Do The Ten Commandments Apply in a Post-Christian Culture?
Violating One Disrupts an Organic Unity
My companion all through 2023 has been the “Catechism in a Year” (CIY) podcast with Fr. Mike Schmitz. I followed Fr. Mike’s more famous podcast, “Bible in a Year” during the two previous years. When I finished the first time, I felt like I was leaving behind an old friend (the good Father’s voice kind of grows on you after a while), so I went through it again one more time the very next year. To avoid that same sense of loss, I decided to do the CIY this year.
But actually, I really wanted an external encouragement to push me through the Catholic Church’s teachings as summarized in the Catechism. Previously, I consulted the book much like I would any other reference book, not something I read cover-to-cover.
This external prodding really helped. I disliked the thought of getting behind with the episodes, and even if I got behind by as little as three, I always felt the need to catch up and stay current. But even better, I made a point of reading ahead, so that when Father read the passages for the day, this was a second time going through them for me. This of course helped in my retaining better the words expounded upon from this literature of wisdom and truth.
But even better, not only does Father read the pages of the book, he also expounds upon the matters discussed. This has been invaluable to me. I often find myself quoting something from what Father said in previous days.
As of this writing we are within the last 50 days of the year. We’re near the end of Part 3, “Life in Christ,” which goes through in detail the Ten Commandments. These are the laws given to us by God himself; all of our traditional Western laws are based upon them.
The first three are about loving God; the final seven concern our love of neighbor. It is said that the original stone tables given to Moses were arranged as such—three on one, seven on the other.
An interesting point I learned was that if you violate one, you violate them all. As the Catechism states:
“The Decalogue (another name for the Ten Commandments) forms a coherent whole. Each ‘word’ refers to each of the others and to all of them; they reciprocally condition one another. The two tables shed light upon one another; they form an organic unity. To transgress one commandment is to infringe upon all the others.”
It is easy to see this. If you’re having an affair with another man’s wife, violating the 6th (see below for the list), you’ve likely coveted, against the 9th (and the spirit of the 10th), and then lied about it, violating the 8th along the way. You’re certainly not honoring God (1st through 3rd) or your parents (the 4th) by your actions, and you’re stealing someone else’s spouse, a violation of the 7th. Violating the 6th can often lead into the territory of the 5th (just watch a few “true crime” shows and you’ll see what I mean).
In this post Christian culture, the Ten Commandments are increasingly being disregarded—to the peril of our society and our individual souls. In particular, our culture has been turning away from following the 5th Commandment, which forbids the killing of the innocent. In fact, States, even “Red” ones, have voted in laws that violate this Commandment.
Human laws cannot re-write God’s laws, and there will be a reckoning.
God have mercy on us all.
Here’s the list, in the traditional catechetical formula:
1. I am the Lord your God: you shall not have other Gods before me.
2. You shall not take the name of the Lord your 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 against your neighbor.
9. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife.
10. You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods.