You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain [Exodus 20:7; Deuteronomy 5:11]
You have heard that it was said to the men of old, 'You shall not swear falsely.' But I say to you, Do not swear at all [Matthew 5:33-34].
1.1 What does the Second Commandment require of us?
1.1.1 Prescribes respect for the Lord's name
The CCC (no 2142) says
The second commandment prescribes RESPECT for the Lord's name. Like the first commandment, it belongs to the virtue of religion and more particularly it governs our use of speech in sacred matters.
In revealing His name to us, God reveals His private and personal details. This is why the CCC (no 2143) teaches us that it is a sign of His trust.
Among all the words of Revelation, there is one which is unique: the revealed name of God. God CONFIDES HIS NAME to those who believe in him; he reveals himself to them in his personal mystery. The gift of a name belongs to the order of TRUST and INTIMACY. 'The Lord's name is holy.' For this reason man must not abuse it. He must keep it in mind in silent, loving adoration. He will not introduce it into his own speech except to bless, praise, and glorify it [cf Zechariah 2:13; Psalms 29:2; 96:2; 113:1-2].
1.1.2 Sense of the sacred
As mentioned above, we not only respect, but we have to BLESS, PRAISE, and GLORIFY God's name. We should have a sense of awe for God's name because it expresses God's essence. The CCC (2144) adds that
The sense of the sacred is part of the virtue of religion.
1.1.3 Fulfilling promises
The CCC (no 2147) teaches:
Promises made to others in God's name engage the divine honor, fidelity, truthfulness, and authority. They must be respected in justice. To be unfaithful to them is to misuse God's name and in some way to make God out to be a liar [cf I John 1:10]
1.1.4 Oaths
Point 2150 of the CCC explains what oaths are.
Taking an oath or swearing is to take God as witness to what one affirms. It is to invoke the divine truthfulness as a pledge of one's own truthfulness. An oath engages the Lord's name. 'You shall fear the LORD your God; you shall serve him, and swear by his name' [Deuteronomy 6:13].
Taking an oath is therefore a good and holy thing.
1.2 What does the Second Commandment prohibit?
1.2.1 Improper use of the name of God or of the saints
This is what point 2146 of the CCC says:
The second commandment forbids the ABUSE OF GOD'S NAME, i.e., every improper use of the names of God, Jesus Christ, but also of the Virgin Mary and all the saints.
This misuse includes using God's name for MAGICAL PURPOSES (cf CCC 2149).
1.2.2 Blasphemy
The CCC (no 2148) affirms:
BLASPHEMY is directly opposed to the second commandment. It consists
1.2.3 False oaths and perjury
There are types of oaths which use God's name WITHOUT any INTENTION TO BLASPHEME GOD. The CCC no 2149 says of this kind of oath:
Oaths which misuse God's name, though without the intention of blasphemy, show lack of respect for the Lord.
With regard to deliberate FALSE OATHS, however, the CCC says:
PERJURY is an abuse of God's name. The CCC (no 2152) explains:
A person commits perjury when he makes a promise under oath with no intention of keeping it, or when after promising on oath he does not keep it. Perjury is a grave lack of respect for the Lord of all speech.
1.2.4 Pledging to Commit Evil Deed
The CCC 2152 says that
Pledging oneself by oath to commit an evil deed is contrary to the holiness of the divine name.
1.3 The Christian Name
1.3.1 The Christian receives his name in the Church
Point 2156 of the CCC tells us:
The sacrament of Baptism is conferred 'in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit' [Matthew 28:19]. In Baptism, the Lord's name sanctifies man, and the Christian receives his name in the Church. This can be the name of a saint, that is, of a disciple who has lived a life of exemplary fidelity to the Lord. The patron saint provides a model of charity; we are assured of his intercession. The 'baptismal name' can also express a Christian mystery or Christian virtue. 'Parents, sponsors, and the pastor are to see that a name is not given which is foreign to Christian sentiment' [Code of Canon Law, canon 855].
1.3.2 God calls each one by name
The CCC (2158) points out a verse from Isaiah.
God calls each one by name [Isaiah 43:1]. Everyone's name is sacred. The name is the icon of the person. It demands respect as a sign of the dignity of the one who bears it.
Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work; but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work [Exodus 20:8-10; cf Deuteronomy 5:12-15].
The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath; so the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath [Mark 2:27-28].
2.1 The Lord's Day
2.1.1 The Sabbath
Point 450 of the CCCC (cf CCCC 2168-2172, 2189) asks, "Why did God 'bless the Sabbath day and declare it sacred' (Exodus 20:11)?" Then it explains:
God did so because on the Sabbath day one remembers God’s rest on the seventh day of creation, and also the liberation of Israel from slavery in Egypt and the Covenant which God sealed with his people.
The next point (451; cf CCC 2173) explains how Jesus not only respected the Sabbath but also reminded everyone of its real meaning.
Jesus recognized the holiness of the Sabbath day and with divine authority he gave this law its authentic interpretation: 'The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath' (Mark 2:27).
The CCC (no 2173) adds:
With compassion, Christ declares the sabbath for doing good rather than harm, for saving life rather than killing [Mark 3:4]. The sabbath is the day of the Lord of mercies and a day to honor God [cf Matthew 12:5; John 7:23].
2.1.2 For what reason has the Sabbath been changed to Sunday for Christians?
The CCCC (no 452; cf CCC 2174-2176, 2190-2191) explains this point.
The reason is because Sunday is the day of the RESURRECTION of Christ. As 'the first day of the week' (Mark 16:2) it recalls the first creation; and as the 'eighth day', which follows the sabbath, it symbolizes the new creation ushered in by the Resurrection of Christ. Thus, it has become for Christians the first of all days and of all feasts. It is the day of the Lord in which he with his Passover fulfilled the spiritual truth of the Jewish Sabbath and proclaimed man’s eternal rest in God.
It also happens that Sunday is associated with the FIRST DAY OF CREATION. In the Apostolic Letter Dies Domini (no 24), Pope John Paul II writes:
Christian thought spontaneously linked the Resurrection, which took place on 'the first day of the week,' with the first day of that cosmic week (cf Genesis 1:1 - 2:4) which shapes the creation story in the Book of Genesis: the day of the creation of light (cf 1:3-5). This link invited an understanding of the Resurrection as the beginning of a new creation, the first fruits of which is the glorious Christ, 'the first born of all creation' (Colossians 1:15) and 'the first born from the dead' (Colossians 1:18).
Moreover, PENTECOST also occurred on a Sunday. Point 20 of Dies Domini says:
The day of Pentecost--the first day of the eighth week after the Jewish Passover (cf Acts 2:1), when the promise made by Jesus to the Apostles after the Resurrection was fulfilled by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit (cf Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-5)--also fell on a Sunday. This was the day of the first proclamation and the first baptisms: Peter announced to the assembled crowd that Christ was risen and 'those who received his word were baptized' (Acts 2:41). This was the epiphany of the Church, revealed as the people into which are gathered in unity, beyond all their differences, the scattered children of God.
2.2 The Sunday Eucharist
2.2.1 Heart of the Church's Life
Point 19 of Dies Domini explains that Sunday is like a mini-Easter for each week. It says that the Christian Sunday leads
the faithful each week to ponder and live the event of Easter, true source of the world's salvation.
This is why the CCC (no 2177) teaches that
The Sunday celebration of the Lord's Day and his Eucharist is at the heart of the Church's life.
Sunday is the day on which the paschal mystery is celebrated in light of the apostolic tradition and is to be observed as the foremost holy day of obligation in the universal Church [Code of Canon Law, canon 1246 # 1]
Also to be observed are
the day of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Epiphany,
the Ascension of Christ,
the feast of the Body and Blood of Christi,
the feast of Mary the Mother of God,
her Immaculate Conception,
her Assumption,
the feast of Saint Joseph,
the feast of the Apostles Saints Peter and Paul, and
the feast of All Saints
[Code of Canon Law, canon 1246 # 2: "The conference of bishops can abolish certain holy days of obligation or transfer them to a Sunday with prior approval of the Apostolic See."]
2.2.2 The Sunday Obligation
How do we observe the Lord's Day?
Points 2180 and 2181 of the CCC explain:
The precept of the Church specifies the law of the Lord more precisely: 'On Sundays and other holy days of obligation the faithful are bound to participate in the Mass' [CIC, can. 1247] 'The precept of participating in the Mass is satisfied by assistance at a Mass which is celebrated anywhere in a Catholic rite either on the holy day or on the evening of the preceding day' [Code of Canon Law, canon 1248 # 1].
The Sunday Eucharist is the foundation and confirmation of all Christian practice. For this reason the faithful are obliged to participate in the Eucharist on days of obligation, unless excused for a serious reason (for example, illness, the care of infants) or dispensed by their own pastor [cf Code of Canon Law, canon 1245] Those who deliberately fail in this obligation commit a grave sin.
What about if there is no priest in my parish?
The CCC (no 2183) quotes the Code of Canon Law:
'If because of lack of a sacred minister or for other grave cause participation in the celebration of the Eucharist is impossible, it is specially recommended that the faithful take part in the Liturgy of the Word if it is celebrated in the parish church or in another sacred place according to the prescriptions of the diocesan bishop, or engage in prayer for an appropriate amount of time personally or in a family or, as occasion offers, in groups of families.' [Code of Canon Law, canon 1248 # 2]
2.3 A Day of Grace and of Rest from Work
Dies Domini (no 67) a chance to contemplate
2.3.1 God rested
The CCC (no 2184; cf no 2172) teaches us that
Just as God 'rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had done' [Genesis 2:2], human life has a rhythm of work and rest. The institution of the Lord's Day helps everyone enjoy adequate rest and leisure to cultivate their familial, cultural, social, and religious lives [cf Gaudium et Spes 67 # 3]
2.3.2 Avoid activities that hinder worship
In order to facilitate this, the CCC (no 2185) also adds:
On Sundays and other holy days of obligation, the faithful are to refrain from engaging in work or activities that hinder the worship owed to God, the joy proper to the Lord's Day, the performance of the works of mercy, and the appropriate relaxation of mind and body [cf Code of Canon Law, canon 120]. Family needs or important social service can legitimately excuse from the obligation of Sunday rest. The faithful should see to it that legitimate excuses do not lead to habits prejudicial to religion, family life, and health.
2.3.3 Time for reflection and silence
The need for rest is not for the sake of inactivity, or for giving way to laziness. Christian rest has a purpose. Thus, CCC (2186) says that
Sunday is a time for reflection, silence, cultivation of the mind, and meditation which furthers the growth of the Christian interior life.
2.3.4 Time for charity
The first part of point 2186, cited above, also says
Those Christians who have leisure should be mindful of their brethren who have the same needs and the same rights, yet cannot rest from work because of poverty and misery. Sunday is traditionally consecrated by Christian piety to good works and humble service of the sick, the infirm, and the elderly. Christians will also sanctify Sunday by devoting time and care to their families and relatives, often difficult to do on other days of the week.
2.3.5 Avoid making unnecessary demands on others
We should also help others rest by not requiring them to work. The CCC 2187 teaches:
Sanctifying Sundays and holy days requires a common effort. Every Christian should avoid making unnecessary demands on others that would hinder them from observing the Lord's Day. Traditional activities (sport, restaurants, etc.), and social necessities (public services, etc.), require some people to work on Sundays, but everyone should still take care to set aside sufficient time for leisure. With temperance and charity the faithful will see to it that they avoid the excesses and violence sometimes associated with popular leisure activities. In spite of economic constraints, public authorities should ensure citizens a time intended for rest and divine worship. Employers have a similar obligation toward their employees.
2.3.6 Christians should seek recognition of Sundays
The CCCC (no 454; cf CCC 2186-2188, 2194-2195) asks: "Why is the civil recognition of Sunday as a feast day important?"
It is important so that all might be given the real possibility of enjoying sufficient rest and leisure to take care of their religious, familial, cultural and social lives. It is important also to have an opportune time for meditation, for reflection, for silence, for study, and a time to dedicate to good works, particularly for the sick and for the elderly.