The first Commandment is:
I am the Lord thy God, Thou shalt not have
strange gods before me.
In this Commandment God obliges us to pay Him due Honor and adoration.
We owe God two kinds of honor, an inward honor or the honor of
our soul; and an outward honor, or the honor of our body.
We honor God inwardly:
1) by believing in Him
2) by hoping in Him
3) by loving Him
4) by adoring Him.
We honor God outwardly by
professing our Faith publicly.
We believe in God when we hold as
true all that He has revealed.
We sin against faith in God:
1) by doubting in matters of faith (skepticism)
2) by not believing everything (Heresy, schism)
3) by not believing at all (infidelity)
4) by giving up the Faith (apostasy).
We hope in God when we trust firmly
that He will give us all that He has promised.
We sin against hope in God:
1) by not hoping at all (despair)
2) by hoping that God will save us without our cooperation (presumption).
We love God when we delight in Him
and desire Him above all things, with our whole heart, mind, and strength;
and when we love our neighbor as ourselves.
We sin against the love of God by not keeping His Commandments.
We adore God:
1) By worshiping
Him as the Lord and Creator of all things
2) By praising
Him
3) By thanking
Him for His graces
4) By asking
His help in prayer (petition)
5) By offering
Him satisfaction for sin (reparation).
The first Commandment of God also forbids: Idolatry, Superstition, and
Sacrilege.
By Idolatry we mean paying to creatures the honor and adoration
we owe to God. The Bible tells us that the Israelites worshipped
a golden calf. (Ex. 32).
By Superstition we mean ascribing to certain creatures a strange,
hidden power that God has not given to them.
By a Sacrilege we mean misusing anything that is blessed or
consecrated; that is, holy things, places, or persons.
The Veneration of the Saints
God wishes us to venerate or honor the Saints:
1. Because they are
His special friends
2. Because they are
glorified in Heaven with Him
3. Because they are
our spiritual benefactors.
By Saints we mean those who have led a holy life, and are now
happy with God in Heaven.
We venerate the Saints:
1. By imitating their
virtues
2. By celebrating
their feasts
3. By dedicating churches
in their honor
4. By honoring their
statues, pictures, and relics
5. By asking them
to pray for us.
We should especially
venerate the Blessed Virgin Mary:
Because she is the Mother of God;
Because Jesus made her our spiritual
Mother
(John 19:26-27);
Because she is the Queen of Heaven and
earth; and
Because her prayers are most powerful
(John 2). “For behold from henceforth all generations shall call
me blessed.”
(Luke 1:48). |
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We honor the pictures and statues of Jesus Christ and the Saints,
but we do not pray to them. We honor them as we honor the statues
and pictures of great statesmen and heroes, and because they help us to
pray with greater devotion.
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