The 10 Commandments: Love the Lord your God

The commandments tell us how to live our lives each day. They are based on natural law, the rules that are written in us by God that express the dignity of all people.

The commandments are familiar to us all, but how do we explain them to our children in their terms? The first three commandments address how we are to show our love for God. Take a minute to talk to your child about them and engage with them about what it means to love God in their lives.

I am the Lord, your God. You shall not have strange gods before me.

Place you faith in God alone. Don’t make other things more important than God.

• Do I always put God first?
• How might I put God ahead of my favorite thing?
• Are there things that keep me from praying regularly?

You shall not take the name of the Lord, your God, in vain.

Don’t talk about God, Mary or the saints in a disrespectful way.

• Do I talk about God with respect?
• Do I say or write OMG? How could I change this habit?
• Am I respectful not just in my words and actions, but also in my heart?

Remember to keep holy the Lord’s Day.

Sunday’s are for celebrating the Eucharist and spending time with family and those in need.

• Do I go to Mass every Sunday?
• Do I wait until the last minute to do my homework on Sunday?
• Do I make it hard for my family to go to Mass by moving slowly, making it difficult for my parents, or otherwise stalling?
• Am I making Sunday a time for God, instead of a time for me?