The tenth day of the 12 days of Christmas  reminds  us to obey the original laws of God.

On the 10th Day of Christmas my true lord gave to me 10 Lords A-leaping.

According to Exodus in the Old Testament, God issued his own set of laws (the Ten Commandments) to Moses on Mount Sinai. The Ten Commandments are considered divine law because God himself revealed them. And because they were spelled out specifically with no room for ambiguity, they’re also positive law.

• I am the LORD your God. You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve.
• You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
• Remember to keep holy the Sabbath day.
• Honor your father and your mother.
• You shall not kill.
• You shall not commit adultery.
• You shall not steal.
• You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
• You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife.
• You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods.

They must be understood in relation to the “law of love”: Love of God and love of neighbor summarize all of Catholic morality. The law of love is also the first principle & source of the moral law. It contains “all the law and the prophets”

It’s important to note that each Commandment is simply a summary of a whole category of actions. Don’t be legalistic, searching for a way around them because their wording doesn’t fit you perfectly!

• For example, “bearing false witness against your neighbor” covers any kind of falsehood: perjury, lying, slander, detraction, rash judgment, etc.