Saturday, November 11, 2017
Youcat commented through CCC – Question n. 359 – Part IV.
(Youcat
answer - repeated) To tell someone your name is a sign of trust. Since God has
told us his name, he makes himself recognizable and grants us access to him
through this name. God is absolute truth. Someone who calls Truth himself by
his name but uses it to testify to a lie sins seriously.
A deepening through CCC
(CCC 2149) Oaths which
misuse God's name, though without the intention of blasphemy, show lack of
respect for the Lord. The second commandment also forbids magical use of the divine
name. [God's] name is great when spoken with respect for the greatness of his
majesty. God's name is holy when said with veneration and fear of offending him
(St. Augustine, De serm. Dom. in monte
2, 5, 19: PL 34, 1278).
Reflecting and meditating
(Youcat comment) One must not pronounce the name of God
irreverently. For we know him only because he has entrusted himself to us. The
Holy Name, after all, is the key to the heart of the Almighty. Therefore it is
a terrible offense to blaspheme God, to curse using God’s name, or to make
false promises in his name. The Second Commandment is therefore also a
commandment that protects “holiness” in general. Places, things, names, and
people who have been touched by God are “holy”. Sensitivity to what is holy is
called reverence.
(CCC Comment)
(CCC 2150) The second commandment forbids false oaths. 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" (Deut 6:13). (CCC 2151) Rejection of false oaths is a duty toward God. As
Creator and Lord, God is the norm of all truth. Human speech is either in
accord with or in opposition to God who is Truth itself. When it is truthful
and legitimate, an oath highlights the relationship of human speech with God's
truth. A false oath calls on God to be witness to a lie.
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