Published in the bulletin of Holy Ghost Catholic Church in Knoxville, TN, on the 3rd Sunday of Lent.

3rd 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 2138.

We keep the First Commandment of God, to have no other gods, by believing in God and all that He has revealed. There are various ways this commandment is broken. Here we consider four different crimes against the First Commandment, four specific sins which deviate our worship of the One True God to sinful practices.

Superstition is a sin against the First Commandment of God. The Greek word deisidaimonia translates as ‘fearing demons’ (cf. Acts 17:22; 25:19). There are various superstitions to which people have falsely attributed powers. To break a mirror is dangerous because the shards, sharp as they are, may cut us or others. To walk under a ladder is to put ourselves in harms way, as the ladder or what is on it may fall upon us. In keeping the First Commandment we remember that God is God and He all powerful and provident.

Idolatry is a sin against the First Commandment of God. The Greek word eidololatreia and the Hebrew word trap him are translated as “idolatry” and “household idols” respectively. God alone is to be adored, not Zeus, Apollo, Mercury or the like. Similarly, wealth, fame, power, etc. are not to be worshiped either. Sacred Scripture identifies some of the false gods which were falsely worshiped: Baal, Astarte, Chemosh, Moloch, as well as the infamous golden calf (cf. Exodus 32:8, 19–35; Leviticus 18:21; 20:2–5; Numbers 21:29; 22:41; Judges 2:13; 11:24; 1 Kings 11:5–7; 14:23). Further forms of idolatry include the false worship of the stars, sun and moon as well as the signs of the Zodiac sometimes just called ‘the host of heaven’(cf. 2 Kings 17:16; 2 Kings 21:3–7; 23:4; Jeremiah 19:13; Ezekiel 8:16; Amos 5:26). The use of amulets, lucky charms and the like, while sadly commonplace, are nevertheless deviations from our faith in the One Only God. Because of the Incarnation, Jesus’ human nature (in the crib, on the Cross…) may be depicted in the various media (stone, paint, glass…) without being idolatrous or deviating the worship due to God alone.

Divination is a sin against the First Commandment of God (cf. Leviticus 19:26; Deuteronomy 18:10). The Hebrew word kehsem translates as a ‘lot,’ an oracle, witchcraft, divination. The sin derives from seeking knowledge beyond us, often by occult means. TheMagic is a sin against the First Commandment of God (cf. Exodus 22:18; Isaiah 2:6; 8:19; 2 Kings 9:22; 21:6; 2 Chronicles 33:6; Nahum 3:4; Acts 8:9; Galatians 5:20). Optical illusions and slight of hand are one thing while attempts at turn neighbors or siblings into toads or worse via occult powers offend against the First Commandment. Witchcraft (Hebrew kishsheph) and sorcery (Greek phamakeia) attempt to channel cosmic powers personally which properly belong to God alone.

God bless you!

Father John Arthur Orr