Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Deut 6, 13-14 You shall not follow other gods

(Deut 6, 13-14) You shall not follow other gods

[13] The LORD, your God, shall you fear; him shall you serve, and by his name shall you swear. [14] You shall not follow other gods, such as those of the surrounding nations,

(CCC 2096) Adoration is the first act of the virtue of religion. To adore God is to acknowledge him as God, as the Creator and Savior, the Lord and Master of everything that exists, as infinite and merciful Love. "You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve," says Jesus, citing Deuteronomy (Lk 4:8; Cf. Deut 6:13). (CCC 2150) The second commandment forbids false oaths. Taking an oath or swearing is to take God as witness to what one affirms. It is to invoke the divine truthfulness as a pledge of one's own truthfulness. An oath engages the Lord's name. "You shall fear the LORD your God; you shall serve him, and swear by his name" (Deut 6:13). (CCC 2084) God makes himself known by recalling his all-powerful loving, and liberating action in the history of the one he addresses: "I brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage." The first word contains the first commandment of the Law: "You shall fear the LORD your God; you shall serve him.... You shall not go after other gods" (Deut 6:13-14). God's first call and just demand is that man accept him and worship him.

No comments: