Friday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time
(Exodus 20:1-17; Matthew 13:18-23)
Secularists go too far when they argue that the Ten
Commandments are a religious code with no place in a civil court. Of course,
they are found in the Bible, precisely in the Book of Exodus which is read
today. But they form the basis of the
natural law which binds everyone.
Some may argue that the first three commandments are
blatantly religious as they pertain to God.
But a satisfactory case may be made that they are not religious in
nature. Indeed, they only give words to concerns
of justice. Regarding the First Commandment,
it is reasonable that God, a Creator, exists and as such should be recognized. This is not necessarily the loving God of
faith. Regarding the Second, the command
prohibits the use of God’s name as a testimony to a false statement. In other words, people should not try to make
a falsehood true by invoking God as their witness. The Third Commandment recognizes the body’s
as well as the soul’s need for rest at least one day a week. Muslims take their rest on Friday; Jews, on
Saturday, and Christians, on Sunday. All
comply with this mandate.
We may have heard the statement, “Love and do what you will.”
If we always knew how to love truly, we could agree. But as fallible as humans are, we need the
Ten Commandments so that our love may be on the mark.
