The Ten Commandments may be found in the Bible, exactly in Exodus 20:2-17 and Deuteronomy 5:6-21. The wordings we have here are from "Catechetical Formula" used by our Church. It might be good to have a glance at the original wordings in the Bible.

I. I AM THE LORD YOUR GOD. YOU SHALL NOT HAVE OTHER GODS BEFORE ME.

Here, the concept of God that we should have in mind is the God Who created Heaven and Earth. There is no Being higher than THE CREATOR! Therefore, it would simply be an insult to Him that we should have other gods to worship or adore, because any body lower than God would only be His creature. This is a Command that will not admit any exception.

It follows that the name of God, which we must endeavor to know, must be held in the highest esteem, in the highest regard. And the name of God is "I AM WHO AM" (Exodus 3:14); or "YAHWEH" (Exodus 3:15). And that is exactly what the second Commandments is.

II. YOU SHALL NOT TAKE THE NAME OF THE LORD YOUR GOD IN VAIN.

Even to a human being, his name is his most precious possession, if he has any possession at all that can really call his own! It is no wonder that a person is enraged to the point of wanting to inflict harm if someone should as much as attempt to soil his name. If that were the concept of man, what more then of the concept of God! Therefore do not blaspheme or curse nor swear where you may dishonor the name of God.

III. YOU SHALL KEEP HOLY THE LORD'S DAY.

We must be aware that the original wording here was "You shall keep holy the Sabbath Day." The Sabbath is the seventh day (Saturday) in the Jewish calendar. The Lord's Day is the first day of the week (Sunday) in the Gregorian calendar.

IV. HONOR YOUR FATHER AND YOUR MOTHER.

"…that you may have a long life in the land that Yahweh has given you."

This is the only Commandment of God that has "a promise!"

Our parents are God's cooperators in His command "to fill the earth," you populate the earth. We cannot repay this ACT of our parents in giving us life, let alone the fact that it was by sheer unselfish love and such enduring sacrifices that they raised us and nurtured us to what we are today. It was said, that God could not personally take care for the babies and the little children of the world, that is why He made Mothers.

Do you wonder why God used the character trait of "HONOR" our parents, and not the cardinal virtue to "LOVE?" Find out the answer.

V. YOU SHALL NOT KILL.

The cardinal rule is, "ONLY GOD CAN GIVE LIFE, ONLY GOD CAN TAKE AWAY." Let us not sugar-coat any reason to justify or diminish the import of this Commandment, as regards for example the act of "mercy killing," or the act of committing "abortion."

On the other hand, nature has provided an exception to this "rule." Life is the dearest possession of any living being. It has, by (natural) instinct, the right of preservation of that life should it be threatened. He may, therefore, even kill to preserve his life.

VI. YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY.

Perhaps this is the most violated Commandment, because when our Lord Jesus Christ came, he issued soon after a "redefinition" of this 'act' for everyone's observation . . .

"You have heard that it was said. Do not commit adultery. But I tell you this: anyone who looks at a woman to satisfy his lust has in fact already committed adultery in his heart." (Matthew 5:27-28).

Let us restate the 'basics' of this rule of life. Only married couples (and only Sacramental marriages in the church are recognized as such), are authorized to have sexual unions to their spouses. So, a sexual act by a woman to a man not her husband; and by a man to a woman not his wife, is an act of adultery. So also, a sexual union where the transmission of the soul by God is prevented by some artificial means is downright a sin.

VII. YOU SHALL NOT STEAL.

Stealing is the unjust taking or keeping of the goods or property of another. This sin is accomplished either by 'robbery' (taking by force) or by 'theft' (taking by some surreptitious manner). Theft may come in any of these forms: taking something without the knowledge of the other, price manipulation, hoarding of goods, graft and corruption, tax evasion, forgery, wasteful expenses, and the like.

In Malachi, you are 'cheating' when you do not give what is due to God (as tithe).

(Mal. 3:8-10). Our Church teaches that the gravity of this sin is increased if you stole from a poor man, or what you unjustly got was already the man's very means of livelihood.

VIII. YOU SHALL NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS AGAINST YOUR NEIGHBOR.

Here is an indirect way of 'killing' a person, or 'destroying' his good name. Our Lord said, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. Nobody comes to the Father but through Me." (John 14:6).

IX. YOU SHALL NOT COVET YOUR NEIGHBOR'S WIFE.

If it were a sin to covet a 'single woman,' it must be doubly a sin to covet a 'married one.' If it were a sin that you did not build your family in the way of the Lord, it must be doubly a sin to destroy the family of another! Covetousness, ordinarily doe not stop at the "desire stage." Over time it graduates to adultery. That is why even the 'desire stage' here is already a full blown sin!

Just think of it this way. Would you find it peaceful in your family to support a 'child of your wife' fathered by another man? How would you look at your 'wife' from then on?

How would you look at 'this child' that you are to keep quiet about?

X. YOU SHALL NOT COVET YOUR NEIGHBOR'S GOODS.

"Your neighbor's goods" here could include "properties, servants, or derivatives thereof." Envy is just so evil 'per se' that is destroys even a once pure heart. We should pray that we be spared from being contaminated by this evil desire!

A man is happy, not because he has so many things, but because he had just few desires. (Back to Basics, p. 13, The K of C Spiritual Formation Seminars Manual, Vol. I, pp. 66-68).

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