LESSON 41

THE SECOND COMMANDENT

 "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain." (Exodus 20:7)

This lesson has two main purposes. The first purpose is to form your conscience correctly on vulgarity and the irreverent use of the name of God: vulgarity is not necessarily a sin- the irreverent use of the name of God is a venial sin. The second purpose of this lesson is to lead you to great reverence for the name of God.

Other ways of breaking the Second Commandment are also listed in this lesson. You should also learn the ways of paying honor and reverence to God's name.

A. VULGAR LANGUAGE

Vulgar language is not sinful. "Damn," "hell" and some stronger words are not sins, not even venial. Vulgar language lowers you, especially if you are a woman; don’t make your home sound like a cheap tavern. A real gentleman or lady will not use vulgar language. Parents should teach their children to avoid vulgar language.

B. IMPURE LANGUAGE

Jokes and "sexy" stories, "dirty" stories are frequently an occasion of sin for some people. They should be avoided, even though they are not always sinful.

C. THE IRREVERENT USE OF THE NAME OF GOD

Take the words of the Second Commandment as it stands and you will not be confused. The Commandment says: "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain." "In vain" means carelessly, uselessly, flippantly.

Such common expressions as: "By God," "My God," "By Christ," "Christ, “Jesus," "Jesus Christ," "Oh, Christ,' venial sins. They will not send you to hell. But to use the name of God in vain is wrong and shocking.

By honoring a name we actually honor what the name stands for. You permit no one to dishonor the name of your father or mother. You honor the name of your school, your club or your national heroes.

In the Old Testament the name of God was pronounced only by the high priest and then only once a year.

 The Bible says: "Holy is His name." "His name shall be blessedforever." (Psalm 71: 17)

"0 Lord, our Lord: how admirable is Thy name in the whole earth." (Psalm 8:2)

"From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same, the name of the Lord is worthy ofpraise." (Psalm 112:3) Men should not drag the name of the Lord through the gutter. It is a venial sin.

All creatures are made to praise and reverence the name of God. The flowers of the field, the stars in the heaven show forth the beauty of God; and in this way they try to get men to love and reverence God and the name of God.

"That in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those that are in heaven, on earth, and under the earth." (Phil. 2:10) The Bible tells us St. Peter cured a lame man by saying: "In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, arise and walk." (Acts 3 :6) "By the name of Jesus we are saved." says the Bible; "For there is no other name under heaven given to men, whereby we must be saved." (Acts 4:12)

You reverence the name of God by using it respectfully, by bowing your head or tipping your hat at the name of Jesus, by speaking reverently of persons closely connected with Jesus, such as the Blessed Mother, the saints, the angels the priests and sisters. IN the Catholic Church, we have a large society of men who promise to honor the name of Jesus — The Holy Name Society. Men should join this society and take part in its rallies and processions to honor the name of Jesus; they should live the way Jesus Christ wants them to live.

By attending Mass, benediction and public prayers, you outwardly show honor to the name of God and to the name of Jesus Christ

Be very strict about the use of impure language in the home because it can lead to impure thoughts and desires. Absolutely forbid the irreverent use of God's Name by your family, friends and children, even though it is not a mortal sin; it is a venial sin.

D. BLASPHEMY

Blasphemy means an insolent, insulting, scornful use of the name of God. for example: "God be damned," 'There is no God," and so forth. Blasphemy is a most serious sin against religion. It is a serious sin to blaspheme saints in so far as they are men of God. The habit of blaspheming without thinking of what you're saying is usually not a mortal sin; but it is mortal if you do not try to wipe out the habit. Anger is often the cause of blasphemy. People in severe and protracted pain or ill health are sometimes tempted to blasphemeGod.

E. OATHS

An oath is calling upon God to be witness to the truth of what you say. When you raise your hand to heaven or place your hand on the Bible and say any of the following expressions, "I swear by God. " "God is my witness:' "So help me, God:' "By my oath:' or, "I solemnly swear ," you have made an oath.

Perjury means telling a lie after you have taken an oath. It is a very serious sin. It is severely punished by the civil law . Unfortunately, it is a practice among some godless lawyers to ask people to perjure themselves in court. Don't do it. To tell a lie in a small matter is a venial sin; to tell the same lie under oath is the terrible sin of perjury .

Oaths should be taken only in very serious matters. They are usually taken before a priest or a judge. To take an oath in an unimportant matter is a venial sin. "But 1 say to you not to swear at all: neither by heaven. for it is the throne of God. or by the earth. for it is His foot stool." (Matt. 5:34)

F. VOWS

A vow is a free and deliberate promise made to God to do something very good under pain of sin. Vows are good because the virtuous act is now performed especially for the worship of God.

The Sisters and priests of religious orders in the Catholic Church have three vows: poverty, chastity and obedience. Thus the nuns in our school worship God by being poor, chaste and obedient as Our Lord was. The vows of religious are good because by them they place not only their actions, but their whole being under God. They give God not only the fruit of the tree, but the tree itself. Vows are also good because those who are under a vow act with a steady will. They usually do not hesitate.

Never take a vow without first obtaining the advice of a priest in confessional.

QUESTIONS FOR THIS LESSON

Tell if the following are mortal sins, venial sins, or no sins at all:

1. Vulgar language?

2. Impure language?

3. Impure jokes and stories?

4. To use the name of God without good reason?

5. To say, “There is no God,” or some other similar phrase?

6. What is a vow?

7. Should one seek advice before taking a vow?

THE OATHS OF A SECRET SOCIETY

The oaths administered by the secret societies, especially the Freemasons, are both rash and unjust. No Catholic is allowed to participate in these oaths. The members of these societies swear unswerving obedience to unknown superiors to obey all orders and commands without question even if they be asked to do something that is a crime. They offer as a proof of their obedience the oath of allowing themselves to be hurt seriously, even killed, should they violate these oaths or even reveal what they know to anyone on the outside.

It is no surprise that the Popes of the last century and a half have forbidden Catholics to participate in the secret societies. They also took those opportunities to condemn these societies as destructive not only to the true Faith, but also to society as well.