Friday, June 25, 2010

Part II. Chapter XV The First Commandment of God

Part II is entitled: The Commandments of God and of the Church.

187. Besides believing the truths which God has revealed, what else must we do to be saved?
Besides believing the truths which God has revealed, we must keep his commandments.
188. Which are the commandments of God?
The commandments of God are these ten:
First: I am the Lord thy God; thou shalt not have strange gods before Me.
Second: Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.
Third: Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath day.
Fourth: Honour thy father and thy mother.
Fifth: Thou shalt not kill.
Sixth: Thou shalt not commit adultery.
Seventh: Thou shalt not steal.
Eighth: Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
Ninth: Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife.
Tenth: Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's goods. (Exod. xx, 2-17).
189. Repeat the first commandment.
The first commandment is: I am the Lord thy God; thou shalt not have strange gods before Me.
190. What are we required to do by the first commandment?
By the first commandment we are required to adore God, that is, humbly to acknowledge his infinite excellence and our complete dependence upon Him.
191. How do we adore God?
We adore God by acts of faith, hope and charity, by prayer, and especially by the holy sacrifice of the Mass.
192. What does faith oblige us to do?
Faith obliges us to believe what God has revealed, to learn the truths of our religion, and to profess them openly when necessary.
193. How can we know with certainty what God has revealed?
We can know with certainty what God has revealed from the teaching of his Church, which is the pillar and the ground of truth (I. Tim, iii, 15).
194. What does hope oblige us to do?
Hope obliges us to believe firmly that God will give us eternal life and the means to obtain it.
195. What does charity oblige us to do?
Charity obliges us to love God above all things for his own sake, and our neighbour as ourselves for the love of God.