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I am the Lord, your God. You shall not have other gods besides me. Is it true, my dear friends, that the first commandment is first because it is the most often transgressed? Paul in his letter to the Thessalonians rejoiced because the Thessalonians turned from idols to worship the living and true God and to await the coming of His Son from heaven. This conversion from worshipping something that has only fleeting existence to that which is true, that which lives forever, is no small feat. If such faith in the living and true God is accomplished once, it is forever in danger of being lost. The first commandment is perhaps the most important, the most often transgressed, and quite likely, the best place to start in our daily examination of conscience. I am the Lord your God, you shall not have other gods besides me.
In their fastidiousness to religious practice, the scribes and Pharisees had made idols of religious objects. It is important for us in our religious practice never to swear by anything less that heaven itself. As valuable as our piety is, and as necessary as it is for us to persevere in practice, our piety is never a formula for religious success. For which is greater, our piety, or the unmerited gift of the Holy Spirit, which makes our piety fruitful?
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