Father John Gerard Hillier

Article 150 - Catechism of the Catholic Church Series Paragraphs 2133-2159 We have all heard it said in our grammar school “geography lessons” that all the rivers of the world flow to the ocean. Similarly, it can be said, that all words uttered under Heaven reach the “mind” of God. Thus, the Second Commandment teaches that words matter, especially when referencing the Divine Name, as well as the Christian name given at Baptism.

In this article we continue to reflect on the First Commandment: “You shall have no other gods before me” (Ex 20:3). Did you know that certain activities considered hobbies or pass-times by some are actually sins that break this First Commandment? It is common practice, for example, for many people to check their “horoscopes” each day, often on the Internet but still available in most newspapers, too. When a person becomes fixated on such things, this “thing”, according to the Catechism, can easily become a “false god.”

In the classic theological text “A Companion To The Summa,” author W. Farrell explains that there are Americans who hold strange and dangerous theories about the nature of religion. Some teach that religion was born of ignorance, and will disappear with the coming of knowledge. Others hold that “religion is a manifestation of fear, cowardice, and a desire to escape.” Still others look upon “religion as a sop for failure, an excuse for lack of accomplishment and drive, the opiate of the downtrodden keeping them satisfied with the unsatisfying things of life.” Some even belong to religious sects in which religion can be described as an emotional outburst, satisfying the side of human nature that escapes knowledge. Yes, for some Americans today religion is merely a matter of feeling and as varied and independent as the emotions of each individual (Farrell, III, 297).