Like the first commandment, the second and third commandments of God are concerned with man's duties toward his Creator. The second regards his duties in the matter of speech, the third in the matter of external worship.
It is indeed sad to realize that many persons use one of God's greatest gifts, the gift of speech, to insult God Himself. Nowadays, the use of the name of God and of the holy name of Jesus as an interjection to mark any form of feeling or emotion has become common. Even children, barely able to speak, are thus using God's name in vain — often because they have heard it from their parents. Cursing and even blasphemy are also frequent. In the courtroom perjury is something often committed with little or no qualm of conscience. Truly, the world today has forgotten the commandment: "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain".
Catholics should set an example of reverence toward the holy name of God and of His Incarnate Son. To incite Catholic men toward such reverence and to wage warfare on all evil talk, the Holy Name Society has been organized for Catholic men, and branches are established in almost every parish. It is a commendable practice of Catholics to bow reverently whenever they use or hear the name of Jesus.
A vow is an act of religion most pleasing to God. It is a deliberate promise made to God whereby a person binds himself under pain of sin to do something that is especially pleasing to God. The most common vows in the Catholic Church are the public vows of poverty, chastity and obedience taken by members of religious orders and religious congregations. By the vow of poverty a religious promises to live frugally and not to use money or other material goods except in accordance with the rules of his or her order and with proper permission; by the vow of chastity he or she promises not to marry or in any way violate the sixth or the ninth commandment; by the vow of obedience he or she promises to obey the Pope and the lawful superiors of his or her order.
The third commandment, as God gave it to the Chosen people, designated the seventh day of the week, the Sabbath, as the special day of worship of the Most High. God Himself laid down detailed rules as to the manner in which they were to observe this day. Under the Christian law the first day of the week, Sunday, is the day set aside for the special worship of God. The Church does not impose the many restrictions that were prescribed for the Sabbath among the ancient People; but all Catholics are obliged to attend Mass and to abstain from servile work. It makes no difference whether the work is performed for wages or not. On the other hand, the Church does not forbid lawful amusement, such as athletics, nor work that is of a literary, artistic, or intellectual nature. Sometimes it is not easy to distinguish between prohibited work and lawful occupation. Thus, to paint a house is servile work, to paint a picture is liberal. In doubt, Catholics should consult their confessor before commencing the work.
Finally we should remember that while the Church obliges us to no other religious service on Sunday but Mass, it is advisable to devote more time to the worship of God, particularly by attendance at Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. Sunday is also an appropriate day for reading some good Catholic literature, especially the diocesan Catholic paper, and for tuning in on Catholic radio programs.
RESOLUTION: Resolve to bow reverently every time you hear or pronounce the Holy Name of Jesus; and if you hear this Holy Name taken irreverently, say in your heart: "Blessed be the name of Jesus".