Published in the bulletin of Holy Ghost Catholic Church in Knoxville, TN, on 5th Sunday of Lent.
My dear Parishioners,
Peace! There are nine (9) “In Brief” articles in the Catechism of the Catholic Church addressing the First Commandment of the Decalogue, ‘You shall not have other gods.’ The following is a reflection on CCC 2140.
The First Commandment is to have no other gods but God. Put another way, we are to believe in the One Only God. Psalm 14:1 instructs us in part: “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’” When we break the First Commandment and reject God Himself, chances are we will likewise disregard the other Commandments, all of which are but a revealed expression of the Natural Law, and as Saint Thomas Aquinas (+1274) reminds us “The natural law is something appointed by reason” (ST Q. 94, A. 1).
To reject God is a sin against the First Commandment. God has revealed Himself, of old in many and various ways, through the glory and splendor of Creation, through the prophets, ultimately in His Son (cf. Acts 14:15; Romans 1:25; Ephesians 3:9; Hebrews 1:1; Genesis 1–3; Isaiah 44:24; Jeremiah 10:16; 51:19; Psalm 104; Proverbs 22–31). Whenever we sin we reject God. Whenever we refuse to submit our hearts and minds to Almighty God and His holy will we break the First Commandment. There are two Greek terms which are good for us to consider: Ktistes for God as Creator and Theos for God the Supreme Divinity (cf. 1 Peter 4:19).
To refuse the existence of God is a sin against the First Commandment. There is a difference between rejecting God and refusing His existence. It is one thing to not adore God, to not follow His holy will… It is something altogether different to deny His existence. Both are sins against the First Commandment.
Atheism is a sin against the First Commandment. Pope Pius XI (1922–1939) wrote an encyclical letter on atheistic communism Divini Redemptoris (19 March, 1937). The late Henri Marie-Joseph Cardinal de Lubac, S.J. (+1991) wrote an entire volume on The Drama of Atheist Humanism which focuses on Karl Marx (+1883) and Friedrich Nietzsche (+1900) who have become “poster boys” of sorts among certain atheists. Religion is not the “opiate of the people.” While Jesus Christ did die on the Holy Cross on Good Friday, He rose on Easter. The eternal Father and Spirit did not die on Good Friday. Nietzsche was not attempting to foster devotion to Christ Crucified by his repeating “God is dead” (in The Gay Science, Thus Spoke Zarathustra). Atheistic communism denies both the existence and prerogatives of God and the right to private property and individual rights. Materialistic atheism affirms individual rights (except those of God) and property rights (except God’s). Both forms of atheism are an affront to God’s sovereignty.
Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman (1801–1890) reminds us that “Ten thousand difficulties do not make oen doubt” (Apologia pro vita sua). A great prayer for us all: “Lord, I believer; help my unbelief” (Mark 9:24).
God bless you!
Father John Arthur Orr