THE COMMANDMENTS: A YES TO VALUES

When we hear the word “commandment,” we easily shy away. There are too many “don’ts” at a time when we want to be free and think real freedom means we can do what we want. But old Moses is wise and has calmed down. He doesn’t thunder anymore like before. He puts a simple reality before the Israelites and before us: There are two ways. You have the choice because God has given you freedom. One way is to see the commandments of God for what they are — loving signposts along the road of life that we might go in the right direction — and obey so that we may be blessed by God and reach our goal. The other choice is to disobey and face the consequences.

       Pope Benedict XVI, in a homily he delivered on September 8, 2007 in Austria, gave an interesting twist to the many don’ts and makes us aware that the commandments of God are all a “yes” to a great value. And I quote him: “To gaze upon Christ! If we do this, we realize that Christianity is more than and different from a moral code, from a series of requirements and laws… it is the gift of friendship. For this reason, it also contains within itself great moral strength which is so urgently needed today on account of the challenges of our time… The Ten Commandments are, first and foremost, a ‘yes’ to God, to a God who loves us and leads us, who carries us and yet allows us our freedom: indeed, it is He who makes our freedom real (the first three commandments). It is a ‘yes’ to the family (fourth commandment), a ‘yes’ to life (fifth commandment), a ‘yes’ to responsible love (sixth commandment), a ‘yes’ to solidarity, to social responsibility and to justice (seventh commandment), a ‘yes’ to truth (eighth commandment), and a ‘yes’ to respect other people and what is theirs (ninth and tenth commandments). By the strength of our friendship with the living God, we live this manifold ‘yes’ and at the same time carry it as a signpost into this world of ours today.” Fr. Rudy Horst, SVD