FIRST COMMANDMENT
“You shall love
the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul,
and with all your mind.” (Matt 22:37)
“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.” (Ex 20:2-5)
Are we allowed
to worship others gods? (CCC 2083-2085)
No. The first
commandment tells us that we are only to worship the One True
God.
Do other gods even exist?
No. Philosophy and
reason actually allows us to conclude that there can only be one
God. We can offer a simple and short explanation of this proof.
Lets say for a moment that there are two beings that both claim
to be gods. Necessarily, one must have something that the other
does not otherwise they would be exactly the same. Therefore, if
one has something the other does not have, then only that being
can be a god. Only one being can have it all. Even if there are
being with greater powers than us, it is only possible that one
Being possess everything and is all-powerful. If there is more
than one claming to be all-powerful, then either they are in
fact the same being (in which case there is only one) or one is
lying (in which case he is not God).
If
we know that other gods do not even exist, why was this command
given to the Israelites and how does it apply to us today?
In Old Testament
times, polytheism (belief in multiple gods) was popular and the
in fact, the norm. The Israelites professed belief in only one
God was an aberration of the times, and they were distinct
because of it. Their long history is a struggle against this
temptation to worship other gods. The people around them were
constantly drawing them into sin in this regard. For them, this
commandment was essential.
Surprising to some,
it is also essential today for us. If we look at the progression
of history, we can see a gradual trend toward monotheism.
Looking around at the major religions of our days, we see that
most claim to have only one God. This progression makes sense,
for God is continually revealing Himself more and more to
humanity. He is continually working to help us know Him as He
truly is. Therefore, in the big picture of humanity, we should
see a general movement to greater and greater truth (Imagine
beginning our journey at the bottom of the mountain where the
base is very big. As we climb toward God, the mountain narrows
and eventually we find ourselves at the peak. The same is true
with truth. In the beginning, there was a large base with many
possibilities for error. As time goes on, overall humanity
becomes more enlightening as who God is.)
Therefore, though
most Christians today are not tempted to cult religions that
worship many gods, we violate this commandment in a different
way. We violate this commandment by loving other things more
than God. In this way we are worshiping false gods – money,
power, popularity, pleasure, prestige, material goods, vanity,
etc. These become the false gods of modern man. This is also why
this command has been more properly phrased to loving God with
our whole heart, mind and soul.
How do I sin against this commandment in the matter of faith?
(CCC 2087-2089)
Our first obligation
towards God is the obedience of faith. In other words, we must
act upon what we profess to believe. We must do everything in
our power to protect and safeguard our faith against anything
opposed to it. There are several ways in which we can sin
against faith.
Voluntary doubt
– This is when a person ignores or refuses to believe the truth
that God has revealed and that the Church proposes for our
belief.
Involuntary doubt
– These doubts can be manifested in several ways. They can be
hesitations in believing, difficulty in accepting some of the
proposed beliefs. Difficult, trying circumstances and obscurity
can cause fear and anxiety.
Incredulity –
“neglect of revealed truth or the willful refusal to assent to
it.”
Heresy – This
applies to people who have been baptized into the faith, but
refuse to believe a truth that must be believed. It can be an
obstinate doubt or denial of the truth.
Apostasy –
This entails a complete rejection of the Christian faith.
Schism – This
entails a refusal to submit to the Pope or a refusal of
communion with the members of the Church under him.
How do I sin against this commandment in the matter of hope?
(CCC 2090-2092)
Hope is comprised of
two things. One, we realize that though we should love God, we
cannot do so by our own power. Therefore, part of our hope is
that God will bless us with His graces so that we can love Him
and follow His commandments. Second, we hope (a confidant
expectation) that as a result of His grace and our efforts, He
will bless us one day with heaven and the beatific vision. Hope
also includes the fear of offending His love and punishment that
ensues. There are several ways we can sin against hope.
Despair – A
person in despair stops hoping that salvation is possible for
him – either because he does not think it is possible or because
he believes his sins cannot be forgiven. This is contrary to
God’s power, love, and mercy.
Presumption –
This is the opposite from despair. In presumption, a person can
err two ways. First, he can believe that he can save himself
without God’s help (presuming upon his own power). Second, he
can presume upon God’s power or mercy. He does this by presuming
that God will reward and forgive him without true conversion,
change, or good works.
How do I sin against this commandment in the matter of love?
(CCC 2093-2094)
The commandment of
love mandates that we love God above all and others for His
sake. We can sin against this in various ways.
Indifference
– An indifferent person simply neglects or obstinately refuses
to think about charity. This person does neither thinks upon nor
accepts its goodness or its power.
Ingratitude –
A person fail to acknowledge or be thankful for all that God has
done for him. He refuses to return God’s love with love.
Lukewarmness
– This includes hesitation or negligence in loving God and
others. Lukewarm people do not respond to promptings to love and
live in a mediocre way. These people offend God most, for they
possess and know the truth, but fail to respond to it. They have
seen goodness and love, but do not allow it to change them or
move them.
Acedia – This
is a form of spiritual laziness which goes so far that it
rejects the joy and goodness that comes from God.
Hatred of God
– This includes a complete rejection of God’s goodness. It sees
God as a cruel judge who forbids sin and inflicts harsh
punishments. It stems from pride.
What does the first commandment require that we give to God?
(CCC 2095-2100)
The first
commandment requires that we give God our
Adoration – praising
Him for the fact that He is God, Creator, Savior and Master
Prayers – This is
indispensable. We cannot love God will all our being if we do
not speak with Him.
Sacrifices – This
means exterior in the form of our time, talents, and material
goods. As well it requires that we make internal sacrifices of
our emotions, will, desires, thoughts, and intellect.
What about the people who are worshiping other gods in other
religions? (CCC 2104-2105)
First of all
this question is also discussed in “Why
do religions have different laws? Is it possible that more than
one may be proclaiming the truth?
and
How do we know what real
right and wrong is, what God’s laws really are? In other words,
which religion, if any, has the right idea about God?”
We will, therefore, briefly deal with it here. All men are
required to seek truth and goodness. God, as He truly is,
is proclaimed by the Catholic Church. However, people of other
religions do possess some truths about God. Though they worship
another god by name, in reality, they are seeking the One, True
God. When they proclaim real truth, they are worshiping and
praising God without knowing it.
For the most part,
people worship other gods due to ignorance. If they encounter
truth, their conscience calls them to follow it. They will only
be judged on what they know and what they have been given.
As Christians, we
must respect all people as having equal dignity. As well, we
must have a sincere respect for other religions because they are
seeking truth and they do possess some light of truth. However,
because we want all men to come to the truth of God, knowing it
is the source of their happiness and peace, we must try to lead
to the truth with love, prudence, and patience those who are in
error or ignorance in regard to the faith.
What are some of the ways people commonly worship other gods
today? (CCC 2110-2128)
The most general way
we do this is by giving greater importance to anything over God.
We “worship” other gods when we give them too much value. Some
common things we worship in our current world are food,
pleasure, possessions, money, power, prestige, popularity, our
bodies, sex, fame, comfort, health, freedom, fashion, beauty,
television, computers, sports, and the list could go on. Every
one of those things is intrinsically good, but as soon as we
give them priority over God, they have turned into another god
for us and they become a source of slavery in our lives. Just
like the Israelites in the Old Testament, these others “gods”
become stumbling blocks in our lives that prevent us from loving
the One, True God with all our hearts
As well, there are
some more specific ways in which we worship other gods.
Superstition
– In a sense, superstition is an incorrect excess of religion.
We are superstitious when we experience incorrect religious
feelings and then we act on them. As well, we are superstitious
when we think a practice is important or magical simply by doing
it without having any sort of appropriate disposition. Some
examples will help. Sometimes people think that a specific
object, merely because of its presence or use, will produce an
effect. For example, if there is a black cat crosses your path,
something bad is going to happen to you. Or if two people used a
watch, and then both died, then they watch must be cursed and
therefore, no one should use it. There is another way that many
Christians fall into superstition. If we believe that
sacramental signs or prayers will have an effect merely because
of their presence or because they are said, we are incorrect. We
must have the correct internal disposition to accompany them in
order for them to have an effect.
Idolatry –
Idolatry is practiced if man believes in or worships other
divinities besides God. This commonly refers to gods made from
the hands of men. These are not living, and those that worship
them have no true life, because a non-living god cannot give
what it does not have. This is done every time we give more
honor or reverence to any creature. It can include something as
severe as Satanism (worship of demons) to the worship of power,
money, pleasure, etc. Created thing should lead us to God, not
take the place of Him.
Divination –
God has the power to reveal the future to prophets or saints.
However, we are not to seek this knowledge, but instead, we are
to trust that God’s Providence will take care of the current
moment and the future. Divination is when we try to have
recourse to satan, demons, those who have died, horoscopes,
astrology, palm reading, psychics, interpretation of omens,
clairvoyance, or mediums, in order to know the future. They
indicate a desire to have power over time, history and other
human beings that is reserved for God alone.
Magic or Sorcery
– This is when try to tame and put to use evil and occult
powers. This is bad even if we are trying to so for a good
reason – like restoring someone’s health. This is even worse if
it is with the intention of harming someone. Magic and sorcery
also includes having recourse to demons and the wearing of
charms.
Tempting –
This is putting God’s power or goodness to the test. Satan
tempted Jesus to do this in the desert when He tempted Him to
throw Himself off the cliff, claiming that the angels should
save Him. When we tempt God, we are showing Him disrespect and
mistrust. It is like saying defiantly to Him, “Prove it!”
Rather, we should know with all our beings that He is good and
loving; He has already shown this to us and does not need to
“prove Himself.”
Sacrilege –
This occurs when we use something sacred in the wrong way, with
irreverence or contempt. This ‘something’ can include an object,
a person, a place or even a sacred action itself. Some examples
may help. Having a rock concert in a Church, using the chalice
as a normal drinking glasses, performing the sacraments in a
comical and disrespectful manner. This sin is most grave when it
is committed against the Eucharist, which is the Body and Blood
of Christ. The Eucharist can never be simply “thrown out” or
left on the floor, or treated like any other object. The proper
place for the Eucharist is our bodies, the Tabernacle, the
monstrance, or another holy dwelling place (a pix, for example).
Simony – This
is the buying or selling of spiritual things. God the only giver
and source of spiritual goods, and He gives without merit or
pay. If a person of the Church is able to give spiritual goods
(a priest administers the sacraments), they must give them after
the example of the Lord – without pay. However, a labor does
deserve his wage; in other words, priests need to support
themselves. They dedicate their entire lives to the distribution
of spiritual goods and they must have the means to live and
survive. Therefore, there is a balance between the two extremes.
Spiritual goods are not for sale, but at the same time, those
who administer God’s gifts to the Church deserve to be
supported. The Catechism is worth quoting directly on this
important balance.
“‘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.’ 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.’” (CCC
2122)
Atheism – In
simplicity, atheism rejects the existence of God, and it is
considered one the most serious threats of our time. In our
modern age, it has multiple forms. If one believes there is no
God, then consequently man becomes the most important figure in
existence. Therefore, one dominant form of atheism sees man as
his own maker, his final end, and the controller of his own
history. In other words, man is god.
Another form of
atheism is a practical materialism. This form, since it does not
believe the existence of anything spiritual, posits that all our
needs can be met by physical, tangible and material things that
exist in space and time.
Another form holds
that man can find happiness through economic or political
systems.
In essence, all of
these forms hold that the existence of God gets in the way of
true happiness and thwarts the development of the human person.
Remember that all men are in search of happiness. If people do
not have a correct view of God and do not see Him as love and
goodness, they do not want Him to exist. In this sense, we
cannot blame them. If God to them appears as a tyrant set to
make their lives miserable, it is better to believe that He does
not exist. Because of this truth, Christians must seriously
assess their own contribution to the rise of atheism. When
Christians are careless about their own instruction, knowledge,
and formation; when they present false ideas and teachings; when
they fail to live their faith and moral obligations; they
contribute to the false perception of God, and they conceal
His true nature and the true nature of religion. Therefore,
rather than point fingers at the atheists, we must first begin
to live love and truth in our own lives, and then we will begin
to correct all the terrible lies that exist about the God who is
Love. We must believe ourselves that God is the only fulfillment
of our humanity and our happiness. This is the root of the lie
of atheism. We must correct it with our words, our actions and
our lives. We must believe that the Church’s message “is in full
harmony with the most secret desires of the human heart” (Guadium
et spes, 21).
(It is important to
note that the spectrum of atheists and their reason for their
belief spans the entire span of possibilities. On one end, there
are hard hearts that have seen the truth, but refuse to
acknowledge it because of selfishness and pride. On the other
end are those that have seen much suffering and have been lied
to about the true nature of God. We must understand this truth
and be prudent in our words and actions. Agnosticism –
This also comes in a number of forms, but agnosticism, different
from atheism, does not deny God’s existence. However, agnostics
have the wrong perception of God. They usually believe that God
is incapable or undesiring of revealing Himself to humanity, and
therefore nothing can be said about Him. As for His existence,
they say it is impossible to prove, confirm or deny. They see
God as a distant reality not involved in human affairs. They do
not see Him as a good God, with a personal love for each one of
us. At most, they may acknowledge Him as a judge that punishes
and judges offenses. An agonistic surely may be on the search
for God and His true nature. However, often agnostics usually
exhibit indifference, avoid the question of existence, and have
a poor moral conscience.
Are we as Catholics breaking the First Commandment when we
venerate statues and images of Jesus? (CCC 2129-2132)
No. In order to
understand the difference, we must explain the difference
between adoration and veneration. Adoration is worship that is
due to God alone. This is what is forbidden by the First
Commandment. In the past, the Israelites would build images and
statues and they would worship them as if they were gods.
Obviously this is a problem, since there is only One True God.
Veneration on the
other hand, is a respectful honoring. In venerating an image, we
are giving honor to the person portrayed in it. As well, we are
giving honor to God even if the image is not of Him.
For example, if we venerate an image of Jesus, we are honoring
Christ, but not worshiping the image itself. A person venerating
an image of Christ should be fully aware the image itself is not
Christ. The image serves as a means of exciting devotion in us.
Just like looking at a picture of one of our family members or
loved ones serves to excite in us love for them, gazing at the
face of Christ (in an image) should move us to love and honor
Him more. We are creatures with bodies, and these bodies
(including our minds) are fed with information from our five
senses. Therefore, it is through touch, sight, smell, and
hearing that our minds are given information that helps our
spirits worship God. We love God with our bodies and our souls,
and therefore, we need things that feed both of these in order
to love effectively and better.
Are we breaking the First Commandment when we venerate statues
and images of other people and saints? Shouldn’t we only
venerate images of God Himself?
A couple analogies
will help answer this question. If we go to an art museum and
see a beautiful work of art, we may exclaim at its beauty and
contemplate the image for some time. However, when we do this,
what are we really honoring – the painting or the artist who
painted it? Of course, we do not believe that the painting
painted itself. When we extol its beauty, we are not thinking in
our mind, “Wow, that painting really made itself look
beautiful.” No, inherently, we know that we are paying tribute
to the artist. When we marvel at the beauty of the painting, we
are really marveling at the talent of the artist. The same is
true with God’s creation.
Most people have no
trouble seeing this parallel with nature. When we look at nature
and marvel at its beauty, we are honoring God. We are paying
tribute to the artist who created the beauty.
The same is true
when we venerate images of His saints. When we venerate an image
of Mary, and marvel at her beauty, love, and holiness, we
certainly are giving Mary honor. She does merit it because she
chose to say “yes” and participate in the work of redemption.
But really, our greatest honor and veneration is to God, for it
is God that made this perfect creature. All of Mary’s beauty and
perfection is really a reflection of God’s beauty and
perfection. This applies to the saints as well. All of the good
that is in the saints is from the Lord. Therefore, when we give
honor and respect to them and their lives, we are really paying
tribute to the source and author of their goodness and holiness.
An image of a saint
or holy person ultimately gives glory to God by stirring up
inside of us a memory of the power and goodness of God in their
lives.
Do we violate the First Commandment when we worship the
Eucharist? Wouldn’t the Eucharist be considered a graven image
made by man? (CCC 2129-2132)
If we were
worshiping bread, then yes, this would be a violation of the
First Commandment, for we did make the bread ourselves. However,
God, with His power, and by His own free will,
decides to turn the bread into Himself. This is the key
difference. A graven image made by man never becomes anything
other than the image. This was precisely the problem. The
Israelites were worshiping a lifeless object. God never chose to
make one of their lifeless objects into His own Body and Blood.
More importantly,
the Eucharist is actually the second occurrence of God turning
something material into Himself. The Incarnation, when Jesus
took on human form, is an instance in which God takes on the
material – human flesh. Therefore, if someone is opposed to
worship of the Eucharist, they must also be opposed to all those
who worshiped Jesus when He walked the earth. God is pure
Spirit, and therefore the worship of anything material is a
violation of the First Commandment. That is, until the
Incarnation. When God Himself chose to descend to earth and take
upon Himself human form, He gave the First Commandment deeper
meaning. The First Commandment forbids us to worship anything
but God. When the Word became flesh, this meant that the worship
of the material was now possible – but only if that something
material is something that God, by His power, chose to
transform into Himself.
