Wrap Up Notes for Exodus 19-20

q Chapters 19 and 20 deal with the central events of Exodus – the encounter with God and the Covenant of Sinai between God and His people.


q A key idea of this section is what we call “election”. The term is used in RCIA (Christian Initiation today)


q The idea of “Elect” is closely connected with Covenant. It implies that as people of God, we will have demands made upon us. We can attain our dignity on the basis that we conform to God’s Will.


q So let’s look at the Ten Commandments in some depth. A lot of times, we just look at the Commandments at face value but there is a lot more to them.

q God helps us in many ways to live a moral life. He gives sanctifying grace which awakens in us the desire to say no to temptations and sin and to choose only virtue which is good.

q He gives us the Theological and Cardinal Virtues and the grace to practice the Human virtues so that we can grow stronger in them. God gives us the grace through the Church and through the reception of the Sacraments. He also teaches us how we should live.

q One way he does this is by giving us the Ten Commandments.

q The first three Commandments treat with our relationship with God. The last seven concern our relationship with each other. The First Commandment calls us to have faith in the one true God. (“I AM THE LORD YOUR GOD…YOU SHALL HAVE NO OTHER GODS BESIDES ME” (EX20:2-3). The First Commandment fosters the virtue of Religion that moves us to adore God alone because He is holy and worthy of our praise.

q The First Commandment prohibits idolatry, the worship of false gods. In today’s world that could mean materialism, sports, money, sex and power and what is called “secular humanism”.

q The Second Commandment requires respect for the Lord’s name. Like the First Commandment, it belongs to the virtues of religion and governs the use of our speech in sacred matters. The Second Commandment. Habitual disrespect for God, displayed in cursing


q and the use of vulgar language can create an attitude that erodes our relationship with the Lord and with others.

q “REMEMBER TO KEEP HOLY THE SABBATH DAY” is the Third Commandment. The Third Commandment has been concretized for Catholics by the precepts of the Church. Yet it is more than a precept. The observance of the Sabbath should be seen as a NEED, not an obligation, rising from the depths of the Christian life. It means we must love the Lord’s Day. It is critically important that the Catholic be convinced that they cannot live without their faith or share fully in the life of their parish unless they take part in Sunday Mass. It must be for us the most important event of our week.

q The Fourth Commandment “HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER’ means more than just that. It means strengthen your family. Marriage and family are ordered for the good of the Spouses and to the procreation of children. Children owe their parents respect, gratitude, just obedience and assistance. This Commandment deals with all aspects of family life. It also deals with the duties of government and the duties of citizens, including the responsibilities of the state and society to foster family values and too strengthen the family in every way.

q “YOU SHALL NOT KILL” - the Fifth commandment means promoting the Culture of Life. The Fifth Commandment calls us to foster the physical, spiritual emotional and social well being of ourselves and others. For that reason it forbids, murder, abortion, euthanasia and any life threatening acts. We need to counter the relativism that imperils human life. We must witness to God in all creatures. “Where God is denied, and people live as though He did not exist, or His commandments are not taken into account, the dignity of the human person and the inviolability of human life also end up being rejected or compromised.” (Pope John Paul II Evangelium Vitae ). We are called to confron the weakening of conscience in modern society. Too many peoplr fail to distinquish between good and evil – moral relativism. Moral confusion lead many to support plicies that desecrate life.

q “YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY” – The Sixth Commandment is a call to self-mastery. It summons spouses to marital fidelity but also to view that fidelity as a reflection of God’s fidelity to us. (As we have seen in Exodus.). It calls us to an internal discipline of mental and actual chastity – which is the key to true freedom of mind and body. The many ways in which one can depart from the Virtue of



q Chastity are more than evident in American culture today. The exploitation of sexuality for commercial gain is manifested in countless ads and other means of engaging our attention through television and media. We need a healing of sexuality and the Sixth Commandment calls us to that. The Sixth Commandment integrates bodily sexuality with the broader human reality, that we are all made to love one another and that we are made in God’s image and likeness.
q THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT – “Thou Shalt Not Steal’ means to act justly. It means not only stealing of goods but to respect their property. Theft also includes embezzeling, computer theft, stealing time on the job, copyright violations and pirating things such as music or computer games. The heart of the Seventh Commandment is to acquire the virtue of moderation In our possessions and justice in our treatment of others. It also is the Commandment that safeguards religious freedom and our care for the environment.
q “THOU SHALT NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS” – The Eighth Commandment demand that we speak the truth . Truth is a virtue which consists in showing oneself true in deeds and words. In our culture, moral relativism challenges our ability to tell the truth because it claims that ther is no objective truth. Jesus says that this is a lie; “I am the way, the truth and the life.” It also ensures that we have aright to hear the truth not only from peoplr but from communications organizations and media.
q “Practice Purity of Heart” – YOU SHALL NOT COVET YOUR NEIGHBOR’S WIFE, says the Ninth Commandment. It means that we experience tensions between physical and spiritual desires. This is a direct result of Original Sin. What separates us from the animal kingdom is the virtue of temperance and modesty. Modesty protects the mystery of a person and hence their dignity. Modest behavior respects the boundaries that are imbedded in our natures by natural law. Purification of heart demands prayer. It also requires patience, decency and discretion.
q The Tenth Commandment - YOU SHALL NOT COVET YOU NEIGHBOR’S GOODS. The Tenth Commandment completes the Ninth, which forbids concupiscence of the flesh, The tenth concerns intentions of the heat. The financial scandals that periodically occur in our society show that greed is a constant threat to moral behavior. To the contrary, the tenth Commandment calls us to practice generosity. The tenth Commandment liberates us from being slaves to money and possessions.

TA/ 11/11/09