The Third Commandment

“Remember to keep holy the Sabbath Day”

“Observe the Sabbath day and keep it holy”

“The seventh day must be a day of complete
rest, consecrated to Yahweh”
(Ex 31:15)
The word Sabbbath means “seventh”. However since
the Ressurection of Christ took place on the “eighth
day” – the first day of the New Creation – the day we
call the Lord’s Day, or Sunday – it is this day that the
Church celebrates as a day of grace and holiness.
The Third Commandment obliges us to honour God
on Sundays and feast days by acts of public worship.
For Christians Holy Mass is the first and greatest
form of this worship. One of the Commandments of
the Church requires the faithful to attend the Mass
on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation.
Why is the Third Commandment Important
The Third Commandment reads: “Remember the Sabbath
Day to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your
work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your
God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor
your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant,
nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your
towns.”
 It uniquely elevated the human being. For nearly all of
human history, life consisted overwhelmingly of work.
In effect, humans were beasts of burden. This
commandment changed all that by insisting that people
cease working one day out of seven.
No matter how materially poor we may be, at least on the Sabbath Day, we are not just
material beings. We are elevated. Recall that the commandment tells us to keep the
day holy, not merely not to work. It is enough for animals not to work; we are to make
the day holy. No matter what our circumstances, we must remind ourselves at least
one day a week that we are sacred beings; we have a soul to feed, not just a body.

the Sabbath almost singlehandedly creates and strengthens family ties and friendships.
When a person takes off from work one day every week, that day almost inevitably
becomes a day spent with other people — namely, family and/or friends. It has similar
positive effects on marriages. Ask anyone married to a workaholic how good it would
be for his or her marriage if the workaholic would not work for a day each week, and
you can appreciate the power of the Sabbath Day.
The Fourth Commandment
“Honour your Father and your Mother”

By the Fourth Commandment “God has willed that,

after him, we should honour our parents… and all
those whom God, for our good, has vested with his
authority”
“Our parents resemble the Creator, since they were
God’s partners in creation of the child. They also
represent God in the life of the small child, functioning
as primary caregiver and teacher. A person should
recognize that his parents are the cause of his life in
the world and it is therefore proper to love and
respect them.”
This Commandment therefore means that we must respect and
obey our parents, and all those who have legitimate authority over
us.

“Parents have the first responsibility for the education of their

children, in the faith, prayer and all the virtues. Thy have the duty
to provide, as far as possible, for the physical and spiritual needs
of their children”
They must respect and encourage their children’s vocations. They
should remember, and teach their children, that the first calling of
the Christian is to follow Jesus.
Why is the Fourth Commandment Important

The importance of honoring parents makes complete sense

when we think about what the parent-child relationship
represents—the overall purpose for humanity! God created
human beings because He wants a family. He wants
children who will become like Him by developing His
character. He wants to be a Father to you and me! The way
we obey, respect and glorify our physical parents says a lot
about our willingness to honor God as our ultimate Father.
Honor our Parents…because it honors God. The Hebrew
word for honor in Exodus 20:20 is ‘kabed,’ which derives
from a root word meaning “weighty” (in terms of
importance) and is often used to refer to the ‘glory of God’.
The meaning of kabed in this context derives from the first
four commandments, which center on honoring God
Himself. So what God seems to be saying through this
command is, “As you honor your father and mother… You
honor Me.”
Honor our Parents…because they deserve it. You might be
tempted to say, “Well, my parents didn’t do a very good job of
raising me, so they do not deserve my respect.” Granted,
honoring parents can be very difficult if your father is a drunk or
your mother neglected you as a child. But God does not say,
“Honor your mother and father only if they are honorable.” Their
actions may sometimes be dishonorable, but because they are
our parents, God says that is reason enough to be respected.
There are no loopholes.