Thou Shalt Not Murder? Thou Shalt Not Kill?

In the July issue of The Catholic Sun (our diocesan newspaper), a reader's letter tried to argue against the death penalty with "Thou shalt not kill." The August issue had a reader's rebuttal, saying that the commandment actually should read "Thou shalt not murder." Below, is the letter I sent in reply.

Tom Takash’s August letter contained a faulty assertion about the 5th commandment which I would like to correct. He wrote, “‘Thou shalt not kill,’ has been shown time and again that the command in question refers not to killing but to murder.” This is translational tunnel-vision. While it is true that many Bible translations use the word “murder”, there are also many that use the word “kill.” In fact, the only thing that has been shown time and again is that the word used in Exodus 20:13 can mean both “kill” and “murder.” The footnote on our brand new NABRE translation says just that, and ends with, “In the present context, it denotes the killing of one Israelite by another, motivated by hatred or the like.” Is this murder? Is this killing? Or is this scrupulosity? This commandment has always been understood to mean respect for the image of God (including our Catechism, see CCC Part 3, section 2, Article 5). Jesus himself told us that we respect the image of God when we do not harbor anger towards our brother (Matthew 5:21), and Paul reaffirms that “love is the fulfillment of the law.” (Romans 13:10)

Murder is defined as the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. This matches neither the text nor footnote exactly, though it would be best to keep in mind that not all legal killing is allowed by the commandment anyway (abortion, euthanasia, unjust war…not to mention genocide in Africa, negligent disregard for human life in Chinese factories, stoning women to death in the Middle East for talking to a man who is not her husband, etc.). Granted, the commandment does not proscribe capital punishment, but it certainly isn’t a blank check for it, either.

Signing Before the Gospel

"Glory to you, oh Lord," (sign forehead, lips, chest).

This is one of the many things that happen during mass that confounds folks. Having been formally catechized in the US but informally catechized in Mexico, this confounded me to no end! I'll explain what I mean by that; but first, the simple answer.

The absolute simplest answer to this is that those assembled are simply doing what the deacon (or priest) is doing (#134). Look carefully, and you'll see the deacon signing his forehead, his lips, and his breast before reading the Gospel. The mass is a community prayer; those assembled aren't watching clergy perform a mass, but are participating with him as he leads the prayer. And just before the Gospel, the deacon (or priest) leads us in signing ourselves: we sign our forehead, our lips, and our heart.

Doing an Internet search for this will yield several pages that say the people sign themselves so that the "word of God be on their mind, in their speaking and in their hearts so as to be faithful witnesses to the gospel." Digging a little deeper, I found the Douay Catechism, from 1649, and it said, "They sign themselves on their foreheads, to signify they are not, nor will be ashamed to profess Christ crucified: on their mouths to signify they will be ready with their mouths, to confess unto salvation: and on their breast to signify that with their hearts they believe unto justice." (pg. 128)

The Douay Catechism excerpt reminded me of another time we get a sign on our foreheads: Ash Wednesday. What struck me is that both times the sign on our forehead is for the same reason: we are not ashamed to proclaim Christ crucified.

So why would any of this confound me "to no end"?

As I mentioned, I received some informal catechesis in Mexico. I was taught to start a rosary by signing my forehead, then my lips, then my heart, and then I do the sign of the cross. And through all this, I say, "Por la señal de la Santa Cruz, De Nuestros enemigos, Líbranos Señor Dios Nuestro, en el nombre del Padre, y del Hijo, y del Espíritu Santo." ("By the sign of the holy cross, deliver us from our enemies, O our God, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.").

That catechesis, however, did not mention whether or not this was the same singing that was done during mass before the Gospel. The observer in me sees people during mass sign their forehead, lips, chest, and then do a sign of the cross, making me think they are signing themselves as if they are starting a rosary. And this is what confounded me to no end: saying that prayer immediately before the Gospel seemed out of place. It is, afterall, a prayer of protection, and one doesn't need to be protected from the Gospel!

Thus ends my confoundment on this issue. As for those people who add the sign of the cross after signing their forehead, lips, and breast? Perhaps they're over-signing out of habit. And I'll never complain about people being in the habit of praying the rosary.

Giving Up Something for Lent

During Lent, many people give up something. What's this all about, anyway?

Here's the simple answer. If you don't count Sundays, there are 40 days between Ash Wednesday and Holy Saturday. 40 days is how long Jesus spent fasting in the desert. He gave up pretty much everything during those 40 days. We commemorate that when we give up something for our Lenten fast. i.e., we give up a worldly pleasure because Jesus gave up worldly pleasures during his time in the desert.

And if you don't like simple, here are some more insights into this worthwhile tradition.

Instead of giving up some arbitrary worldly pleasure, you could try giving up something that puts distance between you and God. In other words, use Lent as a time to get closer to God by removing obstacles that keep you from living out your faith.

Giving up something can also be a humbling experience. During Lent, when you want some of whatever you gave up, you can remind yourself that there are poor people out there who have involuntarily given up many things, and realize how full of blessings your life is.

If this sounds like asceticism, it's because it is! Ascetics keep the poor in mind by detaching themselves from as much stuff as they can, with the goal of having so little stuff in their life that there's more room for God. Along these lines, this is also why some people add spiritual exercises to their life during Lent instead of giving up something: the more space you give God in your life, the less space there is for worldly distractions.

One final thought: the timing of Lent. Giving up something for Lent is a penitential act, i.e., a way to repent of our sins. This is an appropriate way to prepare for Easter because Easter is when we commemorate Christ's resurrection. However, His crucifixion preceded His resurrection. When we repent of our sins, we recognize our role in His crucifixion. His crucifixion is what forgives those sins, and that makes our joy complete on Easter morning.

All this makes Lent an ideal time to remember Jesus's words: "repent, and believe in the Gospel!"

Further reading:

• Paul VI, On Fast and Abstinence, Paenitemini


• Catholic Online's FAQ about Lent


• Churchyear.net's All About Lent"


• Spirit Home describes Lent. This may not be a Catholic site