Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ!

Today I want to invite you on a deep journey. A journey to the very heart of God's will, to what the Lord revealed to us through Moses on Mount Sinai and later fulfilled in His Son Jesus Christ. We are talking about the Ten Commandments, words that we sometimes perceive as something harsh, restrictive, a law to be feared. But are they really like that?

The Catechism of our Church, “Christ is our Pascha,” teaches us to look at the Commandments differently. They are not prohibitions, but gifts. They are not chains, but keys to freedom. They are God's invitation: "Follow Me. Live with Me. I will show you the way of life."

The psalmist says: “Thy word is a lamp to my feet” (Psalm 118:105). And aren't the Commandments the same word of God that illuminates our path? They are what reveals the truth about a person, about his or her heart. Eastern spirituality teaches that sin does not begin in actions, but in thoughts and intentions. And it is the Commandments that, like a mirror, show what is wrong with us.

St. Abba Dorotheus said: “If you want to see where your soul is sick, put the Commandments before you and you will see.” Not for condemnation, but for healing.

Here are the Commandments with a brief explanation:

The 1st Commandment of God: “You shall have no other gods before me.”

This Commandment is the guardian of true religion. It commands that only the one true God be worshipped, and forbids all idolatry, which is a contempt for God and a humiliation of human dignity.

The 2nd commandment of God: “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.”

Keeping in mind God's greatness and holiness, this commandment prescribes great respect for His person, name, honor, and authority. It forbids all blasphemy of the Lord's name, whether in jest, anger, or cursing.

The 3rd commandment of God: “Remember to keep the holy day holy”.

Man, as God's creation, is obliged to honor the Lord in every way possible, and most importantly by celebrating Sundays and holidays, so that he may also have rest from his work.

The 4th commandment of God: “Honor your father and mother, that you may live well and may you live long on earth.”

The Lord God demands honor not only for Himself, but also for our parents, because they are our greatest benefactors after God. They gave us life. For honoring parents, God promises His blessing and long life.

The 5th commandment of God: “You shall not kill!”

Human life is a valuable gift given to us by God. It belongs to Him, so no one has the right to take it away from themselves or others. Everyone is obliged to take care of their life and health and avoid anything that would harm our health or the health of our neighbors.

The 6th and 9th commandments of God: “Thou shalt not commit adultery” – “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife”.

These two Commandments guard the purity of body and soul and the sanctity of marriage. They warn against any voluntary preference for unclean thoughts, words, looks, and deeds with oneself or others. “Do you not know,” says St. Paul, “that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who lives in you?” (1 Cor. 6:19).

The 7th and 10th commandments of God: “You shall not steal!” – “You shall not covet anything that is your neighbor's property.”

These Commandments protect our material things: our earnings, home, property, and possessions.

The 8th Commandment of God: “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”

The Lord God gave us the gift of speech so that we could communicate with our neighbors. Therefore, this commandment commands us to always tell the truth and warns us against any word or testimony that could harm our neighbor, his good name and glory.

From this cursory review, we can see how God's commandments precisely and clearly define our relationship to God, ourselves, and our neighbors. They touch upon all the important matters of our personal, family, and social life.

As you can see, the Commandments are valid not only in the Old Testament. They are still relevant today. They do not die because their Author is the Living God Himself.

Jesus Christ Himself did not reject the Commandments; He revived them.

On the Mount of Beatitudes, Christ did not abolish Sinai, but breathed new life into it. "You have heard that it was said, You shall not kill" by stating that anger towards one's brother or sister constitutes a level of guilt requiring judgment" (Matthew 5:21-22). He did not change the letter; He showed the depth of the spirit.

The commandments in Jesus are no longer rules, but a way of becoming like God Himself. As the Catechism teaches: “Keeping the Commandments is not a fear of punishment, but a response of love to love” (§751).

How many souls today are wandering in the dark, not knowing where to go. People confuse good and evil, white and black, truth and deception. And it is here that the Commandments become a compass, God's guide in a world dominated by relativity.

Unfortunately, we live in a time when truth is devalued, when morality is called “outdated,” when sin is presented as a virtue. Therefore, our task is not only to live by the Commandments, but to show the world that it is possible. And even more ‒ that it is joyful!

How? Through daily prayer. Through participation in the Holy Liturgy. Through confession, which purifies. Through good deeds of love that reflect the light of God in the darkness of the world.

The commandments are an invitation to God's friendship.

The commandments are not something that distances us from God, but something that brings us closer. They are bridges, not walls. God does not give them to us to make us live in fear. He gives them to us because He wants to keep us, as a mother keeps her child. Because He cares about us. We are His image, His children.

Dear brothers and sisters, I invite you today to look again at the Ten Commandments of God not as a demand, but as a gift. Not as a burden, but as a way to joy. For only those who live in God's law are truly free. For only in God does the heart find peace.

May the Holy Spirit give us the strength to live not only by the letter, but by the Spirit. And then our hearts, our families, our parishes will be icons of the Kingdom of God ‒ here and now.

Amen.