which proscribes idols. Indeed, "the honor rendered to an image passes to its
prototype," and "whoever venerates an image venerates the person portrayed in it."[70]
The honor paid to sacred images is a "respectful veneration," not the adoration due to
God alone:
Religious worship is not directed to images in themselves, considered as mere things,
but under their distinctive aspect as images leading us on to God incarnate. The
movement toward the image does not terminate in it as image, but tends toward that
whose image it is.[71]
IN BRIEF
2133 "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and
with all your strength" (Deut 6:5).
2134 The first commandment summons man to believe in God, to hope in him, and to
love him above all else.
2135 "You shall worship the Lord your God" (Mt 4:10). Adoring God, praying to him,
offering him the worship that belongs to him, fulfilling the promises and vows made to
him are acts of the virtue of religion which fall under obedience to the first
commandment.
2136 The duty to offer God authentic worship concerns man both as an individual and
as a social being.
2137 "Men of the present day want to profess their religion freely in private and in
public" (DH 15).
2138 Superstition is a departure from the worship that we give to the true God. It is
manifested in idolatry, as well as in various forms of divination and magic.
2139 Tempting God in words or deeds, sacrilege, and simony are sins of irreligion
forbidden by the first commandment.
2140 Since it rejects or denies the existence of God, atheism is a sin against the first
commandment.
2141 The veneration of sacred images is based on the mystery of the Incarnation of the
Word of God. It is not contrary to the first commandment.
ARTICLE 2 - THE SECOND COMMANDMENT
You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.[72] You have heard that it
was said to the men of old, "You shall not swear falsely. . But I say to you, Do not swear
at all.[73]
I. THE NAME OF THE LORD IS HOLY
2142 The second commandment prescribes respect for the Lord's name. Like the first
commandment, it belongs to the virtue of religion and more particularly it governs our
use of speech in sacred matters.
2143 Among all the words of Revelation, there is one which is unique: the revealed
name of God. God confides his name to those who believe in him; he reveals himself to
them in his personal mystery. The gift of a name belongs to the order of trust and
intimacy. "The Lord's name is holy." For this reason man must not abuse it. He must
keep it in mind in silent, loving adoration. He will not introduce it into his own speech
except to bless, praise, and glorify it.[74]
2144 Respect for his name is an expression of the respect owed to the mystery of God
himself and to the whole sacred reality it evokes. The sense of the sacred is part of the
virtue of religion:
Are these feelings of fear and awe Christian feelings or not? . . . I say this, then, which I
think no one can reasonably dispute. They are the class of feelings we should have - yes,
have to an intense degree - if we literally had the sight of Almighty God; therefore they
are the class of feelings which we shall have, if we realize His presence. 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.[75]
2145 The faithful should bear witness to the Lord's name by confessing the faith
without giving way to fear.[76] Preaching and catechizing should be permeated with
adoration and respect for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2146 The second commandment forbids the abuse of God's name, i.e., every improper
use of the names of God, Jesus Christ, but also of the Virgin Mary and all the saints.
2147 Promises made to others in God's name engage the divine honor, fidelity,
truthfulness, and authority. They must be respected in justice. To be unfaithful to them
is to misuse God's name and in some way to make God out to be a liar.[77]
2148 Blasphemy is directly opposed to the second commandment. It consists in uttering
against God - inwardly or outwardly - words of hatred, reproach, or defiance; in
speaking ill of God; in failing in respect toward him in one's speech; in misusing God's
name. St. James condemns those "who blaspheme that honorable name [of Jesus] by
which you are called."[78] The prohibition of blasphemy extends to language against
Christ's Church, the saints, and sacred things. It is also blasphemous to make use of
God's name to cover up criminal practices, to reduce peoples to servitude, to torture
persons or put them to death. The misuse of God's name to commit a crime can
provoke others to repudiate religion.
Blasphemy is contrary to the respect due God and his holy name. It is in itself a grave
sin.[79]
2149 Oaths which misuse God's name, though without the intention of blasphemy,
show lack of respect for the Lord. The second commandment also forbids magical use
of the divine name.
[God's] name is great when spoken with respect for the greatness of his majesty. God's
name is holy when said with veneration and fear of offending him.[80]
II. TAKING THE NAME OF THE LORD IN VAIN
2150 The second commandment forbids false oaths. Taking an oath or swearing is to
take God as witness to what one affirms. It is to invoke the divine truthfulness as a
pledge of one's own truthfulness. An oath engages the Lord's name. "You shall fear the
LORD your God; you shall serve him, and swear by his name."[81]
2151 Rejection of false oaths is a duty toward God. As Creator and Lord, God is the
norm of all truth. Human speech is either in accord with or in opposition to God who is
Truth itself. When it is truthful and legitimate, an oath highlights the relationship of
human speech with God's truth. A false oath calls on God to be witness to a lie.
2152 A person commits perjury when he makes a promise under oath with no intention
of keeping it, or when after promising on oath he does not keep it. Perjury is a grave lack
of respect for the Lord of all speech. Pledging oneself by oath to commit an evil deed is
contrary to the holiness of the divine name.
2153 In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus explained the second commandment: "You
have heard that it was said to the men of old, 'You shall not swear falsely, but shall
perform to the Lord what you have sworn.' But I say to you, Do not swear at all.... Let
what you say be simply 'Yes' or 'No'; anything more than this comes from the evil
one."[82] Jesus teaches that every oath involves a reference to God and that God's
presence and his truth must be honored in all speech. Discretion in calling upon God is
allied with a respectful awareness of his presence, which all our assertions either witness
to or mock.
2154 Following St. Paul,[83] the tradition of the Church has understood Jesus' words as
not excluding oaths made for grave and right reasons (for example, in court). "An oath,
that is the invocation of the divine name as a witness to truth, cannot be taken unless in
truth, in judgment, and in justice."[84]
2155 The holiness of the divine name demands that we neither use it for trivial matters,
nor take an oath which on the basis of the circumstances could be interpreted as
approval of an authority unjustly requiring it. When an oath is required by illegitimate
civil authorities, it may be refused. It must be refused when it is required for purposes
contrary to the dignity of persons or to ecclesial communion.
III. THE CHRISTIAN NAME
2156 The sacrament of Baptism is conferred "in the name of the Father and of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit."[85] In Baptism, the Lord's name sanctifies man, and the
Christian receives his name in the Church. This can be the name of a saint, that is, of a
disciple who has lived a life of exemplary fidelity to the Lord. The patron saint provides
a model of charity; we are assured of his intercession. The "baptismal name" can also
express a Christian mystery or Christian virtue. "Parents, sponsors, and the pastor are to
see that a name is not given which is foreign to Christian sentiment."[86]
2157 The Christian begins his day, his prayers, and his activities with the Sign of the
Cross: "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen." The
baptized person dedicates the day to the glory of God and calls on the Savior's grace
which lets him act in the Spirit as a child of the Father. The sign of the cross strengthens
us in temptations and difficulties.
2158 God calls each one by name.[87] Everyone's name is sacred. The name is the icon
of the person. It demands respect as a sign of the dignity of the one who bears it.
2159 The name one receives is a name for eternity. In the kingdom, the mysterious and
unique character of each person marked with God's name will shine forth in splendor.
"To him who conquers . . . I will give a white stone, with a new name written on the
stone which no one knows except him who receives it."[88] "Then I looked, and Lo, on
Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him a hundred and forty- four thousand who had
his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads."[89]
IN BRIEF
2160 "O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth" (Ps 8:1)!
2161 The second commandment enjoins respect for the Lord's name. The name of the
Lord is holy.
2162 The second commandment forbids every improper use of God's name. Blasphemy
is the use of the name of God, of Jesus Christ, of the Virgin Mary, and of the saints in an
offensive way.
2163 False oaths call on God to be witness to a lie. Perjury is a grave offence against the
Lord who is always faithful to his promises.
2164 "Do not swear whether by the Creator, or any creature, except truthfully, of
necessity, and with reverence" (St. Ignatius of Loyola, Spiritual Exercises, 38).
2165 In Baptism, the Christian receives his name in the Church. Parents, godparents,
and the pastor are to see that he be given a Christian name. The patron saint provides a
model of charity and the assurance of his prayer.
2166 The Christian begins his prayers and activities with the Sign of the Cross: "in the
name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."
2167 God calls each one by name (cf. Isa 43:1).
ARTICLE 3 - THE THIRD COMMANDMENT
Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your
work; but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any
work.[90]
The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath; so the Son of Man is lord even
of the sabbath.[91]
I. THE SABBATH DAY
2168 The third commandment of the Decalogue recalls the holiness of the sabbath:
"The seventh day is a sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the LORD."[92]
2169 In speaking of the sabbath Scripture recalls creation: "For in six days the LORD
made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day;
therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and hallowed it."[93]
2170 Scripture also reveals in the Lord's day a memorial of Israel's liberation from
bondage in Egypt: "You shall remember that you were a servant in the land of Egypt,
and the LORD your God brought you out thence with mighty hand and outstretched
arm; therefore the LORD your God commanded you to keep the sabbath day."[94]
2171 God entrusted the sabbath to Israel to keep as a sign of the irrevocable
covenant.[95] The sabbath is for the Lord, holy and set apart for the praise of God, his
work of creation, and his saving actions on behalf of Israel.
2172 God's action is the model for human action. If God "rested and was refreshed" on
the seventh day, man too ought to "rest" and should let others, especially the poor, "be
refreshed."[96] The sabbath brings everyday work to a halt and provides a respite. It is a
day of protest against the servitude of work and the worship of money.[97]
2173 The Gospel reports many incidents when Jesus was accused of violating the
sabbath law. But Jesus never fails to respect the holiness of this day.[98] He gives this
law its authentic and authoritative interpretation: "The sabbath was made for man, not
man for the sabbath."[99] With compassion, Christ declares the sabbath for doing good
rather than harm, for saving life rather than killing.[100] The sabbath is the day of the
Lord of mercies and a day to honor God.[101] "The Son of Man is lord even of the
sabbath."[102]
II. THE LORD'S DAY
This is the day which the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in
it.[103]
The day of the Resurrection: the new creation
2174 Jesus rose from the dead "on the first day of the week."[104] Because it is the "first
day," the day of Christ's Resurrection recalls the first creation. Because it is the "eighth
day" following the sabbath,[105] it symbolizes the new creation ushered in by Christ's
Resurrection. For Christians it has become the first of all days, the first of all feasts, the
Lord's Day (he kuriake hemera, dies dominica) Sunday: We all gather on the day of the
sun, for it is the first day [after the Jewish sabbath, but also the first day] when God,
separating matter from darkness, made the world; and on this same day Jesus Christ our
Savior rose from the dead.[106]
Sunday- fulfillment of the sabbath
2175 Sunday is expressly distinguished from the sabbath which it follows chronologically
every week; for Christians its ceremonial observance replaces that of the sabbath. In
Christ's Passover, Sunday fulfills the spiritual truth of the Jewish sabbath and announces
man's eternal rest in God. For worship under the Law prepared for the mystery of
Christ, and what was done there prefigured some aspects of Christ:[107]
Those who lived according to the old order of things have come to a new hope, no
longer keeping the sabbath, but the Lord's Day, in which our life is blessed by him and
by his death.[108] 2176 The celebration of Sunday observes the moral commandment
inscribed by nature in the human heart to render to God an outward, visible, public,
and regular worship "as a sign of his universal beneficence to all."[109] Sunday worship
fulfills the moral command of the Old Covenant, taking up its rhythm and spirit in the
weekly celebration of the Creator and Redeemer of his people.
The Sunday Eucharist
2177 The Sunday celebration of the Lord's Day and his Eucharist is at the heart of the
Church's life.
"Sunday is the day on which the paschal mystery is celebrated in light of the apostolic
tradition and is to be observed as the foremost holy day of obligation in the universal
Church."[110]
"Also to be observed are the day of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Epiphany,
the Ascension of Christ,
the feast of the Body and Blood of Christi,
the feast of Mary the Mother of God,
her Immaculate Conception,
her Assumption,
the feast of Saint Joseph,
the feast of the Apostles Saints Peter and Paul, and the feast of All Saints."[111]
2178 This practice of the Christian assembly dates from the beginnings of the apostolic
age.[112] The Letter to the Hebrews reminds the faithful "not to neglect to meet
together, as is the habit of some, but to encourage one another."[113]
Tradition preserves the memory of an ever-timely exhortation: Come to Church early,
approach the Lord, and confess your sins, repent in prayer.... Be present at the sacred
and divine liturgy, conclude its prayer and do not leave before the dismissal.... We have
often said: "This day is given to you for prayer and rest. This is the day that the Lord
has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it."[114]
2179 "A parish is a definite community of the Christian faithful established on a stable
basis within a particular church; the pastoral care of the parish is entrusted to a pastor as
its own shepherd under the authority of the diocesan bishop."[115] It is the place where
all the faithful can be gathered together for the Sunday celebration of the Eucharist. The
parish initiates the Christian people into the ordinary expression of the liturgical life: it
gathers them together in this celebration; it teaches Christ's saving doctrine; it practices
the charity of the Lord in good works and brotherly love: You cannot pray at home as at
church, where there is a great multitude, where exclamations are cried out to God as
from one great heart, and where there is something more: the union of minds, the
accord of souls, the bond of charity, the prayers of the priests.[116]
The Sunday obligation
2180 The precept of the Church specifies the law of the Lord more precisely: "On
Sundays and other holy days of obligation the faithful are bound to participate in the
Mass."[117] "The precept of participating in the Mass is satisfied by assistance at a Mass
which is celebrated anywhere in a Catholic rite either on the holy day or on the evening
of the preceding day."[118]
2181 The Sunday Eucharist is the foundation and confirmation of all Christian practice.
For this reason the faithful are obliged to participate in the Eucharist on days of
obligation, unless excused for a serious reason (for example, illness, the care of infants)
or dispensed by their own pastor.[119] Those who deliberately fail in this obligation
commit a grave sin.
2182 Participation in the communal celebration of the Sunday Eucharist is a testimony
of belonging and of being faithful to Christ and to his Church. The faithful give witness
by this to their communion in faith and charity. Together they testify to God's holiness
and their hope of salvation. They strengthen one another under the guidance of the
Holy Spirit.
2183 "If because of lack of a sacred minister or for other grave cause participation in the
celebration of the Eucharist is impossible, it is specially recommended that the faithful
take part in the Liturgy of the Word if it is celebrated in the parish church or in another
sacred place according to the prescriptions of the diocesan bishop, or engage in prayer
for an appropriate amount of time personally or in a family or, as occasion offers, in
groups of families."[120]
A day of grace and rest from work
2184 Just as God "rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had done,"[121]
human life has a rhythm of work and rest. The institution of the Lord's Day helps
everyone enjoy adequate rest and leisure to cultivate their familial, cultural, social, and
religious lives.[122]
2185 On Sundays and other holy days of obligation, the faithful are to refrain from
engaging in work or activities that hinder the worship owed to God, the joy proper to
the Lord's Day, the performance of the works of mercy, and the appropriate relaxation
of mind and body.[123] Family needs or important social service can legitimately excuse
from the obligation of Sunday rest. The faithful should see to it that legitimate excuses
do not lead to habits prejudicial to religion, family life, and health.
The charity of truth seeks holy leisure- the necessity of charity accepts just work.[124]
2186 Those Christians who have leisure should be mindful of their brethren who have
the same needs and the same rights, yet cannot rest from work because of poverty and
misery. Sunday is traditionally consecrated by Christian piety to good works and humble
service of the sick, the infirm, and the elderly. Christians will also sanctify Sunday by
devoting time and care to their families and relatives, often difficult to do on other days
of the week. Sunday is a time for reflection, silence, cultivation of the mind, and
meditation which furthers the growth of the Christian interior life.
2187 Sanctifying Sundays and holy days requires a common effort. Every Christian
should avoid making unnecessary demands on others that would hinder them from
observing the Lord's Day. Traditional activities (sport, restaurants, etc.), and social
necessities (public services, etc.), require some people to work on Sundays, but everyone
should still take care to set aside sufficient time for leisure. With temperance and charity
the faithful will see to it that they avoid the excesses and violence sometimes associated
with popular leisure activities. In spite of economic constraints, public authorities should
ensure citizens a time intended for rest and divine worship. Employers have a similar
obligation toward their employees.
2188 In respecting religious liberty and the common good of all, Christians should seek
recognition of Sundays and the Church's holy days as legal holidays. They have to give
everyone a public example of prayer, respect, and joy and defend their traditions as a
precious contribution to the spiritual life of society. If a country's legislation or other
reasons require work on Sunday, the day should nevertheless be lived as the day of our
deliverance which lets us share in this "festal gathering," this "assembly of the firstborn
who are enrolled in heaven."[125]
IN BRIEF
2189 "Observe the sabbath day, to keep it holy" (Deut 5:12). "The seventh day is a
sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the Lord" (Ex 31:15).
2190 The sabbath, which represented the completion of the first creation, has been
replaced by Sunday which recalls the new creation inaugurated by the Resurrection of
Christ.
2191 The Church celebrates the day of Christ's Resurrection on the "eighth day,"
Sunday, which is rightly called the Lord's Day (cf. SC 106).
2192 "Sunday . . . is to be observed as the foremost holy day of obligation in the
universal Church" (CIC, can. 1246 # 1). "On Sundays and other holy days of obligation
the faithful are bound to participate in the Mass" (CIC, can. 1247).
2193 "On Sundays and other holy days of obligation the faithful are bound . . . to abstain
from those labors and business concerns which impede the worship to be rendered to
God, the joy which is proper to the Lord's Day, or the proper relaxation of mind and
body" (CIC, can. 1247).
2194 The institution of Sunday helps all "to be allowed sufficient rest and leisure to
cultivate their amilial, cultural, social, and religious lives" (GS 67 # 3).
2195 Every Christian should avoid making unnecessary demands on others that would
hinder them from observing the Lord's Day.
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