The First Commandment
175. What is the First Commandment?
The first Commandment is, 'I am the Lord thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, and out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt not have strange gods before me. Thou shalt not make to thyself any graven thing, nor the likeness of anything that is in heaven above, nor in the earth beneath, nor of those things that are in the waters under the earth. Thou shalt not adore them nor serve them.
176. What are we commanded to do by the first Commandment?
By the first Commandment we are commanded to worship the one, true, and living God, by Faith, Hope, Charity, and Religion.
177. What are the sins against Faith?
The sins against Faith are all false religions, wilful doubt, disbelief, or denial of any article of Faith, and also culpable ignorance of the doctrines of the Church.
178. How do we expose ourselves to the danger of losing our Faith?
We expose ourselves to the danger of losing our Faith by neglecting our spiritual duties, reading bad books, going to non-Catholic schools.
179. What are the sins against Hope?
The sins against Hope are despair and presumption.
180. What are the chief sins against Religion?
The chief sins against Religion are the worship of false gods or idols, and the giving to any creature whatsoever the honor which belongs to God alone.
181. Does the first Commandment forbid the making of images?
The first Commandment does not forbid the making of images, but the making of idols; that is, it forbids us to make idols to be adored or honored as gods.
182. Does the first Commandment forbid dealing with the devil and superstitious practices?
The first Commandment forbids all dealing with the devil and superstitious practices, such as consulting spiritualists and fortune-tellers, and trusting to charms, omens, dreams, and such like fooleries.
183. Are all sins of sacrilege and simony also forbidden by the first Commandment?
All sins of sacrilege and simony are also forbidden by the first Commandment.
184. Is it forbidden to give divine honor or worship to the Angels and Saints?
It is forbidden to give divine honor or worship to the Angels and Saints, for this belongs to God alone.
185. What kind of honor or worship should we give to the Angels and Saints?
We should pay to the Angels and Saints an inferior honor or worship, for this is due to them as the servants and special friends of God.
186. What honor should we give to relics, crucifixes, and holy pictures?
We should give to relics, crucifixes, and holy pictures a relative honor, as they relate to Christ and his Saints, and are memorials of them.
187. Do we pray to relics and images?
We do not pray to relics or images, for they can neither see, nor hear, nor help us.
Next - The Penny Catechism -The Second Commandment
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