Commandments 4-10

The Ten Commandments Commandments 4 - 10

Outline • Christ and the Ten Commandments • The Beatitudes • Sermon on the Mount • Commandments 4-10 • The Law of Christ

Christ and the Ten Commandments •

Matt 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.

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The Law has not been abolished, but rather man is invited to rediscover it in the person of his Master who is its perfect fulfillment.

- CCC 2053

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Matt 7:12 So whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them; for this is the law and the prophets.

Christ and the Ten Commandments • Matt 22:36-40 36 "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?" 37 And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

40 On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets." • John 13:34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.

The Beatitudes • Matt 5:3-12 3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

– Those who recognize their need for God and His grace "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

– Those who lament the present state of this life 4

"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

– Those who appear powerless and insignificant in the eyes of the world 5

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

– Those who yearn to live rightly according to the will of God 6

The Beatitudes "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

– Those who imitate the Father’s mercy by extending forgiveness to others.

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"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. – Those who act with integrity and serve the Lord unselfishly 8

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. – Those who strive to live at peace with others 9

"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

– Those who are slandered, abused, or oppressed for their public witness to the faith 10

11

"Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.

Sermon on the Mount •

In the Sermon on the Mount Christ calls His disciples to a radical following of the Ten Commandments by commanding them to adhere not only to the letter of the Law but to the spirit of the Law

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Matt 5:21-44 21 "You have heard that it was said to the men of old, 'You shall not kill; and whoever kills shall be liable to judgment.' 22 But I say to you that every one who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother shall be liable to the council, and whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be liable to the hell of fire.

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27

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' 28 But I say to you that every one who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Sermon on the Mount •

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38

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43

"Again you have heard that it was said to the men of old, 'You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.' 34 But I say to you, Do not swear at all, … Let what you say be simply 'Yes' or 'No'; anything more than this comes from evil.

"You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' 39 But I say to you, Do not resist one who is evil. But if any one strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also; 40 and if any one would sue you and take your coat, let him have your cloak as well; 41 and if any one forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42 Give to him who begs from you, and do not refuse him who would borrow from you.

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you…

IV Honor your Father and your Mother Deuteronomy 5:16 Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God commanded you; that your days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with you, in the land which the Lord your God gives you.

IV

Honor your Father and your Mother •

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Eph 6:1-3 1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 "Honor your father and mother"--which is the first commandment with a promise-- 3 "that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth."

Observing the fourth commandment brings its reward: "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which the LORD your God gives you." Respecting this commandment provides, along with spiritual fruits, temporal fruits of peace and prosperity. Conversely, failure to observe it brings great harm to communities and to individuals.

- CCC 2200

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The conjugal community is established upon the covenant and consent of the spouses. Marriage and family are ordered to the good of the spouses, to the procreation and the education of children.

- CCC 2249

IV

Honor your Father and your Mother • Parents have the first responsibility for the education of their children in the faith, prayer, and all the virtues. They have the duty to provide as far as possible for the physical and spiritual needs of their children.

- CCC 2252

• Citizens are obliged in conscience not to follow the directives of civil authorities when they are contrary to the demands of the moral order. "We must obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:29).

- CCC 2256

• Every society's judgments and conduct reflect a vision of man and his destiny. Without the light the Gospel sheds on God and man, societies easily become totalitarian.

- CCC 2257

V

You shall not kill Deuteronomy 5:17 'You shall not kill.'

V

You shall not kill • Every human life, from the moment of conception until death, is sacred because the human person has been willed for its own sake in the image and likeness of the living and holy God. - CCC 2319

• The prohibition of murder does not abrogate the right to render an unjust aggressor unable to inflict harm.

Legitimate defense is a grave duty for whoever is responsible for the lives of others or the common good.

- CCC 2321

V

You shall not kill • From its conception, the child has the right to life. Direct abortion, that is, abortion willed as an end or as a means, is a "criminal" practice (GS 27 § 3), gravely contrary to the moral law. The Church imposes the canonical penalty of excommunication for this crime against human life.

- CCC 2322

• Intentional euthanasia, whatever its forms or motives, is murder. It is gravely contrary to the dignity of the human person and to the respect due to the living God, his Creator.

- CCC 2324

VI

You shall not commit adultery Duet 5:18 You shall not commit adultery.

VI

You shall not commit adultery • Christ is the model of chastity. Every baptized person is called to lead a chaste life, each according to his particular state of life.

- CCC 2394

• Chastity means the integration of sexuality within the person. It includes an apprenticeship in selfmastery.

- CCC 2395

• Among the sins gravely contrary to chastity are masturbation, fornication, pornography, and homosexual practices.

- CCC 2396

• The covenant which spouses have freely entered into entails faithful love. It imposes on them the obligation to keep their marriage indissoluble.

- CCC 2397

VI

You shall not commit adultery • Fecundity is a good, a gift and an end of marriage. By giving life, spouses participate in God's fatherhood.

- CCC 2398

• The regulation of births represents one of the aspects of responsible fatherhood and motherhood. Legitimate intentions on the part of the spouses do not justify recourse to morally unacceptable means (for example, direct sterilization or contraception).

- CCC 2399

• Adultery, divorce, polygamy, and free union are grave offenses against the dignity of marriage.

- CCC 2400

VII

You shall not steal Duet 5:19 You shall not steal.

VII

You shall not steal • 1 Cor 6:10 "Neither thieves, nor the greedy . . ., nor robbers will inherit the kingdom of God" • The dominion granted by the Creator over the mineral, vegetable, and animal resources of the universe cannot be separated from respect for moral obligations, including those toward generations to come.

- CCC 2456

• Animals are entrusted to man's stewardship; he must show them kindness. They may be used to serve the just satisfaction of man's needs.

-CCC 2457

VII

You shall not steal • The Church makes a judgment about economic and social matters when the fundamental rights of the person or the salvation of souls requires it. She is concerned with the temporal common good of men because they are ordered to the sovereign Good, their ultimate end.

- CCC 2458

• Man is himself the author, center, and goal of all economic and social life. The decisive point of the social question is that goods created by God for everyone should in fact reach everyone in accordance with justice and with the help of charity.

- CCC 2459

VIII

You shall not bear false witness Duet 5:20 You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

VIII

You shall not bear false witness • Truth or truthfulness is the virtue which consists in showing oneself true in deeds and truthful in words, and guarding against duplicity, dissimulation, and hypocrisy.

- CCC 2505

• The Christian is not to "be ashamed of testifying to our Lord" (2 Tim 1:8) in deed and word.

Martyrdom is the supreme witness given to the truth of the faith.

- CCC 2506

VIII

You shall not bear false witness • Respect for the reputation and honor of persons forbids all detraction and calumny in word or attitude.

- CCC 2507

• Lying consists in saying what is false with the intention of deceiving one's neighbor.

- CCC 2508

• An offense committed against the truth requires reparation.

- CCC 2509

• The golden rule helps one discern, in concrete situations, whether or not it would be appropriate to reveal the truth to someone who asks for it.

- CCC 2510

IX

You shall not covet your neighbor's wife Ex 20:17 ... you shall not covet your neighbor's wife...

IX

You shall not covet your neighbor's wife • Because man is a composite being, spirit and body, there already exists a certain tension in him; a certain struggle of tendencies between "spirit" and "flesh" develops. But in fact this struggle belongs to the heritage of sin. It is a consequence of sin and at the same time a confirmation of it. It is part of the daily experience of the spiritual battle: - CCC 2516

• The heart is the seat of moral personality: "Out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, fornication...." The struggle against carnal covetousness entails purifying the heart and practicing temperance: - CCC 2517

IX

You shall not covet your neighbor's wife • "Pure in heart" refers to those who have attuned their intellects and wills to the demands of God's holiness, chiefly in three areas: charity; chastity or sexual rectitude; love of truth and orthodoxy of faith.

There is a connection between purity of heart, of body, and of faith: – The faithful must believe the articles of the Creed "so that by believing they may obey God, by obeying may live well, by living well may purify their hearts, and with pure hearts may understand what they believe."

IX

You shall not covet your neighbor's wife • Purity requires modesty, an integral part of temperance. Modesty protects the intimate center of the person. It means refusing to unveil what should remain hidden. It is ordered to chastity to whose sensitivity it bears witness. It guides how one looks at others and behaves toward them in conformity with the dignity of persons and their solidarity.

- CCC 2521

• So called moral permissiveness rests on an erroneous conception of human freedom; the necessary precondition for the development of true freedom is to let oneself be educated in the moral law.

- CCC 2526

X

You shall not covet your neighbor's house Exodus 20:17 You shall not covet your neighbor's house; ...., or his manservant, or his maidservant, or his ox, or ass, or anything that is your neighbor's.

X

You shall not covet your neighbor's house • "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" (Mt 6:21).

- CCC 2551

• Envy is sadness at the sight of another's goods and the immoderate desire to have them for oneself. It is a capital sin.

- CCC 2553

• The baptized person combats envy through good-will, humility, and abandonment to the providence of God. - CCC 2554

X

You shall not covet your neighbor's house • Christ's faithful "have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires" (Gal 5:24); they are led by the Spirit and follow his desires.

- CCC 2555

• Detachment from riches is necessary for entering the Kingdom of heaven. "Blessed are the poor in spirit.“ - CCC 2556

The Law of Christ •

1 Cor 9:21 To those outside the law I became as one outside the law--not being without law toward God but under the law of Christ - that I might win those outside the law.

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Gal 6:2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

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James 2:8-13 8 If you really fulfill the royal law, according to the scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you do well….12 So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. 13 For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy; yet mercy triumphs over judgment.

Relationship, Reconciliation, and the Moral Life As charity comprises the two commandments to which the Lord related the whole Law and the prophets . . . so the Ten Commandments were themselves given on two tablets. Three were written on one tablet and seven on the other .

- St. Augustine

GOD

Man

Man

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Fulfill the Law • Romans 13:8-10 Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. The commandments, 'You shall not commit adultery, You shall not kill, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,' and any other commandment, are summed up in this sentence, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

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