This weekend the Church
is celebrating the Feast of Christ the King. Moving it to the end of the
Liturgical year in the Novus Ordo gives the feast a kind of ‘parousial’ feel;
something along the lines of “in the end, Christ will reign over all”. While it
is undoubtedly true that Christ will reign in over all at the end of time, the
reality is that Christ has a social kingship over man even now; thus one reason
for the Ten Commandments. On the Feast of Christ the King when we in the UK pray
for the youth, it is useful to remind ourselves that when the young man in the
Gospel asked Our Lord what he had to do to inherit eternal life Our Lord said
‘keep the Commandments’ (Matt.19v16,17).
Yet to the detriment of
souls, The Commandments are often ignored today as outdated –even by the
highest ranking of prelates who currently seek to eliminate the practicalities
of the 6th and 9th Commandments under the guise of mercy.
They, like many today, seem to defer to majority of public opinion and to the
legality of an act rather than its moral quality; they allow folk to determine
their choices by whether or not an act is legal or illegal, rather than morally
right or wrong. To act this way is to abandon our duty to give precedence to
God by giving precedence to the State and it’s laws; it is to follow a false
god. While the right to determine the legality of an act rightly belongs to the
Government, the right to determine the moral quality of an act as right or
wrong belongs to God alone, and this moral quality is expressed in the Ten
Commandments.
The Ten Commandments are
not simply social justice directives or cold laws to prove loyalty to God, but
a Charter for our Individual Character
Formation so that we become morally good and ‘fit-in’ with God when
we die: God is He Who Is, therefore we honour and serve Him above all people,
places and things (we keep holy the Sabbath); God is holy, so we respect is
Holy Name (we do not take the Lord’s name in vain); God is faithful, so we are
faithful (we do not commit adultery); God is Truth, so we are truthful in all
we say and do (we do not bear false witness, we do not steal); God is Life
therefore we protect and promote human life which is made in His image(we do
not kill); God is generous with His gifts, (so we do not covet our neighbours
goods; we are content with what we have). If we want to form our character into one that fits with God and able to live with
Him in heaven, then we need to keep the Commandments and teach others -especially the
youth- to do the same in this God-forsaking world. We have already denied youth
the Truth by removing the ‘Penny Catechism’ from schools; we have already
denied them an act of worship that focuses them on God. We are now denying them
even the Ten Commandments and thus the ability to form their character for Heaven.
The Feast of Christ the King reminds
us that our Lord is King of the Universe from beginning to end; in time and in eternity.
And while the Church as Christ’s Body on earth is not obliged to rule each country
as its government, all governments should recognise the ultimate and Absolute
Sovereignty of Christ and ensure statutory laws are consistent with the Ten
Commandments. If they pass laws contrary to the Law of God they set themselves
up as an alternative authority to Christ; those who then follow the law of the
land rather than the law of God abandon Christ to follow instead the sitting President
or Prime Minister, breaking the very first Commandment: “Thou shalt have no
gods before me”.
It is God’s right to be honoured and served as God; it is His
due to have all bow before Him and conform themselves to Him, whether they be
Monarch, President or Prime Minister. It is to our eternal good that we follow
the Ten Commandments, and to our eternal detriment if we do not. Thank God for
Confession! And go often: “Those who are accustomed to receiving Communion
often or daily should be instructed that they should approach the Sacrament of
Penance at appropriate intervals, in accordance with the condition of each”
(Redemptionis Sacramemtum #86, CDF/CDWDS, 2004); “Daily or frequent
communicants should be instructed to go to confession regularly, depending on
their individual needs” (Eucharisticum mysterium #35, Sacred
Congregation of Rites, 1967)
Practicing Catholics know that holy communion always presupposes confession and a state of grace.
ReplyDeleteNot only does the Catechism not feature in many of the Church's schools, it also doesn't feature in many diocesan pastoral plans and sacramental preparation programmes.
I have never considered the Commandments as forming my character before, but it makes sense. Thank you for pointing this up Father.
ReplyDeleteGeorge.
There is a movement in the Church these days to downplay the Ten Commandments as well as that summary of the First, and of the others as in Mark 12 : 31. As part of this drive, various alternative commandments are proposed. This is part of the Relativism spreading throughout the Church at present.
ReplyDeleteThe Commandments are concerned with behaviour, that is with sin. It is therefore sinful to commit adultery and to lust after your neighbours wife. Since the Relativists' ultimate aim is to abolish sin, we can understand their position.
(stick to the Ten Commandments Anonymous, don't be put off!)