“We should always be totally aware that it was God Who gave us the Ten Commandments. Through These Ten Commandments we have been given a code for life, the moral ethics and conditions that will keep us in a civilized society, and They will guide our lives to the Goal God intended for us.”
I. I Am The Lord Thy God, Thou Shalt Not Have strange gods Before Me.
“There is a mistaken idea that children do not sin as often as adults. This, of course, is a blind man’s view of seeing.
First, ask yourself which Commandment God is offended by most often. Of course, this is the First One because any offense against any One of His Commandments is an offense against Him. Never let any man or woman tell you that you have not sinned against God’s First Commandment.”
VIII. Thou Shalt Not Bear False Witness Against Thy Neighbor.
“The Eighth Commandment is abused by all ages through lies, jealousy, competition, envy, injustice, and/or pettiness. It is sad to know that many people abuse this Eighth Commandment voluntarily and without regret.
Gossip, slander, unkindness, many times is the basis for serious sins against this Commandment. The very young can sin much against this Commandment when they make untrue, unkind statements scandalizing the name of someone.
Lies about someone’s character, what someone has done or supposed to have done, are numerous. Even just agreeing with the wrong about someone can make one a party to the wrong committed. Adults also, sometimes feel justified in repeating untruths that they hear about public figures, neighbors and friends, even some of their own family.
Many sins against this Commandment are repetitive and lack honor, dignity and respect.”
X. Thou Shalt Not Covet Thy Neighbor’s Goods.
“God’s Tenth Commandment is in constant misuse by all ages. So many people omit the responsibility of this Commandment by justifying everything they do in offending God in this Commandment.
‘False justification’ for offenses against this Commandment are many: borrowing and not returning; confiscating another person’s belongings without the permission of the other person; deliberately keeping what belongs to someone else; blackmailing to gain what belongs to another.
Sometimes sins against this Commandment are considered so petty, so humanistic, so natural that it becomes a habit, and eventually is not considered wrong. Logic says that this Commandment has more meaning, more definition than the Words appear to have. First of all, taking anything from God wrongly would be a grievous sin, such as the love for God of another person, the will, the spirit to live, the spirit of enthusiasm, the spirit of motivation, the spirit of charity; also, possessing a person through the use of another person’s belongings.
One of the greatest stories of time was about Robin Hood, who justified his stealing because of the purpose he used. What we must remember is that when we look at this Commandment, we must not excuse ourselves from the responsibility of it and justify our abuses to it by the reasons we conjure up to eliminate our guilt.”
VI. Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery.
“The first thing that comes to one’s mind is cheating, prostitution, or illicit relations out of wedlock. This Commandment is abrasive to God in many ways because it includes more acts as sins than people like to recognize as sins.
Abusiveness to the flesh and the senses are improper and eliminate pure thinking towards one’s body and Soul. Children sometimes misuse the body through curiosity, but then abuse the body because of little regard for the dignity of the human body.
This Commandment must be recognized for the purpose with which God gave it. He wants all men and women to see the ultimate creation of His, mankind, in a manner of dignity, purpose, and for an Ultimate Goal.”
II. Thou Shalt Not Take The Name Of The Lord Thy God In Vain.
“Foul language voiced at any age is against this Commandment. When children or adults feel angry or want attention, and act in a vulgar way, they succumb to expressive measures displaying undignified terminology that bespeaks only belittling insults to someone else, using God’s Name to give the statement or words notice or strength. It is a bad habit for anyone. It is sinful, and it is more than a lack of respect, it is a grievous matter and it is sacrilegious.”
V. Thou Shalt Not Kill.
“All ages commit sins against this Fifth Commandment of God’s. Children do it at a very young age by their selfishness, meanness, lack of cooperation, disobedience. How? In many ways. Children, in pitting one parent against the other to get their own way, many times cause deep wounds because of arguments that ensue, unhappiness that kills the healthy atmosphere of a home, kills the dignity of family life, and kills the enthusiasm of some in the family. Sometimes children become so sadistic to get their way that their own unhappiness thrives on others being unhappy.
Some people think that to sin against this Fifth Commandment is only killing physically another human being. This, too, is against this Commandment, because only God has the right to decide when the life of a human being should end.
When you confess your sins, you will know if you have been nasty, catty or abusive enough to cause hurts with your family or other people. You will know if your selfishness destroyed others’ feelings of tranquility and peace. Sometimes people are so vicious, so hateful, so dissatisfied, so insecure, never happy, that they are always trying to get others to side with them, not caring how many other people get hurt.
‘Thou Shalt Not Kill.’ If you will notice, as this Commandment came down to us, it was not descriptive in its entirety. Wisdom tells us there are many forms of killing; brainwashing is one.”
III. Remember Keep Holy The Sabbath Day.
“How many times have you attended Mass on Sunday with your body only, and your mind wandering? You really did not feel like being there, or you were so distracted by others, or some one person, that your being in the Presence of God was more offensive to God than if you had not been there. Your feelings to stay away does not justify your staying home or going someplace else, but you must recognize that your failure to a proper response in the House of God is sinful.
In this Commandment, ‘Remember Keep Holy The Sabbath Day,’ He did not say, ‘Stand in front of Me so I can enjoy your presence, your glorious beauty.’ There was a special purpose behind this Commandment and it was for the good of each one’s Soul. Also, it was so that man would always stay close to God, so he always would remember Who God Is.
‘Remember Keep Holy The Sabbath Day.’ The key to your properly attending Holy Mass is the one word, ‘Holy’.”
VII. Thou Shalt Not Steal.
“The Seventh Commandment is also abused by all ages. In saying, ‘Thou Shalt Not Steal,’ certainly does not refer to only big sums of money taken at gunpoint. Stealing sometimes begins at a very early age, and is sometimes taken for granted that it is a natural chain of events. This is not so.
Also, stealing is varied in its whole concept. It is taking what belongs to someone else. This covers monetary things, talent, credit, prestige, popularity, promotions at work, achievements, abilities, attentions, the good name of someone, the good reputation of someone, the enthusiasm of someone, the ideas of someone, the happiness of someone, the scholastic achievements of someone, the integrity, the dignity, the standards, the values, through envy, jealousy, possessiveness, disobedience, evil suggestive thinking, false justification of unkindness, and any other weak excuse that might come up. ‘Thou Shalt Not Steal’; so concise and yet covers every facet of life.”
IX. Thou Shalt Not Covet Thy Neighbor’s Wife.
“The Ninth Commandment seems so pat and yet this Commandment is not limited to an older person becoming involved with the spouse of another human being. It involves many phases and facets of human life. Sometimes youngsters, in vying for attention, use anyone they can use to help themselves feel attractive. They crave attention so desperately, never looking at the consequences, but they become involved in all sorts of trickery so they can feel attractive.
Adults also play games similar to this, and of course, with adults it is only an advanced stage of vanity or ego, ignoring the responsibility of ‘suppressing’ one’s selfishness, because it is the right thing to do.
Sins against the Ninth Commandment, ‘Thou Shalt Not Covet Thy Neighbor’s Spouse,’ have been a great source of abuse to God, because of the self-love that encourages sins against this Commandment.”
IV. Honor Thy Father And Thy Mother.
“The Fourth Commandment, ‘Honor Thy Father And Thy Mother,’ of course, means first our Heavenly Parents and then our earthly parents, and this Commandment is oftentimes abused with little care as to the grievousness of sins against this Commandment. It is a Commandment that covers so much area of our life, for through the dignity of always honoring and respecting our Heavenly Parents, and our earthly parents, we can find the beauty in responsibility dignified, and in this dignity we can find respect for all the other Commandments, for this Commandment also covers sound authority and sound leadership.”
