INSTRUCTION V.

ON THE COMMANDMENTS

Commandments of God and of the Church.-Their Obligation and Distinctions.-Division of the Decalogue.-Things commanded and forbidden by the First Commandment.-Honour given to the Saints.--Kinds of Honour. -Supreme.-Inferior.-Relative. -Sins against Faith.-Sundays and Holidays.-Which are the Holidays-Way of observing them.-Fasting and Abstinence. Rules of Fasting.—Which are the Fasting Days?-Reasons of Exemption.—Advantages of Fasting.-Easter Communion.— Time appointed for it.-Obligation of receiving Viaticum.Summary of the Obligations of a Catholic.--Grace of Conversion.

In the last instruction I gave you an account of the different things you would have to do, in order to be received into the Catholic Church.

I now come to another consideration.

What are the particular duties and obligations which are binding on you as a member of Christ's Church? You remember that your profession of faith is not merely an abstract expression of belief, but is also a solemn recognition of the authority of the Church over you, and a promise of loyalty and obedience to her.

What does this obedience involve?

This leads me to speak of the Commandments, about which there are some questions which want explanation.

We sometimes hear about the Commandments of God, and the Commandments of the Church.

the difference between them?

What is

In the first place you have to understand that both kinds of commandments rest on precisely the same authority. It does not in the least matter whether a thing is commanded by God Himself immediately, or whether we are told to do it by the Church in His name. In both cases our motive for observing the commandment, if we do observe it, is the obedience we owe to God, whilst if we neglect it, the sin is just the game in both cases-disobedience to God.

There are, however, some important distinctions between them, which come from the kind of commandment, not from any difference in authority.

The Commandments of God are generally about great principles of right and wrong, which can never alter, but bind under any circumstances.

The laws of the Church are generally about practical duties, which vary very much with circumstances. The laws of the Church are not in general intended to bind you to do anything which would be a real hardship, so circumstances may easily occur which give you an exemption from them.

For instance: "Thou shalt love the Lord with thy Whole heart" This is a command of God, You can

understand that no possible circumstances will excuse you from keeping it. "You shall hear Mass every Sunday." This is a command of the Church, and you will at once see that many reasons will exempt you from the obligation of obeying it. For example, if you were on a sick-bed, or out at sea.

Moreover, all commands of the Church can be changed, or dispensed with by the authority of the Church, whereas the laws of God admit of no dispen

sation.

I have now a few things to say about the decalogue, or ten commandments.

You will observe that the division of these ten commandments amongst Catholics is not the one used by Protestants.

What Protestants call the first and second commandments, Catholics call the first: again, what we call the ninth and tenth commandments, Protestants call the tenth. In this way the numbers of nearly all the commandments are changed.

The reason why this division is adopted by the Church, is that the words, "Thou shalt not make to thyself any graven thing, nor the likeness of any thing in the heaven above, or in the earth beneath, nor in the waters under the earth; thou shalt not adore them nor serve them," are manifestly part of the commandment which tells us to worship the only "One true and living God," and not to have "strange gods" before Him, whilst "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife," and "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's

goods," forbid sins of thought, which differ greatly in character.

Under the First Commandment come a number of subjects on which it is necessary to speak.

It has, like the commandments generally, two parts, positive and negative; it tells you what you must do, and also what you must not do.

It commands you to give God the honour and worship which are due to Him. This worship consists of four things-Faith, Hope, Charity, and the Virtue of Religion; that is the virtue which regulates the service to be offered to God.

All these things may be called the worship of God. Faith is the worship of our understanding. If you submit your understanding to believe His teaching, then you worship His Infinite Wisdom and Truth. Hope is the worship of your desires. Whatever you make your last end, that is to say the last and highest object of your desires and wishes, you may be said to worship, and this worship you are bound to give to God.

Charity is the worship of the affections. You worship God by making Him the first object of your love.

Religion teaches you to worship God, by giving Him that external homage of reverence and service which belong to Him.

It is the virtue of Religion which makes people observe all the commandments of the Church.

If you neglect those things which are commanded the Church, as part of the worship due to God, then

you are sinning not only against the particular command of the Church, but also against the First Com mandment.

The First Commandment forbids four different sorts of things, which are detailed in the Catechism.

1. Idolatry.

2. Unbelief, or Misbelief. We are bound not only to believe in God, and worship Him, but to believe in Him rightly, that is exactly as He has Himself revealed, and to worship Him as He has Himself commanded. False religion, therefore, to those who are in any way responsible for it, is a grievous sin.

3. Any kind of dealing with the devil, or attempting to do so. All attempts at divination, at communicating with departed spirits, of which we sometimes hear, are forbidden.

4. Superstition.

Under this commandment I must speak about the honour paid to the Blessed Virgin Mary and to the Saints.

The Catechism, you will see, says: "It is not forbidden to give them an inferior honour, for this is due to them as the servants and special friends of God."

Now there are three sorts of honour different from each other not in degree, but in kind; that is to say, they are different not only because one is greater than the other, but because their nature is different.

These three are (1.) Supreme or Divine Honour:

(2.) Inferior Honour.

(3) Relative Honour.