Baltimore Catechism Volume Iii Part 38

A. The commandments of the Church are also commandments of G.o.d, for they are made by His authority and under the guidance of the Holy Ghost; nevertheless, the Church can change or abolish its own commandments, while it cannot change or abolish the commandments given directly by G.o.d Himself.

Q. 1127. {311} Which are the Commandments that contain the whole law of G.o.d?

A. The Commandments which contain the whole law of G.o.d are these two: 1st. Thou shalt love the Lord thy G.o.d with thy whole heart, with thy whole soul, with thy whole strength, and with thy whole mind; 2. Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.

Q. 1128. {312} Why do these two Commandments of the love of G.o.d and of our neighbor contain the whole law of G.o.d?

A. These two Commandments of the love of G.o.d and of our neighbor contain the whole law of G.o.d because all the other Commandments are given either to help us to keep these two, or to direct us how to shun what is opposed to them.

Q. 1129. Explain further how the two commandments of the love of G.o.d and of our neighbor contain the teaching of the whole ten commandments.

A. The two commandments of the love of G.o.d and of our neighbor contain the teaching of the whole ten commandments because the first three of the ten commandments refer to G.o.d and oblige us to worship Him alone, respect His name and serve Him as He wills, and these things we will do if we love Him; secondly, the last seven of the ten commandments refer to our neighbor and forbid us to injure him in body, soul, goods or reputation, and if we love him we will do him no injury in any of these, but, on the contrary, aid him as far as we can.

Q. 1130. {313} Which are the Commandments of G.o.d?

A. The Commandments of G.o.d are these ten:

1. I am the Lord thy G.o.d, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt not have strange G.o.ds before me. Thou shalt not make to thyself a graven thing, nor the likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or in the earth beneath, nor of those things that are in the waters under the earth. Thou shalt not adore them, nor serve them.

2. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy G.o.d in vain.

3. Remember thou keep holy the Sabbath day.

4. Honor thy father and thy mother.

5. Thou shalt not kill.

6. Thou shalt not commit adultery.

7. Thou shalt not steal.

8. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.

9. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife.

10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's goods.

Q. 1131. What does the first commandment mean by a "graven thing" or "the likeness of anything" in heaven, in the earth or in the waters?

A. The first commandment means by a "graven thing" or "the likeness of anything" in heaven, in the earth or in the waters, the statue, picture or image of any creature in heaven or of any animal on land or in water intended for an idol and to be worshipped as a G.o.d.

Q. 1132. {314} Who gave the Ten Commandments?

A. G.o.d Himself gave the Ten Commandments to Moses on Mount Sinai, and Christ our Lord confirmed them.

Q. 1133. How and when were the Commandments given to Moses?

A. The Commandments, written on two tables of stone, were given to Moses in the midst of fire and smoke, thunder and lightning, from which G.o.d spoke to him on the mountain, about fifty days after the Israelites were delivered from the bondage of Egypt and while they were on their journey through the desert to the Promised Land.

Q. 1134. What do we mean when we say Christ confirmed the Commandments?

A. When we say Christ confirmed the Commandments we mean that He strongly approved them, and gave us by His teaching a fuller and clearer knowledge of their meaning and importance.

Q. 1135. Was anyone obliged to keep the Commandments before they were given to Moses?

A. All persons, from the beginning of the world, were obliged to keep the Commandments, for it was always sinful to blaspheme G.o.d, murder, steal or violate any of the Commandments, though they were not written till the time of Moses.

Q. 1136. How many kinds of laws had the Jews before the coming of Our Lord?

A. Before the coming of Our Lord the Jews had three kinds of laws: (1) Civil laws, regulating the affairs of their nation; (2) ceremonial laws, governing their worship in the temple; (3) moral laws, guiding their religious belief and actions.

Q. 1137. To which of these laws did the Ten Commandments belong?

A. The Ten Commandments belong to the moral law, because they are a compendium or short account of what we must do in order to save our souls; just as the Apostles' Creed is a compendium of what we must believe.

Q. 1138. When did the civil and ceremonial laws of the Jews cease to exist?

A. The civil laws of the Jews ceased to exist when the Jewish people, shortly before the coming of Christ, ceased to be an independent nation.

The ceremonial laws ceased to exist when the Jewish religion ceased to be the true religion; that is, when Christ established the Christian religion, of which the Jewish religion was only a figure or promise.

Q. 1139. Why were not also the moral laws of the Jews abolished when the Christian religion was established?

A. The moral laws of the Jews could not be abolished by the establishment of the Christian religion because they regard truth and virtue and have been revealed by G.o.d, and whatever G.o.d has revealed as true must be always true, and whatever He has condemned as bad in itself must be always bad.

LESSON THIRTIETH.

ON THE FIRST COMMANDMENT.

Q. 1140. {315} What is the first Commandment?

A. The first Commandment is: I am the Lord thy G.o.d: thou shalt not have strange G.o.ds before me.

Q. 1141. What does the commandment mean by "strange G.o.ds"?

A. By strange G.o.ds the commandment means idols or false G.o.ds, which the Israelites frequently worshipped when, through their sins, they had abandoned the true G.o.d.

Q. 1142. How may we, in a sense, worship strange G.o.ds?

A. We, in a sense, may worship strange G.o.ds by giving up the salvation of our souls for wealth, honors, society, worldly pleasures, &c., so that we would offend G.o.d, renounce our faith or give up the practice of our religion for their sake.

Q. 1143. {316} How does the first Commandment help us to keep the great Commandment of the love of G.o.d?

A. The first Commandment helps us to keep the great Commandment of the love of G.o.d because it commands us to adore G.o.d alone.

Q. 1144. {317} How do we adore G.o.d?

A. We adore G.o.d by faith, hope, and charity, by prayer and sacrifice.

Q. 1145. By what prayers do we adore G.o.d?

A. We adore G.o.d by all our prayers, but in particular by the public prayers of the Church, and, above all, by the Holy Sacrifice of the Ma.s.s.

Q. 1146. {318} How may the first Commandment be broken?

A. The first Commandment make be broken by giving to a creature the honor which belongs to G.o.d alone; by false worship; and by attributing to a creature a perfection which belongs to G.o.d alone.

Q. 1147. What is the honor which belongs to G.o.d alone?

A. The honor which belongs to G.o.d alone is a divine honor, in which we offer Him sacrifice, incense or prayer, solely for His own sake and for His own glory. To give such honor to any creature, however holy, would be idolatry.

Q. 1148. How do we offer G.o.d false worship?

A. We offer G.o.d false worship by rejecting the religion He has inst.i.tuted and following one pleasing to ourselves, with a form of worship He has never authorized, approved or sanctioned.

Q. 1149. Why must we serve G.o.d in the form of religion He has inst.i.tuted and in no other?

A. We must serve G.o.d in the form of religion He has inst.i.tuted and in no other, because heaven is not a right, but a promised reward, a free gift of G.o.d, which we must merit in the manner He directs and pleases.

Q. 1150. When do we attribute to a creature a perfection which belongs to G.o.d alone?

A. We attribute to a creature a perfection which belongs to G.o.d alone when we believe it possesses knowledge or power independently of G.o.d, so that it may, without His aid, make known the future or perform miracles.

Q. 1151. {319} Do those who make use of spells and charms, or who believe in dreams, in mediums, spiritists, fortune-tellers, and the like, sin against the first Commandment?

A. Those who make use of spells and charms, or who believe in dreams, in mediums, spiritists, fortune-tellers, and the like, sin against the first Commandment, because they attribute to creatures perfections which belong to G.o.d alone.

Q. 1152. What are spells and charms?

A. Spells and charms are certain words, by the saying of which superst.i.tious persons believe they can avert evil, bring good fortune or produce some supernatural or wonderful effect. They may be also objects or articles worn about the body for the same purpose.

Q. 1153. Are not Agnus Deis, medals, scapulars, &c., which we wear about our bodies also charms?

A. Agnus Deis, medals, scapulars, &c., which we wear about our bodies, are not charms, for we do not expect any help from these things themselves, but, through the blessing they have received from the Church, we expect help from G.o.d, the Blessed Mother, or the Saint in whose honor we wear them. On the contrary, they who wear charms expect help from the charms themselves, or from some evil spirit.