“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.” – Exodus 20:7; Deuteronomy 5:11 NRSVCE
Is this commandment really that important? Is it that big of a deal if we misuse the name of God? In short, YES and YES.
The Second Commandment is one of only ten commandments that were handed down from God. When God handed down these commandments, He made this the second commandment…not the tenth. It is on the list ahead of commandments like thou shall not steal, shall not commit adultery, and thou shall not kill. That suggests that this is pretty important.
The Second Commandment flows perfectly from the First Commandment. If you’re following the First Commandment and putting God first, it would be natural that you would honor Him, give Him the utmost respect with the highest reverence, and never take His name in vain. Unfortunately, in today’s world, the name of God is often dishonored and this commandment broken.
It happens so often in our culture that you can miss all the times it is violated. At home, at work, in school, in the community, on tv, in movies, social media and books, God’s name is dishonored. Even people that appear to be strong in their faith often use the name of God the Father, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, Mary, the Saints, etc. in cursing, to express something upsetting or to show surprise. These are sins and breaking the Second Commandment.
Using our Lord’s name in vain shows how we approach Him in our lives. If we ignore this Commandment, how can we ever begin to develop a close personal relationship? We should avoid breaking this Commandment at all costs if we truly love and honor God.
We honor our own names and our family name with great respect, don’t we? Why wouldn’t we do the same for God and even more so for Him?
WHAT DOES THE COMMANDMENT REQUIRE?
According to Catholic Harbor of Faith and Morals, the 2nd commandment demands the due reverence and honor be given to all the names used for God and forbids the abuse of any of these names. This includes the names of God, Jesus Christ, but also of the Virgin Mary and all the saints” (Catechism 2146). This would include disrespectfully using the words of Scriptures, cursing and profanity.
We honor by publicly acknowledging Him as our Lord and Savior, respectfully hearing and meditating on His word, praising and thanking Him both in adversity and prosperity, asking for His help, and taking and keeping lawful oaths and vows.
According to Catholic Answers, any oath is calling on God to witness the truth of what one says or promises. To be a lawful oath, the one swearing must affirm what he/she believes to be true or promise what he/she intends to fulfill, it must be made prudently and in a serious manner, it must be just (for example, fulfilling an unjust oath to steal would be a sin). An oath is a profession of faith in God and promotes justice and peace among men. False oaths call on God to be witness to a lie. Perjury is a grave offense against the Lord who is always faithful to his promises (Catechism 2163). A vow is a deliberate promise made to God regarding something which is good and within our power.
The Second Commandment forbids the improper use of God’s name (Catechism 2146), and especially blasphemy, which “consists in uttering against God—inwardly or outwardly—words of hatred, reproach, or defiance… It is also blasphemous to make use of God’s name to cover up criminal practices, to reduce peoples to servitude, to torture persons or put them to death … Blasphemy … is in itself a grave sin” (Catechism 2148).
It also forbids false oaths (Catechism 2150). Taking an oath is to take God as a witness for what is affirmed (for example, to guarantee a promise or a testimony, to prove the innocence of a person unjustly accused or suspected, or to put an end to litigation and controversy, etc.). There are circumstances when an oath is lawful if it is taken in truth and justice, and if it is necessary, as may be the case in a trial or on assuming office (Catechism 2154). Otherwise, the Lord teaches us not to swear: Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ (Matthew 5:37; Catechism 2153).
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
“A name expresses a person’s essence and identity and the meaning of this person’s life. God has a name; He is not an anonymous force” (Catechism 203). A name conveys the reality of a person—the origin, the history, the very being of the person. That is why people are protective about their names and expect them to be treated with honor. The name of God obviously deserves the highest honor and respect and the Lord gives us a commandment that asks for reverence for His name.
When Jesus taught us to pray, He said to pray like this, “Our Father who art in Heaven hallowed by thy name” (Matthew 6:9-13; Luke 11:2-4). The term “hallowed” means in this context “to recognize as holy, to treat in a holy way” (Catechism 2807). This is what we do when we adore, praise or give thanks to God. But “hallowed be thy name” is also one of the petitions of the Our Father: in saying it we ask that his name be hallowed through us, that is, that we give him glory by our life and that others may glorify him (Matthew 5:16). “The sanctification of his name among the nations depends inseparably on our life and our prayer.” (Catechism 2814).
In ancient Israel, the name was a deeply sacred thing. A name—and especially a person’s name—expresses the essence of that person. To know someone’s name was to know them. To name, or rename, someone was to reflect a fundamental change in who they are (for example, when Abram was named Abraham, Jacob was called Israel, Simon was named Peter, Saul was named Paul).
Consider the power of invoking the name of Jesus Christ. There are a number of instances in the Bible where the name of Jesus is invoked by the Apostles to heal. For example, in Acts 3, when Peter heals the crippled beggar who was lame since birth, Peter invokes the name of Jesus, “But Peter said, ‘I have no silver or gold, but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk.’” When the Israelites are all amazed by this healing, Peter explains further, “And by faith in his name, his name itself has made this man strong, whom you see and know; and the faith that is through Jesus has given him this perfect health in the presence of all of you.” Think about that for a moment. Consider the supernatural power of God’s name. If invoking His name is so powerful, imagine how much it hurts God when it is misused.
God cannot be fully grasped through human concepts and no name can fully represent Him however by revealing His name, He is revealing a part of Himself. He is allowing us to know Him better and allows for a more intimate relationship. We experience a tiny glimpse of that intimacy when someone we’ve known and referred to them as Mr., Ms. or Mrs. turns to us and says, “Call me Mike.” or “Call me Mary.” We sense it in a negative way when somebody who should know your name and forgets it. Think about how you feel when someone often calls you the wrong name or mispronounces your name.
WHAT CAN WE DO TO FOLLOW THE SECOND COMMANDMENT?
As disciples of Jesus Christ, we strive to bring others to the faith. I’ve heard Matthew Kelly talk about how the Apostles attracted others to Jesus because they talked differently, they lived differently and they loved differently. So how can you follow and promote following the Second Commandment? It starts with ourselves which in some cases may mean talking differently, living differently and loving differently.
Is it possible that we could pay attention to our language and stop using profanity, even when angry? Is it ridiculous to think that we could object when someone using the Lord’s name inappropriately? Could we make an ask for forgiveness and say a quick prayer of reparation for someone when they use the Lord’s name in vain? This is important. If we don’t tell our kids, family, friends and coworkers that we don’t like to hear God’s name used in that way, who will?
If you’re looking for a specific prayer of reparation in this case, the Golden Arrow prayer is an important prayer that Jesus gave to Sister Mary of St. Peter, a Carmelite nun in France, in August of 1843. Sister Mary called it “an Act of Praise that our Lord Himself dictated to me, notwithstanding my unworthiness, for the reparation of Blasphemy (insulting or disrespectful thoughts or behavior) against His Holy Name.”
HOW CAN WE APPLY THIS TO OUR FAITH?
- God’s name should only be used to bless, praise or glorify and not be abused in hateful words, false oaths, anger, reproaches or defiance of God.
- Follow the commandment, stand up for the commandment, guide others to do the same. You get what you tolerate. Don’t tolerate violations in your presence. Pray for reparation.
- If we say God’s name in vain, intentionally, or even accidentally as a knee-jerk reaction, we should go to confession and confess it and any other sins that the Holy Spirit may be prompting us to confess.
- According to The Fatima Center, Catholics are bound to bow their heads at the Holy Name of Jesus. The practice of bowing the head at the mention of the Holy Name was formally written into the law of the Church at the Second Council of Lyons in 1274 AD. Additionally, the bow of the head is also to be made at the mention of the Holy Name of Mary, the Holy Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit), as well as when the name of the saint in whose honor the Mass is being offered. Therefore, we should bow our heads during these times and we should teach our family members to do likewise.
- Reverential capitalization refers to the practice of capitalizing any pronouns that refer to God: either to the Blessed Trinity or any of the Divine Persons. (e.g., He, Him, His, My, Himself, etc.)
- When we hear someone uses God’s name inappropriately, we can ask them to stop unless it is likely to cause them to do it more. The Fatima Center offers another strategy so that whenever someone says “Jesus” in a vain way to say “have mercy on us” or a similar line. By doing this, we turn this into a prayer which may be more likely to change the other’s behavior.
- As with any of the Commandments, it’s important to contemplate where you may have violated this Commandment when doing an examination of conscience prior to going to confession. Where you may have gone against this commandment, confess, repent, make it right as best you can, and ask for forgiveness. God knows our heart. He knows if there is true humility for acknowledgment of the sin, true contrition for the sin, and the true desire to repent and avoid the sin in the future. Without these things, forgiveness is not possible. God gives us the path and the grace for forgiveness however He also gives us the free will to choose to accept His grace and take the path to forgiveness or take a different path.
- Examination of conscience: Do I use God’s name carelessly, in anger, or in surprise? Have I wished evil on anyone or anything? Have I failed to keep promises that I have made to God? Have I spoken about the Faith, the Church, the Saints, or sacred things with irreverence? Have I watched television or movies, or listened to music that treated God, the Church, the saints, or sacred things irreverently? Have I used vulgar, suggestive, or obscene speech? Have I belittled others in my speech? Have I committed perjury (breaking an oath or lying under oath) Have I blamed God for any of my failings?
HOW CAN WE APPLY THIS TO OUR FAMILY?
- In addition to the suggestions applying to our faith, we can live our life following the commandment to lead by example for our family. We can help our kids to understand the meaning and why it’s important so they can be the example and teach others.
- “The purpose of a family is to help one another become the-best-version-of-ourselves and in the process contribute to the greater good of society and humanity.” – Building Better Families: A Practical Guide to Raising Amazing Children, Matthew Kelly
- “Your salvation and the salvation of those closest to you depend upon how well you live your family life together.” – Mission of the Family, Jon Leonetti
- When you make commitments to others, keep our commitments. Be transparent in our communications. Don’t minimize, rationalize, make excuses. “Do not swear at all… Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No’; anything more than this comes from the evil one.” (Matthew 5:33-37)
HOW CAN WE APPLY THIS TO OUR BUSINESS?
- In addition to the suggestions applying to our faith and family, we can guide our business community by leading by example. If we see the commandment being broken, we should address it as a disciple of Jesus Christ.
- “Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.” – Jack Welch
- In the business world, there are a multitude of contracts, agreements, waivers, etc. that are signed and agreed to on a regular basis. These are oaths. Oaths should be taken sparingly and when they are taken, we need to keep them.
- Ultimately, all of these contracts, agreements, waivers, etc. will be enforced in court. In court, you will take an oath to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. To not tell the truth about these contracts, agreements or hide the truth or try to prevent the truth from being uncovered, would be a grave violation of this commandment. In other words, be clear on the oaths you take, the commitments you make and don’t try to avoid the truth, shade the truth, or hide the truth after they are made.
- Sometimes people will try to deflect their responsibility when they participate in a lie by indicating that they didn’t actually say the lie and yet they don’t do anything to correct what they know to be untrue. This is just an excuse because a lie not corrected is a lie still being told.
“Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name.”
Take care and God bless. I’m praying for you. Please pray for me.
ADDITIONAL WISDOM FROM THE BIBLE
- “Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.’ But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is the footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or blac, Let your word, be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No”; anything more than this comes from the evil one.” – Matthew 5:33-37 NRSVCE
- “When a man makes a vow to the LORD, or swears an oath to bind himself by a pledge, he shall not break his word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.” – Numbers 30:2 NRSVCE
- “Above all, my beloved, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “Yes” be yes and your “No” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.” – James 5:12 NRSVCE
- “Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name!” – Psalms 103:1 NRSVCE
- “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved.” – Acts 4:12 NRSVCE
- “O LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you, I will praise your name; for you have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure.” – Isaiah 25:1 NRSVCE
- “Pray then in this way: Our Father in heaven, hallowed by your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not bring us to the time of trial, but rescue us from the evil one.” – Matthew 6:9-13; Luke 11:2-4 NRSVCE