Saints LightThe Ten Commandments
Walk through the Ten Commandments one by one: what each asks of us, what it forbids, and the freedom and love it protects. Finish with the Great Commandment and the Beatitudes, where Christ brings the law to its fullness.
The lessons
- Why Commandments at All?
God gave the commandments to a people He had just set free, to show them how to live in love and stay free. Catholics number them following St Augustine, while some other Christians group the same verses differently.
- The First Commandment: God Comes First
Put God first and let nothing created take His place. Catholics honor images of Christ and the saints for who they represent, but worship God alone.
- The Second Commandment: A Holy Name
Treat God's name with love and reverence, and never call on Him to back a lie. Our own word should be so honest that we rarely need an oath.
- The Third Commandment: Keep the Lord's Day
Sunday is the Lord's Day, kept by going to Mass and by resting in a way that leaves room for God, family and joy. Serious reasons like illness excuse us from Mass.
- The Fourth Commandment: Honor Your Father and Mother
Love and respect your parents, obey them while you are young, and care for them when they are old. Parents in turn must love and form their children, and no one may command us to sin.
- The Fifth Commandment: Respect for Human Life
Never take innocent human life, from the womb to old age, and root out the hatred that leads to violence. Mercy is always offered to those who repent, and the Church allows self-defense and just defense of a nation under strict limits.
- The Sixth Commandment: Chastity and Faithful Love
Sex is a holy gift meant for faithful, life-giving marriage, and every person is called to chastity, the freedom to love instead of use. When we fall, God's mercy in Confession heals and restores.
- The Seventh Commandment: Do Not Steal
Do not take or keep what belongs to others, deal honestly, give back what you have taken unjustly, and share generously with those in need.
- The Eighth Commandment: Living in the Truth
Do not lie, and do not damage anyone's good name with false stories, careless gossip or harsh assumptions. Speak the truth in love, and keep silent when charity calls for it.
- The Ninth Commandment: Purity of Heart
Guard your heart and your eyes, because purity begins inside. A temptation is not a sin, and with grace, prayer and modesty we learn to see others as persons, not objects.
- The Tenth Commandment: Freedom from Greed and Envy
Do not let your heart be ruled by greed or envy. Hold your things loosely, rejoice in others' blessings, and trust God to give you what you need.
- The Great Commandment and the Beatitudes
All ten commandments are one love for God and neighbor, and Jesus fulfills them by changing our hearts and giving us grace. The Beatitudes show the happiness that love leads to.
Read The Commandments in full
All 12 lessons of this course are in the Saints Light app, with Scripture, three questions each and your progress kept on your phone.
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