Transcript
Edmund: Have you ever been in this situation? Hi, I’m Edmund. We’ve all been here. But what is a Catholic to say after violently and aggressively slamming their head into a ceiling fan? Are we allowed to say “@%$#” or “@%$#?” And what about, you know, “OMG” and “Jesus!”?
Well, there are a few things I bet you didn’t know about taking the Lord’s name in vain and the second Commandment. Come on!
One of my favorite memes of all time happened in this viral moment on the radio show and podcast “The Breakfast Club with Charlemagne.”
The artist Birdman showed up unannounced to “The Breakfast Club” with a huge crew of people and confronted Charlemagne and his co-hosts. And apparently, Birdman wasn’t too happy with the way Charlemagne and his co-hosts were referring to him.
It’s a super tense and awkward moment and here’s why I love this. It’s this tense and weird moment that spawned all these hilarious memes, but it also has a little bit of a truth hidden deep in it. And for some reason, I think about it anytime I think about the first three Commandments. Which now that I’m thinking about it—I don’t know— maybe it has something to do with the fact that Charlemagne goes by Charlemagne Tha God. No, that’s not it. That’s not it. But I definitely think about this moment when I think about the second Commandment. Let me explain.
God clearly defined the Ten Commandments and they can be split into two groups. The first three Commandments deal with our relationship with God. You could also say “the respect God has owed.” And the next seven Commandments have to do with our relationship with our neighbors. And I feel like the second Commandment—at least in my own life—is often overlooked. “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.” See, I don’t know about you, but I know I’ve felt this way and I’ve met a lot of people who think that to be a REALLY good Catholic, you have to not use ANY bad words that would make your mother or grandmother uncomfortable. And for some reason, God just really doesn’t want you to use this little phrase that starts with His name and ends with “damn!”
I mean, what really is a bad word? You know what the bad words are. Sure, ultimately using bad words isn’t in good taste; it isn’t polite and it can have a negative impact on us. But really, this Commandment isn’t about using bad words. Those are just words. What this Commandment is ultimately about is God wants you to put some respect on His name.
But in this Commandment, God’s also trying to teach us something really important. And about the power of our words, and the impact these words we use have on our lives and on our relationship with God.
Okay, story time. I remember this retired youth minister telling a story of hanging out with a bunch of high schoolers at a football game and some of the kids from his youth group. And he was hearing a bunch of “bad words.” And then eventually, one of the kids uses the Lord’s name in vain. So this youth minister turns to the kid and says, “Hey. Could you not say that?” And the kids are like “Oh, Mr. Church Guy doesn’t like bad words!” And the youth minister turns to them and says, “No. @%$# and @%$# are just bad, dirty, impolite words. But when you use God’s name in vain, you’re disrespecting someone that I care a lot about. You’re talking about a person. You’re talking about God. And not only are you disrespecting Him, but you’re disrespecting yourself.” I mean, it made the point.
You see, the truth is, God wants you to put respect on His name not because He’s this demanding tyrant. It’s because He wants to have a good relationship with us. I mean, if I just walked around in my house yelling my son’s name every time I stubbed my toe, it’d be understandable for my son to have mixed emotions about that. But it might also make my son kinda wonder what I really think about him.
The catechism says in paragraph 2143 “Among all the words of Revelation, there is one which is unique: the revealed name of God. God confides his name to those who believe in him; he reveals himself to them in his personal mystery. The gift of a name belongs to the order of trust and intimacy.” I love this. “The gift of a name belongs to the order of trust and intimacy.” What?! God revealing His name is a big deal because He’s inviting us to trust and intimacy. And in a way, He’s trusting us with His name. And this means all the names He’s revealed: Jesus, Lord.
When we use the name “Jesus,” we’re talking about a person. Now I know what you might be thinking. You might say, “Well, when I say “OMG; “Oh my God” I don’t actually mean it.” But that’s literally what we’re talking about when we’re talking about using the Lord’s name in vain. We’re talking about using it without thinking about it; without putting any respect on the name.
And while cussing might not be as serious as taking the Lord’s name in vain, Jesus does say a few things about this. Jesus says “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will render an account for every careless word they speak.” (Matthew 12:36). Jesus also at another point says “It’s not what goes into the mouth defiles a man, but what comes out of the mouth that defiles a man.” (Matthew 15:11). Language – our ability to speak, communicate, express ourselves—is a gift of God and it does impact us when we use the gifts that God gave us poorly.
Think about it: God revealed His NAME. He introduces Himself to humanity; to us individually. If you want to grow in your relationship with God, first of all, put some respect on His name! Working on this discipline will actually impact the way you view yourself and God. And it will have an impact on the way you experience prayer. And when you DO use God’s name, you’ll actually mean it.
God reveals in the first three Commandments the way He wants to be loved so we can respect it.
So, y’all finished? Or y’all done?
