Ten Commandments

The Ten Commandments

The Ten Commandments-also known as The Commandments, The Commandments of God, or The Decalogue (from the Greek deka, meaning "ten," and logos, meaning "word")-are the foundational moral laws revealed by Almighty God. The Greek Fathers often referred to them as "the Ten Words," underscoring their divine origin and authority. These Commandments are not mere guidelines but are eternal precepts that articulate the Creator's holy will concerning humanity's obligations toward God and neighbor.

They are solemnly recorded twice in Sacred Scripture: in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5. Engraved by the very "finger of God" upon two tablets of stone (cf. Exodus 31:18), the Decalogue was delivered to Moses amidst the awe-inspiring theophany on Mount Sinai-accompanied by thunder, lightning, and divine majesty. These Commandments formed the cornerstone of the Mosaic Law and remain, by divine ordinance, perpetually binding upon all the faithful.

In the fullness of time, Our Lord Jesus Christ reaffirmed and elevated these Commandments in the New Covenant. In the Gospel according to St. Matthew (Mt 19:16-19) and most luminously in the Sermon on the Mount (Mt 5-7), Christ did not abolish the law but fulfilled it (cf. Mt 5:17). He internalized the external precepts, deepening their meaning: condemning hatred as equivalent to murder, lustful intent as tantamount to adultery, and commanding not only the love of neighbor but the love of one's enemies. He summarized the Decalogue in the twofold commandment of love-"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind" and "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Mt 22:37-39).

The Church, as the authentic interpreter of divine Revelation (cf. Dei Verbum, 10), upholds the Ten Commandments as immutable and binding upon all men, as attested by the Council of Trent (Sess. VI, can. xix), which anathematized those who claim that the Commandments are not obligatory under grace. The Catechism of the Catholic Church affirms that these Commandments express the natural law written on every human heart, yet clarified and confirmed by Revelation (cf. CCC 1955-1960).

Through her pastoral care, the Church has also adjusted the liturgical application of the Third Commandment. With the resurrection of Christ on the first day of the week, Sunday-the Lord's Day-has become the new sabbath (cf. Dies Domini, Pope St. John Paul II). The faithful are bound to keep it holy through the celebration of the Holy Eucharist, rest from servile labor, and acts of charity and worship.

Though often taught in a condensed form in catechisms for ease of memorization and instruction, the Commandments remain profound in theological and moral depth. They are not arbitrary rules but a sacred covenant-a path of life, truth, and freedom. As St. Augustine declared: "The Decalogue is the table of the spiritual law engraved on the human heart by the finger of God."

Thus, the Ten Commandments remain for all time the luminous expression of God's eternal wisdom and justice, guiding every soul toward holiness, communion with God, and the flourishing of human society in truth and charity.

The Ten Commandments

1. I am the Lord thy God: thou shalt not have strange gods before Me.
2. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.
3. Keep the Sabbath holy.
4. Honor thy father and thy mother.
5. Thou shalt not kill.
6. Thou shalt not commit adultery.
7. Thou shalt not steal.
8. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
9. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife.
10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's goods.

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