[__01__] It
is valuable to know the commands.
It is
valuable to know the commands.
It is
also of great value (SYNONYM à VALUE / VALUABLE) to know the MEANING, the SIGNIFICANCE, of
certain commands.
[__02__] What we have, for example this weekend, is the
“spring ahead” command, so that we would set our clocks one hour ahead.
Other
commands – from traffic lights to speed limits – inform us how to travel. We have attached value to “GREEN” and
“AMBER” and to “25” and “55”. However, these colors and numbers have meaning
because we have been told of or learned their meaning.
Point
guards and quarterbacks take commands – often as code words or hand signals –
from their coaches. Some coaches may
even spend time trying to break the signal code, to decrypt the code. It’s
valuable – maybe a competitive advantage – to know the commands … and to know
them by heart.
[*** pause ***]
[__03__] I bring this up because in our reading from
Exodus chapter 20, on this 2nd
Sunday of the 40 days of Lent, we read about the delivery of the commandments,
of the 10 Commandments, to Moses and the Jewish people on Mount Sinai.
[__04__] In the traditional sequencing and numbering,
in the first 3 commandments, we read not only about what we are to do, but also
the reasons, the significance of these commandments in our lives.
In
these 3, we learn to love God first and this
helps us to understand the remaining commandments.
[__05__] THE
FIRST COMMANDMMENT. “I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land
of Egypt, that place of slavery. Thou
shalt not have other gods besides me.” (Exodus 20)
Sometimes,
we equate INCONVENIENCE + DIFFICULTY with unfamiliar or new commands.
An
outfielder at Spring Training, a soldier
at boot camp, a student at school … all
of them may experience inconvenience or
offer resistance to commands.
Perhaps,
later they would understand how the restrictions placed upon them helped them
to gain freedom, to take responsibility, to mature.
What
the first commandment invites is our TRUST, our FAITH.
And, we
see this in championship team efforts … are we willing to have the same work
ethic, the same trust?
What
are we called to do? The Hebrew people and you and I -- in the first
commandment -- are called to trust in God’s ways and remember that by his grace
– in the past – we have been freed, we have been liberated, or forgiven.
We will
be set free again. We shall have no
other gods before him.
It’s
valuable to know the meaning of the commands.
[__06__] THE
SECOND COMMANDMENT.
“Thou shalt not take the name
of the Lord your God in vain.” (Exodus 20)
Here,
is another command that seems to make our lives, very difficult, our actions
restricted.
Considering
some of the things we say sometimes…we might be worrying … pause…. “if this
conversation has been – or is being -- recorded for quality purposes”.
For
have we not fallen – or been at fault – with words of frustration, of anger,
with a raised voice – or even a mocking tone – in which we use profanity or
take the name of the Lord in vain, or we
use it casually …or we use the Lord’s name forcefully as though we are
issuing the commands to God in Heaven.
In his
book, An Introduction to the Devout Life, St. Francis de Sales wrote this
… and we might say he was commenting, at least
indirectly, on the 2nd commandment. St.
Francis de Sales did not go to
medical school, but he uses this metaphor from the hospital and doctor’s office…
“Physicians
judge to a great extent the health or disease of a [patient] [man] by the state of [his or her] tongue …and our words are the true test of our soul…”
Francis
de Sales continues…
“We are
apt [inclined] to apply the hand quickly to the place where we feel pain, and
so too the tongue is quick to point out [to pronounce] what [or whom] we love.”[1]
This Commandment
– about the Lord’s name – about our speech – invites us not only to review the
printouts from the high speed laser printer of our mouths …the high speed printer that seems to turn out
pages and sentences without interruption, sometimes negative.
This
command also invites us to check the
hard drive – the hard drive of our soul
and mind – to examine our thoughts,
beliefs, conscience to ensure that what we believe is in accord with what we say and how we speak of God.
God may
remain mysterious. Yet, we speak respectfully of other mysteries and mysterious
individuals.
It is
valuable to know this command…
[__07__] THE
THIRD COMMANDMENT. “Remember to keep holy the Sabbath day.” (Exodus 20)
In
Catholic tradition, we recognize this
not only as a reminder to pray as we attend Sunday Mass, but also a
respect for God in all of his Creation, every day.
Even God – all powerful and all knowing – in the
Trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – rested on the 7th Day. He
saw that it was good and he rested.
We
believe that … “God’s
action is the model for human action. If God “rested and refreshed” on the
seventh day, man too ought to “rest” and should let others, especially the poor, “be refreshed” (Exodus 31:17, cf.
23:12) The Sabbath brings everyday work to a halt and provides a respite. It is
a day of protest against the servitude of work and the worship of money.” (cf.
Nehemiah 13:15-22; 2 Chronicles 36:21) (CCC 2172)
And, in
the Gospel this Sunday, Jesus was demonstrative and assertive – to say the
least – with his whip of cords and voice – to remind his community and you and
me of the value of the Sabbath Day.
[__08__] Resting
on the Sabbath reminds us that …
(1) CREATION – the Earth
is ours to care for, to exercise
stewardship over. For this reason,
Creation is a gift to be treasured – and
this day of rest can helps us to cherish it, care for it, reduce our activity. It is valuable to learn
this command.
(2) MARRIAGE AND THE
FAMILY – are also ours to care for, to treasure as vocations. It is not simply
a vocation to be in a religious order as
a sister/brother, to be a priest, Franciscan or Jesuit, or to be the pope.
All of us have
vocations, these are callings from God, to be a faithful son or daughter, husband
or wife, brother or sister, mother or father or grandparent.
These are also gifts
of God’s creation. Yes, they require
diligence, commitment, effort. They also require rest, not just on
Mother’s Day or Father’s Day or
birthdays…but also on Sunday.
The Sabbath helps us
to develop a life “interior”, a new life inside the Temple, inside God’s Church, away from the marketplace so we can
also dwell in God’s house and learn his commands. [__fin__]
[1]
Francis de Sales, Introduction to the
Devout Life, pages 147-148. (Part III, Ch. XXVI, “Of Conversation; and,
First, How to Speak of God.”)
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