I remember one time in grade school when I was called on the carpet by the school principal, Sr. Salome, for some type of misbehavior (nothing too serious, I’m sure). As Sr. Salome verbally chastised me, the words that stung the most were, “That’s not what I’d expect from a Paprocki.” Ouch! As the seventh of nine children who all went to the same Catholic elementary school, I had to live up to the reputation that had been established by my older siblings (who somehow convinced the nuns that they were all saints and forgot to teach me the trick) and by my parents, who were community leaders (my mom being president of the Mother’s Club and my dad being a prominent businessman in the neighborhood as owner of Paprocki Pharmacy). The bar had been set high, and I needed to live up to my name.
In Baptism we receive, not only our name, but the name of Christian. We now have another name to live up to as children of God and brothers and sisters in Christ. The Second Commandment, “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain,” is about more than uttering a curse that includes the word God. It is about living up to our family name as a Christian. In this episode of Pop-Up Catechesis, we explore the Second Commandment and how our thoughts, words, and actions should bring honor to the name Christian.
For more information about the Second Commandment, check out the following links:
Why don’t you list the 2nd commandment which is “Thou shalt not have ANY graven images.” Read the Scriptures. And why have you broken the final one on covetousness into two??
Hi Susan. This is one of those quirks of history. Protestants and Catholics “number” the Commandments differently. For starters, the Commandments are not numbered in the Bible. Jewish, Catholic, and Protestant Traditions have each numbered them in their own way. This article helps explain the differences. https://www.catholicbridge.com/catholic/10-commandments.php