1. I, the Lord, am your God. You shall not have other gods besides me.
2. You shall not take the name of the Lord 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
9. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife
10. You shall not covet your neighbor's goods
Father Pacwa on EWTN was telling the viewers that we can let God mold and shape us, our hearts and minds, or we can let the culture do that; it's a constant struggle, a battle, to remember that we belong to God. That we are His people and that He wants us to live according to His laws, His precepts, His viewpoint, and to eschew all others -- commandment one.
How often have I exclaimed without thinking, in a moment's thoughtlessness -- Oh, my god! And, I wasn't really talking to God. It was an expletive. A statement made taking His name in vain. Please God, help me. Put a watch upon my mouth - a seal- that I might not sin against you. commandment two.
Do I go to mass every single Sunday? Do I sometimes think, "Oh, this one time not going will be fine". Do I have amnesia? Do I forget that Christ died for my sins and awaits me in the Holy Eucharist? commandment three.
Often I find myself criticizing my parents -- my husband's parents, for past deeds (they are all deceased now); I see that that action is not loving or honoring them. commandment four.
While I can honestly say that I have never killed another human being, can I honestly say that I have not grievously hurt them by gossiping? By being uncharitable with my thoughts? commandment five.
Jesus said that even thinking of another person in a lustful way is to commit adultery -- what am I thinking when I see soft porn on the weekly tv shows, near naked men in magazines selling this or that, billboards, or book covers, with well muscled men? commandment six.
I admit, in the past I have taken pens or notepads home from work thinking to myself, "it's not really stealing. I'm going to take them back; and besides, I'm using it for work related things". But, the pens, pencils, and paper never make it back to work. commandment seven.
Have I born false witness against another? Have I said something that isn't quite true for whatever reason, about another person? commandment eight.
Well, I can say that I do not covet my neighbor's wife, but maybe I think her husband is a pretty great guy? Maybe I wish sometimes that my husband was like him? commandment nine.
Envy is the way I would think about commandment ten: do I envy my neighbor's things? Am I unhappy with the things that God has provided and want more?
I think of God's commandments and how to apply them to my own life and how I can allow God to change me. Please God, 'Hear my prayer, and create in me a clean heart that I might not sin against You'.
