the ten cmmandments the eight beatitudes. are these ancient codes of moral conduct still relevant...

THE TEN THE TEN CMMANDMENTSCMMANDMENTS

THE EIGHTTHE EIGHT

BEATITUDESBEATITUDES

• Are these ancient codes of moral conduct still relevant guides for life in the modern world?

• How do the Ten Commandments guide us in forming and fulfilling the dictates of conscience?

John 14: 15John 14: 15

“If you love me keep my commandments”

The Ten CommandmentsThe Ten Commandments

• Who were they given to?

Moses / Israelites

• Where were they given to him?

Mount Sinai

• When were they Given?

At the time of exodus from Egypt

The First CommandmentThe First Commandment

I. I am the Lord your God, you shall not have strange gods before me.

Why Does God Give This Why Does God Give This Command?Command?

• What was the culture of this period?

• Polytheistic

• Henotheistic

• Monotheistic

• The precept of the first commandment demands the proper monotheism

• Without an awareness of God, we are confined to an existence that lacks meaning

• God’s intention is to save people from their sin. We cannot remain passive before his Holy Spirit, but must respond appropriately. The response must be to believe in him, to trust in his aid, and to love him. When this threefold intention is maintained before God, we are exercising the three theological virtues:

Faith, Hope, Charity

FaithFaith

• The theological virtue by which we believe in God and believe all that he has said and revealed to us

• Faith widens the capacity of human knowledge. It enables the recipient to accept all the truths revealed by God even though they cannot be proven

• Believing is a free human act, consciously done in accordance with human dignity

Mt 10: 32-33Mt 10: 32-33

• 32"Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. 33But whoever disowns me before men, I will deny him before my Father in heaven.”

What is Jesus telling us in this statement?

How Do We Deny the First How Do We Deny the First Commandment By Lack Of Faith?Commandment By Lack Of Faith?

• Voluntary doubt: refuse to hold what God has revealed as true

• Involuntary doubt: hesitant in belief connected with the faith and fails to attempt to dispel them

• Atheism: refusal to accept God’s existence

• Apostasy: Total repudiation of the Christian faith

HopeHope

• Hope is the theological virtue by which we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness, placing our trust in Christ’s promises and relying not on our own strength, but on the help and grace of the Holy Spirit

• It keeps us from discouragement; sustains us during times of abandonment

• The first commandment infers that the Christian should have trust in God and foster hope in eternal life. That hope also includes the hope of salvation for all.

• A sin against this commandment can occur either by defect or excess

CharityCharity

• Charity is the theological virtue by which we love God above all things for his own sake, and our neighbor as ourselves for the love of God

• We ought to love God because he is our Creator, our Father, and our Savior

• Our love for God should reflect God’s love for us

How Do We Sin Against God’s How Do We Sin Against God’s Love?Love?

• Indifference

Refusing to reflect on the prior goodness and power of divine charity

• Ingratitude

Refusal to acknowledge or return God’s love• Lukewarm

Failure/hesitation to respond to divine love; also refuse to obey the prompting of charity

• Acedia

To refuse the joy God gives. It is a form of depression that leads to discouragement

• Hatred of God

Opposes the love of God; it denies his goodness. It is a result of pride

Because our bodies, as well as our souls, were created for eternal glory, this commandment asks that we care for both

• It is a great insult when a person turns from God to creatures and pleasures of limited value

Do I Have False Gods in My Life?Do I Have False Gods in My Life?

• Power, Money

• Success

• T.V., Radio

• Food, Drugs, Alcohol

• Sex, Sleep, Privacy

• Popularity, Winning

• Appearance, Music, etc.

The Second CommandmentThe Second Commandment

II. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vein.

What’s In A Name?What’s In A Name?

• “That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”

- Shakespeare –• These words are only half true. A name

gathers many emotional overtones by constant use. It ceases to be a group of letters taken from the alphabet; a name comes to represent the person of thing which bears the name.

• Emotions are aroused in us by the use of words

• A young man in love, only has to hear his sweetheart’s name mentioned to make his pulse rate rise

• A man who has suffered great injury at the hands of a person named George will have great distaste for the name “George”

• Men have killed – and been killed – in defense of their good name

• Families have grieved because some member of the family “brought disgrace on the family name”

• In short, a name stands for the one who bears the name — and our attitude towards the name reflects our attitude toward the person whose name it is

• Why does Moses ask God for his name?

• Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them?“ Exodus 3:13

• A persons name was part of their personality/character

• To know someone's name inferred a relationship with that person

• This serves to recall to mind why it is a sin to misuse God’s name – to use it carelessly or irreverently.

• If we love God, we love his name• Indeed, our love for God’s name extends to

those of his mother, and his friends and saints, and to all things which belong to God.

• God gave us the second commandment so we may never forget this aspect of our love for him

BlasphemyBlasphemy

• Blasphemy: Speaking contemptuously of God or his perfections

• The Jews try to stone Jesus , not for" no good works but for blasphemy” (Jn 10: 33)

• Blasphemy extends to make use of God’s name to cover up criminal practices, to reduce people to servitude, to torture persons or put them to death

Do I Use Profanity?Do I Use Profanity?

• Do I make a habit of using profanity? • Do I swear oaths?• Do I swear in front of children or parents?• Do I swear in public places that may offend

strangers?• Do I swear to gain acceptance?• Do I simply not have command of the English

language?• Stories on pp 200-01 L-i-C book

The Third CommandmentThe Third Commandment

III. Remember to keep holy the Lord’s Day (Sabbath).

• When is the Jewish Sabbath?

Friday sunset to Saturday sunset

• Why do they not worship on Sunday?

It is the first day of the week—God rested on the seventh day

• Why do Christians use Sunday as their day of worship?

Christ rose on Sunday

• By a tradition handed down from the apostles, which took its origin from the very day of Christ’s resurrection, the Church celebrates the paschal mystery every seventh day. On this day Christ’s faithful are bound to come together into one place. They listen to the word of God and take part in the Eucharist, calling to mind the passion, resurrection, and glory of the Lord Jesus.

Why Go To Church?Why Go To Church?

• One cannot avoid this moral duty and go on unaffected. When one stops participating in Sunday service:

• He loses the gifts of the Holy Spirit

• His conscience soon becomes deadened

• This leads to a deterioration in attitudes and conduct

• Do I go to mass (church) on Sundays and holy days / to Temple on the Sabbath?

• Am I involved in my Church / Temple/ Mosque community?

• Do I take time out to devote strictly to God with the community in which I live?

The first three commandments deal with our relationship to God. Commandments number 4-10 deal with our relationship to our fellow man

The Fourth CommandmentThe Fourth Commandment

• IV. Honor your Father and Mother.

• God intended that life begin in a family. The fourth commandment regulates the moral link in family life

• This commandment includes the relationship between husband and wife, parents and children, and children and their siblings.

• It also includes duties to grandparents, and other relatives, as well as other relationships

Love: The Foundation Of The Love: The Foundation Of The FamilyFamily

• Love is demanding. Love is the firm foundation of the family, a foundation able to “endure” all things

• Good moral conduct between parents and children (and vice versa) and among brothers and sisters is absolutely required

• Christian morality is a morality of charity (love). This love begins and grows in the family life

• It is reflected in the most intimate bonds of matrimony

• The love between a husband and wife gives origin to children, and also joins brothers and sisters together

• The family should live in such a way that its members care and take responsibility for the young, old, sick, handicapped, and poor

Ephesians 6: 1-3Ephesians 6: 1-3

• “Children, obey your parents in the Lord for it is right. ‘Honor your father and mother’ (this is the first commandment with a promise), that it may be well with you and that you may live long on the earth

The Families Influence On SocietyThe Families Influence On Society

• The success of all societies is based on the success of the family.

• As each organ of the body is crucial to the functioning of the whole body, so does the health of particular families contribute to the functioning of the body of society.

• By promoting the well being of the family, we are promoting the well being of the society.

• Do I give love and honor to my parents?

• Am I disrespectful?

• Do I obey, help out?

• Do I shame them by my actions?

• Am I a reflection of what they want me to be?

The Fifth CommandmentThe Fifth Commandment

V. You shall not kill.

• Life here is a preparation for life in the hereafter

• As human beings we do not have absolute dominion over our lives, but rather a duty of guarding our lives and the lives of those around us

• Every human life, from the moment of conception until death, is sacred

God, The Master Of Our LifeGod, The Master Of Our Life

• Christianity, in regarding the complete fulfillment of human life, rejects

• AUTONOMY:

• (Dependence on one’s self)

• And HETERONOMY:

• (Dependence on someone else)

• And accepts THEONOMY:

• (Dependence on God)

The human person can find the fullness of his being only in union with the Trinity; the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

Matthew 5: 21-24Matthew 5: 21-24

• “You have heard it said to the men of old, ‘You shall not kill; and whoever kills shall be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you, everyone who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother shall be liable to the council….

• Not only are we required to respect the life of another, but we also must value the dignity of every person in such a way that any offense that violates a person’s dignity is condemned

• The commandment of charity given to us by Jesus (love one another as I have loved you enriches the formulation of the fifth commandment of the Mosaic law

Conservation of LifeConservation of Life

+ Duty to conserve one’s own life:

Only God is the absolute owner of human life. We are obliged to take care of life as a good steward whose life is on loan from God. Self defense is morally acceptable, however, suicide is not.

+ Respect for the life of others:

If we are not the owners of our own life, we cannot dispose of the life of others. Kidnapping, torture, and terrorism fall under this category

+ Abortion and rights of the unborn: All induced abortions are gravely sinful

• Have I hurt others physically or mentally?

• Suicide

• Abortion

• Mutilation

• Euthanasia

• Name calling

• Abusing my body with alcohol, drugs, or food

• sloth.

The Sixth CommandmentThe Sixth Commandment

VI. You shall not commit adultery.

• Marriage is a fundamental and natural part of human life

• One’s gender describes not only one’s body, but also one’s very identity

• Sexuality effects us at the most elementary level of personhood.

• God created man and woman with a strong attraction to each other to insure the continuation of the race.

The 2 Creation Stories The 2 Creation Stories Gn 1: 26-28; 2: 18-25Gn 1: 26-28; 2: 18-25

• Man and woman are equal in dignity. Both are created in God’s image

• Man and woman form a new social unit. Man leaves father and mother and become a new family

• The union is so intimate the two become one. They form “one flesh”

• Marriage has a procreative end. God directed his blessing precisely to this end

Purposes of MarriagePurposes of Marriage

+ Good of the spouses

The sexual union fosters complete self-giving and deepens the love for one another. It is both a sign and a cause of the perfect union with one another which the Holy Spirit calls them

+ Procreation

Conjugal love is a participation in the great mystery that results in procreation of new life.

The couple is cooperating with God in the creation of their children. This is fundamentally different from simple reproduction

+ Joy

The marital act, when done as God wills, gives glory to God, and is needed to achieve the perfect union between the souses

Properties of MarriageProperties of Marriage

• Matrimony is characterized by two essential properties”

• 1. EXCLUSIVITY

• Since marriage involves a tota self giving from each spouse, it follows that this gift cannot be shared with a third party. One cannot give one’s self totally to more than one person in the same way

• 2. INDISSOLUBILITY

• The stability of marriage is permanent. The unit created through the matrimonial bond cannot be divided.

• The totality of giving ones self to their spouse is not complete if it is not life long

• In what ways do we disregard the sixth commandment?

• Bestiality

• Onanism

• Fornication

• Obscene stories or gestures

• Pornography

• Masturbation

• Oral sex

The Seventh CommandmentThe Seventh Commandment

• VII. You shall not steal.

Respect For Private PropertyRespect For Private Property

• Theft is taking another's goods against his reasonable wishes

• Doing unjust damage to property

• Spray-paint property

• Cheating

• Unfair pricing

• Charge excessive interest

• Copying

• Not repaying or retuning something borrowed

• Vandalism

• Wasting food and resources

• Stealing someone’s good name or reputation.

The Eighth Commandment The Eighth Commandment

• VIII. You shall not bear false witness.

• Truthfulness is the virtue which consist in showing oneself true in deeds and truthful in words, and regarding against duplicity, dissimulation, and hypocrisy

• Social life would be impossible if truth is not respected as the foundation of social communication

LIESLIES

• Lying is an evil in itself.— it is evil by its very nature

• When a person lies, he betrays himself in thought and word.

• Therefore, a lie connotes a weakness in one’s personality if he lies because he lacks the fortitude to tell the truth and the responsibility to assume the consequences of professing the truth, whatever the cost

• When a person lies to a neighbor, he induces him into error and sows doubt and suspicion in social relations

• A lie affects the ability to know, which is a condition of every judgment and decision

• Lying undermines the trust among men and tears apart the fabric of social relationships

• Do I lie?

• Habitually exaggerate?

• Break promises?

• Gossip?

• Slander? –hurting another’s reputation

• Detraction?

• Lie by omission?

• Explain things non-objectively?

• Break someone's confidence?

The Ninth CommandmentThe Ninth Commandment

• IX. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife (spouse).

CovetousnessCovetousness

• To covet is a sinful desire

• A married couple has the right to enjoy considerations of their most intimate actions

• “Every one who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Mt 5: 28)

• The struggle against carnal covetousness entails purifying the heart and practicing temperance

How do we disregard the ninth commandment?

• Excessive desire for another’s spouse,

• Excessive desire for another’s friends

or family.

The Tenth CommandmentThe Tenth Commandment

• X. You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods.

• Our appetite leads us to desire things that are good in themselves, but excessive desire leads to sin

• This commandment forbids greed, avarice, and envy

GreedGreed

• The desire for earthly things without limit. It means buying things solely to look rich and powerful in the eyes of your neighbor

AvariceAvarice

• The passionate desire for riches that leads one to use money to control others. They become hardhearted, unjust, and deceitful people. (Ebenezer Scroog)

EnvyEnvy

• Unhappiness at the sight of another’s good fortune. It also leads to the sinful desire to acquire them by whatever means available

Excessive desire for another’s

• possessions

• successes

• abilities / physical or mental

• popularity

• personality

• Physical appearance

With the Ten Commandments we have a basic code of conduct. They do not offer a complete ethical program but are general and basic principles of conduct. God could only require so much from the Israelites because of their unsophisticated culture. The Commandments are enriched by the life and teachings of Jesus. The Sermon on the Mount gives us the example of how to live the moral life at the highest level.

BeatitudesBeatitudes

• The word “beatitude” comes from the Latin meaning “blessed”

The BeatitudesThe Beatitudes

• The beatitudes fulfill the Ten Commandments

• They present attitudes that ensure holiness when lived in conjunction with the Ten Commandments

• The Beatitudes allow us to go beyond the minimum requirements of the Commandments

Called to Imitate ChristCalled to Imitate Christ

• Identifying with Christ means accepting a life of sacrifice for the salvation of others, just as Jesus did.

• We can accomplish this by living the Beatitudes.

• They take us beyond the commandments and lead to a life of perfection.

The Beatitudes from Matthew’s The Beatitudes from Matthew’s GospelGospel

+ Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven

+ Blessed are those who morn, for they shall be comforted

+ Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth

+ Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied

+ Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy

+ Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God

+ Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God

+ Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven

+ Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven (Mt. 5:3-12)

• The Sermon on the Mount demonstrates the openness of the commandments and their orientation toward the perfection proper to the Beatitudes

• The Beatitudes are a sort of self-portrait of Christ

• For this reason we are invited to discipleship

• People of all ages should be reminded that simply avoiding evil and satisfying our minimal duties to our neighbors in a minimalistic way can never be acceptable is we wish to have a truly just society.

• This is the importance of the Beatitudes. They point the way to a truly free and human existence