The Ten Commandments

God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses on Mount Sinai as the heart of his covenant with Israel. They are not arbitrary rules but the shape of the love that frees us: the first three direct us toward God, and the remaining seven toward our neighbor. Christ did not abolish them but fulfilled them in the law of love (Matt 22:37–40).

The Church teaches that the Decalogue, read in the light of the Gospel, binds every person of every time and place. It is the minimum of justice, not the maximum of sanctity — but without it, sanctity is a pretense.

The Commandments

1. I am the Lord your God: you shall not have strange gods before me.

2. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.

3. Remember to keep holy the Lord's Day.

4. Honor your father and your mother.

5. You shall not kill.

6. You shall not commit adultery.

7. You shall not steal.

8. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

9. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife.

10. You shall not covet your neighbor's goods.

The Great Commandment

When asked which commandment was the greatest, Jesus replied:

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments." — Matthew 22:37–40

Every commandment, kept in the Spirit, is an act of this love. Every sin against the commandments is a failure of this love — toward God, toward neighbor, or toward the dignity of one's own soul.