REFLECTION

After reading through the section with the Ten Commandments I have learned that
this is important to teach students as these were made by God for us to abide by.
Personally, I was taught the Ten Commandments at a young age and until this day there
are times where I am reminded that there are commandments to follow for a reason. The
Ten Commandments were created so that God can make it possible for us to follow the
light in which He provides for us. It is important to break down each commandment for my
students so they have a thorough understanding of what it means to abide by them and
not break them. It will also be important to explain to my students that the reason why we
go to confession is to ask God for forgiveness, if we so happen to sin.
The first commandment asks for us Christians to Worship the Lord our God. This
commandment embraces faith, hope, and charity. We can Worship our Lord through
prayer and believing in our faith. We can also Worship our Lord by going to church, which
is known as the Mother of our faith. We are to only honour one God. This means
superstition, idolatry, divination, irreligion, and atheism are prohibited and forbidden.
The second commandment reminds us how holy the name of our Lord is, and to not use it
in vain. This is especially important to explain to students that we must respect God and
forbid improper use of the names of God, Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary and all the saints.
The third commandment is about keeping the Sabbath day holy. Although this is difficult
to understand since the world we live in to day is quite chaotic, we must still dedicate a
day of the week to rest and focus on praising God for all he has done for us.
The forth commandment is an important one for students to understand. It entails
honouring your father and mother. We must respect and honour our parents, who have
given us life and handed us the knowledge of God. This commandment also extends to
teachers, employers, leaders, citizens of the country and those who administer or govern
it. Basically this commandment preaches the importance of respecting not only your
elders and those who are authoritative to you, but all citizens around you.
The fifth commandment is “Thou shall not kill.” This is a straightforward
commandment to understand. Respect for human life, life that God has given us, should
not be taken for granted. The sixth commandment may bit more difficult for younger
children to understand; it is “Thou shall not commit adultery.” The message younger
students should learn from this commandment is that love is the fundamental vocation of
every human being and it is united through marriage. The seventh commandment is
simple: “Thou shall not steal.” This term can be thoroughly explained to students in detail.
The main idea is it’s forbidden to take something that does not belong to you without
asking. The eighth commandment focuses on telling the truth and living in truth. Since
God is truthful we must also do the same.
The ninth and tenth commandments entail not coveting your neighbour’s house, wife
or anything belonging to your neighbour. Students can be taught that this commandment
means to remain pure, simple and innocent, and forbid from any form of intense human
desire. We should not envy what other’s have; instead we should feel blessed for what
God has given us.