Catechism of the Catholic Church · Part Three · Section Two (§§2052–2557)
Contents
- Chapter One · You Shall Love the Lord Your God with All Your Heart, and with All Your Soul, and with All Your MindChapter · §§2083–2195
- Chapter Two · You Shall Love Your Neighbor as YourselfChapter · §§2196–2557
Paragraphs · 30
The Catechism's text is under copyright, so each paragraph is quoted briefly here with a link to the full text at vatican.va.
"Teacher, what must I do . . .?"
- §2052 — "Teacher, what good deed must I do, to have eternal life?" To the young man who asked this question,vatican.va
- §2053 — To this first reply Jesus adds a second: "If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to thevatican.va
- §2054 — Jesus acknowledged the Ten Commandments, but he also showed the power of the Spirit at work invatican.va
- §2055 — When someone asks him, "Which commandment in the Law is the greatest?" Jesus replies: "Youvatican.va
- §2056 — The word "Decalogue" means literally "ten words." God revealed these "ten words" to his peoplevatican.va
- §2057 — The Decalogue must first be understood in the context of the Exodus, God's great liberating event atvatican.va
- §2058 — The "ten words" sum up and proclaim God's law: "These words the Lord spoke to all your assembly at the mountain out of the midst of the fire, the cloud, and the thick darkness, with a loud voice; and he added no more.vatican.va
- §2059 — "). They belong to God's revelation of himself and his glory. the gift of the Commandments is the gift of God himself and his holy will.vatican.va
- §2060 — The gift of the commandments and of the Law is part of the covenant God sealed with his own. In Exodus, the revelation of the "ten words" is granted between the proposal of the covenant and its conclusion - after the people had committed themselves…vatican.va
- §2061 — The Commandments take on their full meaning within the covenant. According to Scripture, man'svatican.va
- §2062 — The Commandments properly so-called come in the second place: they express the implications ofvatican.va
- §2063 — The covenant and dialogue between God and man are also attested to by the fact that all the obligationsvatican.va
- §2064 — In fidelity to Scripture and in conformity with the example of Jesus, the tradition of the Church hasvatican.va
- §2065 — Ever since St. Augustine, the Ten Commandments have occupied a predominant place in the catechesis of baptismal candidates and the faithful. In the fifteenth century, the custom arose of expressing the commandments of the Decalogue in rhymed formulae, easy to memorize and in positive form.vatican.va
- §2066 — The division and numbering of the Commandments have varied in the course of history. the present catechism follows the division of the Commandments established by St.vatican.va
- §2067 — The Ten Commandments state what is required in the love of God and love of neighbor. the first three concern love of God, and the other seven love of neighbor.vatican.va
- §2068 — The Council of Trent teaches that the Ten Commandments are obligatory for Christians and that thevatican.va
- §2069 — The Decalogue forms a coherent whole. Each "word" refers to each of the others and to all of them; theyvatican.va
- §2070 — The Ten Commandments belong to God's revelation. At the same time they teach us the true humanityvatican.va
- §2071 — The commandments of the Decalogue, although accessible to reason alone, have been revealed. Tovatican.va
- §2072 — Since they express man's fundamental duties towards God and towards his neighbor, the Tenvatican.va
- §2073 — Obedience to the Commandments also implies obligations in matter which is, in itself, light. Thusvatican.va
- §2074 — Jesus says: "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bearsvatican.va
In Brief
- §2075 — "What good deed must I do, to have eternal life?" - "If you would enter into life, keep the commandments" (Mt 19:16-17).vatican.va
- §2076 — By his life and by his preaching Jesus attested to the permanent validity of the Decalogue. 2077 Thevatican.va
commandments take on their true meaning in and through this covenant.
- §2078 — In fidelity to Scripture and in conformity with Jesus' example, the tradition of the Church has alwaysvatican.va
acknowledged the primordial importance and significance of the Decalogue.
- §2079 — The Decalogue forms an organic unity in which each "word" or "commandment" refers to all the othersvatican.va
taken together. To transgress one commandment is to infringe the whole Law (cf Jas 2:10-11).
- §2080 — The Decalogue contains a privileged expression of the natural law. It is made known to us by divinevatican.va
revelation and by human reason.
- §2081 — The Ten Commandments, in their fundamental content, state grave obligations. However, obediencevatican.va
to these precepts also implies obligations in matter which is, in itself, light.
- §2082 — What God commands he makes possible by his grace.vatican.va
Scripture cited · 93 verses
Exodus 20:1 · Exodus 20:2 · Exodus 20:3 · Exodus 20:4 · Exodus 20:5 · Exodus 20:6 · Exodus 20:7 · Exodus 20:8 · Exodus 20:9 · Exodus 20:10 · Exodus 20:11 · Exodus 20:12 · Exodus 20:13 · Exodus 20:14 · Exodus 20:15 · Exodus 20:16 · Exodus 20:17 · Exodus 24:7 · Exodus 25:16 · Exodus 31:18 · Exodus 32:15 · Exodus 34:28 · Exodus 34:29 · Exodus 40:1 · Exodus 40:2 · Leviticus 19:18 · Deuteronomy 4:13 · Deuteronomy 5:2 · Deuteronomy 5:4 · Deuteronomy 5:6 · Deuteronomy 5:7 · Deuteronomy 5:8 · Deuteronomy 5:9 · Deuteronomy 5:10 · Deuteronomy 5:11 · Deuteronomy 5:12 · Deuteronomy 5:13 · Deuteronomy 5:14 · Deuteronomy 5:15 · Deuteronomy 5:16 · Deuteronomy 5:17 · Deuteronomy 5:18 · Deuteronomy 5:19 · Deuteronomy 5:20 · Deuteronomy 5:21 · Deuteronomy 5:22 · Deuteronomy 6:5 · Deuteronomy 10:4 · Deuteronomy 30:16 · Deuteronomy 31:9 · Jeremiah 7:9 · Ezekiel 18:5 · Ezekiel 18:6 · Ezekiel 18:7 · Ezekiel 18:8 · Ezekiel 18:9 · Hosea 4:2 · Matthew 5:17 · Matthew 5:20 · Matthew 5:21 · Matthew 5:22 · Matthew 5:46 · Matthew 5:47 · Matthew 19:6 · Matthew 19:7 · Matthew 19:8 · Matthew 19:9 · Matthew 19:10 · Matthew 19:11 · Matthew 19:12 · Matthew 19:16 · Matthew 19:17 · Matthew 19:18 · Matthew 19:19 · Matthew 19:21 · Matthew 19:23 · Matthew 19:24 · Matthew 19:25 · Matthew 19:26 · Matthew 19:27 · Matthew 19:28 · Matthew 19:29 · Matthew 22:36 · Matthew 22:37 · Matthew 22:38 · Matthew 22:39 · Matthew 22:40 · John 15:5 · John 15:12 · Romans 13:9 · Romans 13:10 · James 2:10 · James 2:11