A GREATER PERSPECTIVE

Quite often, people seem to forget what is truly important. We often overlook things because they have become routine and our priorities get screwed up. In this essay, I hope to remind you of the most important thing in our lives. I hope that you’ll take the time to read and internalize what I will say here, as it may be the difference of eternal suffering and perfect joy.

As you may have figured out by now, the topic of this essay is God, specifically, the importance of God in your lives. Sound like a boring homily? Well, maybe so, but really, think about this: God created everything. EVERYTHING. From this statement alone, we should know that God deserves all the praise and glory we can give him. Without God, nothing would exist. No matter what you may think about God being unfair or even sadistic, no matter how much you think He has tortured you or cursed you, you still owe everything to Him, you owe God your life, your family, your friends, your reality. God owes you nothing, you owe God everything.

Now then, how might we be able to show our gratitude to God? Simple, we must worship Him, love Him and obey Him.

Confused?

For a more concrete explanation, read on.

THOU SHALT NOT PUT FALSE GODS BEFORE ME!

Surely, you recognize the above statement, as you probably memorized it in elementary as the first commandment. Following this commandment is the first and most fundamental step to pleasing God.

It is important that we understand that God is supremely perfect and above all things. This should be clear to us, as otherwise, He would not be God. God is exclusively all-powerful; worshipping anyone else would be an insult to Him. This exclusive and supreme adoration is called “Latria”.

Anyway, to practice the first commandment actively, you must realize that we derive three virtues from it: Faith, Hope and Charity. Faith is the unconditional belief in God. Hope is the undying trust in God’s divine providence. Charity is the love for fellow man because of our love for God. Practice these virtues, and you are one step closer to being a good Catholic and a grateful follower of Christ.

Now, while it is important that you practice these virtues, it is also imperative that you avoid the sins that go against them. I will now discuss seven of these sins. To start of, there is the sin of superstition. Superstition is defined as the deviation of religious feeling and practices. Examples of this include the knocking of wood when good things happen and the belief that black cats are unlucky. Religious belief in such practices deviates from the glory and honor that God should receive exclusively.

Another sin that I find important to mention is the sin of idolatry. Idolatry is simply the worshipping of false gods or objects. This sin is similar to superstition in that it is also a deviation of our worship.

Also, there are the sins of atheism and agnosticism which both deal with a person’s perception of God. Atheism is the denial of God’s existence. It is clear that denying His very existence goes against our obligation of worshipping God. Agnosticism on the other hand is the belief that God is at knowable by man. It is the idea that we can never know God, His intentions nor His will. Agnosticism denies our obligation of worship and treats God as a simple unimportant concept.

Finally, I thought it important to discuss two more sins, despair and irreligion, which are often related. Despair is defined as the loss of hope and trust in the Holy Spirit. It often leads to suicide or the cursing of God, which leads us to the sin of irreligion. Acts against religion and God are categorized under irreligion. Perhaps the most prominent example of irreligion is the cursing of God, which is, as mentioned, a result of despair.

THOU SHALT NOT USE THE LORD’S NAME IN VAIN!

The second commandment deals with respect for God. It should be clear to you as to why God expects us to respect Him. He is after all, supremely powerful and perfect, making us infinitely inferior to Him. The observance of this commandment is primarily just the avoidance of two grave sins, blasphemy and sacrilege.

Blasphemy (a.k.a. the sin of the tongue) is the uttering against God with words of hatred, reproach and defiance. Well, you might think that blasphemy is some really serious sin which you’ve never committed and never will. I don’t blame you as it sounds so farfetched, yet you should be warned that there is a certain type of blasphemy that is easily committed. This easily committed type of blasphemy is called material heresy, which is the making fun of God. This is often done as a joke. However, you must understand that God, our Creator and Provider, is not someone to joke about. Mocking His greatness or taking Him lightly is clearly a form of disrespect.

The other main sin against the second sacrament is the sin of sacrilege, which is defined as the defilement or violation of sacred things. Just like blasphemy, sacrilege sounds like a sin that is not easily committed. However, sacrilege too has a rather common and overlooked subcategory. This subcategory is referred to as sacramental sacrilege. Sacramental sacrilege is the lack of respect for a holy sacrament. It is a grave sin, as it insults the legacy that Jesus Christ has left us. Perhaps the most common type of sacramental sacrilege is the defilement of the Holy Eucharist. This occurs when a person in the state of mortal sin receive communion. To be in the state of sin and receive the body of our Savior and Lord is truly disrespectful.

THOU SHALL KEEP HOLY THE SABBATH DAY!

Before discussing the third commandment properly, I think it important that I clarify the term “Sabbath day”. In olden days (Old Testament), the traditional Sabbath day has been the seventh day of the week, Saturday, as God had rested on the seventh day of creation. However, this changed with the new covenant of Christ, when the Christ fulfilled the scriptures and came back to life on Sunday, moving the Sabbath day from Saturday to Sunday. (Interestingly enough, Jews still consider Saturday the Sabbath day.) Also, the sacrament has been expanded by the Catholic Church to certain days which must also be kept holy, called holy days of obligation. These holy days include Christmas, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception and the Feast of Mary Mother of God.

Anyway, with that out of the way, we can move on to discuss the entire commandment, particularly the phrase “keep holy the Sabbath day”. What exactly does “keep holy” mean? Well, the keeping holy of Sabbath day is a task that can be broken down into two things, the refraining from certain types of work and the attendance of the mass.

In my opinion, the more important of these is the attendance of mass, as the mass is a time wherein we can truly devote ourselves to God. It is for this reason you are probably more familiar with this requirement. Now, I often hear people complaining that the mass is boring or too long. These complaints stem only from ignorance and under appreciation. Recall again that you owe everything to God, that God is your reason for living, and that without Him you would be absolutely nothing… suddenly, one hour of mass doesn’t seem too much of a big deal. In reality, you should be giving so much more to God. Also, you must realize what is actually happening in the mass. Every Sunday, as you kneel there, possibly with a wandering mind, a miracle occurs at the altar. A miracle! Understand that the bread and wine that the priest holds up becomes the actual body and actual blood of Jesus Christ. In effect, you are witnessing the miracle of the Last Supper. If you were attending the Last Supper with Jesus Christ, wouldn’t you pay attention?

As mentioned earlier, the second requirement of this commandment is that we refrain from certain types of work. Before going into which types of work should be avoided, I think it important that each type of work is defined.

1. Servile Work – primarily physical work, such as carpentry.

2. Cultural Work – intellectual work done for the development of the mind, such as reading.

3. Ordinary Work – work done for the daily sustenance of the body, such as eating food.

4. Judicial/Commercial Work – work done in courts and public trading.

Now that the types of work are clear, we can discuss which types of work are to be avoided. Simply put, all servile, judicial and commercial work is forbidden, while cultural and ordinary work is permissible. Why should we refrain from work on holy days? We refrain from work as a way of showing out respect for God. It is our way of giving one day of each week to God, as we forget about our insignificant work, and take a day to rest and worship our creator. Once again, is it too much for God to ask for just one day out of every seven?

Finally, you might be wondering if any special circumstances might excuse you from keeping the Sabbath day holy. Here are some simple guidelines to follow:

On Mass: You’re intention for going it important. You really should try to go on days of obligation. However, you are excused in the light of physical or moral impossibility. Also, necessity, charity and duty are valid excuses.

On Work: You really should try to avoid work, as it is a simple way of showing respect and love for God. However, if you must work to support yourself or another, then do so. Remember, God is just. He understands that under certain circumstances, these rules should not be applied normally.

CONCLUSION

Hopefully, through this essay, you have come to realize the importance of our devotion to God. I hope too that you now have a better understanding on how you can practice this devotion actively. I leave you with a quote to ponder upon from none other than Jesus Christ himself:

“Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.”