The Ten Commandments: The Ten Commandments: a gift from Goda gift from God

4444GÉRÔME, Jean-Léon (1824-1904)

Moses on Mount SinaiOil on canvas, 1895-1900

Private collection

Compendium of the Catechism

436. What does “Decalogue” mean?

2056-2057 Decalogue means “ten words”

(Exodus 34:28). These words sum up the Law given by God to the people of Israel in the context of the Covenant mediated by Moses. This Decalogue, in presenting the commandments of the love of God (the first three) and of one's neighbor (the other seven), traces for the chosen people and for every person in particular the path to a life freed from the slavery of sin.

Introduction

Keeping the commandments is the way to salvation. He who keeps them is saved, and he who does not is condemned.

God revealed to Moses the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai and they were engraved in stone so that the people of God would not forget them.

Jesus Christ perfected the Law and entrusted it to the Church so that she might safeguard it and teach it to all men. Following Christ implies keeping the commandments.

MICHELANGELO BuonarrotiMoses

1515Marble, height 235 cm

S. Pietro in Vincoli, Rome

Main ideasMain ideas

1. The goal of man

Man’s final goal is to give glory to God, loving and obeying him on earth so as to be happy with him afterwards in heaven.

How can we give glory to God? By always doing his will. The Divine will leads man to his goal, and we, as free beings, ought to assume his will, wanting to love and obey our Creator and Lord.

The Divine will is expressed fundamentally in the commandments of the Law.

BOUTS, Dieric the ElderThe Way to Paradise (detail)1450Oil on woodMusée des Beaux-Arts, Lille

2. Eternal law orders creation to its goal By observing

created things, we see that they follow some natural laws.

God has created everything so that each creature -minerals, plants, animals and man- attains its goal.

Since this order has been foreseen and planned by God from eternity we call it the eternal law.

SAVERY, RoelandtThe Paradise

1618Oil on oak, 35 x 107 cm

National Gallery, Prague

3. Natural law as a guide for man

Man, as a free creature, freely guides himself after discovering with his intellect the law God has placed within him .

This law engraved by God in our hearts is called the natural law, and since it is engraved in human nature it binds all men of all times .

Since natural law is a part of the eternal law, man cannot change it; it is therefore universal and immutable.

Francisco de Goya (1746-1828)El Sueño de la razón produce monstruos [The sleep of reason brings forth monsters]Ink on paper/Etching and aquatint, c.1797-17998 3/8 x 5 7/8 inches (21.5 x 15 cm)Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

4. At times it is difficult to know natural law

The natural law is engraved in men’s hearts. Nevertheless, original sin and personal sins obscure the intellect.

For this reason, and in order that all men may know it more easily, with certitude and without error, God revealed his will and gave us the Ten Commandments.

The Ten Commandments point out our essential duties, and indirectly the fundamental rights inherent in the human person. They contain a privileged expression of natural law.

MANGILLI, Ada (1863-)The Pagan FestivalOil on canvas, 1884

79 3/8 x 119 inches (201.9 x 302.3 cm)Private collection

5. The revelation of the Ten Commandments to Moses

In Mount Sinai, when the chosen people had fled from Egypt, God announced to Moses the Ten Commandments, or the Decalogue, engraving them in stone so that they would not be forgotten.

The Commandments outline clearly how we should behave and mark out the way to happiness in this life and in the next. God shows men what is good and what is evil, what is true and what is false, what is pleasing and what is displeasing to him.

RENI, GuidoMoses1600-10Oil on canvasGalleria Borghese, Rome

6. Jesus Christ perfects the Law

The law given by God to Moses in Mount Sinai was made perfect by Jesus Christ who proposed himself as the model and the way to obtain eternal life. “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life” (John 14,6).

After being told to love God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind, with all our strength, we are told to love one another the way he has loved us.

The Decalogue has to be interpreted in the light of this commandment of charity, which is the fullness of the law.

BLOCH, Carl Heinrich (1834-1890)Christ Teaching at the Temple

Oil on canvasPublic collection

7. The obligation of observing the commandments

Man is free. If man does not observe the law, he commits a sin, offends God, and hurts himself and others.

On the contrary, if he observes the commandments he is sure to be on the right path and to be doing God’s will.

But we should not feel oppressed by the commandments. We should keep in mind that God wishes man to be very happy, and for this reason God defends and guards man’s freedom with concrete norms.

WATTS, George Frederick (1817-1904)Time, Death and JudgementOil on canvas, 190092 1/8 x 65 7/8 inches (234.3 x 167.6 cm)Tate Gallery, London

8. To observe the commandments with love

The commandments are like a path with well-designed road signs which tell us how to act and warn us of dangers. It is clear that the Ten Commandments are a proof of God’s love.

Therefore the commandments should be observed with love.

DORÉ, Gustave (1832-1883)The Christian Martyrs

Oil on canvas54 7/8 x 84 inches (139.7 x 213.4 cm)

Private collection

Resolutions for Christian lifeResolutions for Christian life

Resolutions to move forward

Learn the Ten Commandments. See the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Make a firm resolution to always observe God’s commandments, trusting in supernatural grace.