Michael Brooks
The Catholic Ten Commandments are a summary of the conditions of a life freed from the slavery of sin. They are a set of rules that Catholics follow to guide their lives and express their fundamental duties to God and their neighbours. While the exact division and numbering of the commandments vary across different traditions, the Catholic tradition follows the division established by St. Augustine. The commandments are linked together to form a coherent whole, and breaking one is equivalent to breaking them all. Many memory aids exist to help people memorise the commandments, including finger tricks, songs, and word association.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Word association | Connect two things by a word that is common to both items |
| Finger tricks | Hold up one finger for one God, hold up two fingers and say "vain", etc. |
| Grouping | Group the 10 commandments in 4 groups of 3-2-3-2 |
| Song | Slugs & Bugs song |
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What You'll Learn
- Word association: Connect two things with a common word
- Finger tricks: Use hand gestures to remember each commandment
- Grouping: Divide the commandments into groups of 3, 2, 3, and 2
- Memory aids: Use visualisations to remember, e.g. six feet under for do not murder
- Songs: Sing the commandments to a catchy tune
Word association: Connect two things with a common word
Word association is a great way to memorise the Catholic 10 Commandments. This method involves connecting two things with a common word. Here are some examples to help you memorise the first eight commandments:
First Commandment: "You shall have no other gods before me." Hold up one finger and remember "one God."
Second Commandment: "You shall not take the Lord's name in vain." Hold up two fingers, forming a "V," to remind you of the word "vain." Alternatively, hold up the pointer finger on each hand and bow one finger to the other, signifying "don't bow to or make idols."
Third Commandment: "Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy." Hold up three fingers, forming a "W," to remind you of "worship" or "Sabbath."
Fourth Commandment: "Honour your father and mother." Picture the number 4, and turn it upside down to form the letter "h", reminding you of the word "honour." Alternatively, bring the pointer finger and thumb of each hand together to make a church steeple, reminding you to "go to church on Sabbath."
Fifth Commandment: "You shall not kill." Hold up all five fingers, pull in the middle, ring, and pinkie finger, and then point your hand like a gun. Alternatively, make two guns, one in each hand, with three fingers each (pointer, middle, and thumb), and shoot.
Sixth Commandment: "You shall not commit adultery." This can be associated with the "'seven deadly sins' or, for children, the idea of "being loyal."
Seventh Commandment: "You shall not commit adultery." Hold up two fingers on the left hand and five on the right, reminding you that there should only be "two people in a marriage, not five."
Eighth Commandment: "You shall not steal." You can remind children of the story of Aladdin, the thief of Baghdad, to help them remember this commandment.
Feel free to create your own word associations that resonate with you to memorise the remaining two commandments and reinforce your understanding of the Catholic 10 Commandments.
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Finger tricks: Use hand gestures to remember each commandment
- Hold up one finger for the one God, and wag it to emphasise "no other gods before me".
- Hold up the pointer finger on each hand and bow one down to the other to symbolise "don't bow to or make idols".
- Hold up the first three fingers to make a "W" and "watch your words: do not take God's name in vain".
- Bring the pointer finger and thumb of each hand together to make a church steeple. This represents "keep the Sabbath day holy".
- Salute with all five fingers to symbolise "honour your father and mother".
- Make two guns with your hands, using your pointer, middle, and thumb, and shoot to remember "do not kill".
- Hold up two fingers on your left hand and five on your right to remind yourself that "there are two people in a marriage, not five".
- Hold up all five fingers, pull in the middle, ring, and pinkie finger, and point your hand like a gun to symbolise killing.
- Hold up all ten fingers, then turn your palms up and wiggle all ten fingers like you're trying to grab something or saying "give me, give me". This represents "do not covet", which is another way of saying don't be greedy or jealous of what others have.
- To remember "do not covet your neighbour's house", picture the number "9", turn it into a tree, and put a house next to it.
These hand gestures provide a fun and interactive way to memorise the Catholic 10 Commandments, making it easier for both children and adults to remember and understand these important teachings.
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Grouping: Divide the commandments into groups of 3, 2, 3, and 2
To memorise the Catholic 10 commandments, one method is to divide the commandments into groups. Here is how you can group them into sets of 3, 2, 3, and 2:
Group 1 (Commandments 1-3)
- First Commandment – You shall have no other gods before me. Memory aide: Hold up one finger, remember "one God."
- Second Commandment – You shall not take the Lord’s name in vain. Memory aide: Hold up two fingers, you get the letter “V”, remember vain.
- Third Commandment – Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. Memory aide: Hold up three fingers, you get the letter “W”, remember worship, which should lead you to Sabbath.
Group 2 (Commandments 4-5)
- Fourth Commandment – Honour your father and mother. Memory aide: Picture the number 4, turn it upside down and you get the letter “H”, remember the word honour.
- Fifth Commandment – You shall not kill. Memory aide: Hold up all five fingers, pull in the middle, ring and pinkie finger and then point your hand like a gun, for killing.
Group 3 (Commandments 6-8)
- Sixth Commandment – You shall not commit adultery. Lust can be a helpful memory aide here, as it is one of the "seven deadly sins".
- Seventh Commandment – Do not steal. You can use a story or a character from a popular film or book as a memory aide, such as the story of Aladdin, the thief of Baghdad.
- Eighth Commandment – You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour. This commandment is about truthfulness and respect for your neighbour's good name.
Group 4 (Commandments 9-10)
- Ninth Commandment – Do not covet your neighbour's wife. The kids' version of this commandment is, "You shall not covet your neighbour's stuff." A memory aide could be to hold up nine fingers to represent the nine other people or things you shouldn't covet.
- Tenth Commandment – You shall not covet your neighbour’s possessions (as detailed in the ninth commandment). The number 10 can be a memory aide, as there are about 10 items listed in the Bible that you shouldn't covet.
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Memory aids: Use visualisations to remember, e.g. six feet under for do not murder
Visualisations are a great way to memorise the Catholic 10 commandments. Here are some examples:
Sixth Commandment: Thou Shalt Not Murder
The phrase "six feet under" is a well-known reference to burying the dead. This can help you remember the sixth commandment, "Do not murder", as in, do not put anyone "six feet under".
Seventh Commandment: Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery
Adultery is considered one of the "seven deadly sins" in the Roman Catholic catechism. You can use this to visualise the seventh commandment as avoiding the "seven deadly sins".
First Commandment: Thou Shalt Have No Other Gods Before Me
Hold up one finger to remember "one God".
Second Commandment: Thou Shalt Not Take the Lord's Name in Vain
Hold up two fingers to make a "V" for "vain".
Third Commandment: Remember the Sabbath Day and Keep It Holy
Hold up three fingers to make a "W" for "worship", which should remind you of the Sabbath.
Fifth Commandment: Thou Shalt Not Kill
Hold up all five fingers, pull in the middle, ring and pinkie finger, and then point your hand like a gun to symbolise "killing".
Tenth Commandment: Thou Shalt Not Covet Thy Neighbour's Wife, His Maidservant, etc.
There are about ten items on the list of things you shouldn't covet in the Bible. You can use the number ten as a visualisation to remember this commandment.
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Songs: Sing the commandments to a catchy tune
Music is a fantastic way to help you remember things, especially when you're younger. The song "The Ten Commandments Song for Little Children" was written by American Roman Catholic World War II veteran and songwriter John Redmond Lynskey (known as John Redmond) in the 1950s. It was the title track of an album released by the Religious Music Guild in 1955. Many people remember singing this song as children in the 1950s and 1960s, and it has been taught in Catholic schools. Here are the lyrics:
> First, I must honour God,
> Second, honour His Name,
> Third, on His day be holy, this will be my aim.
> Fourth, I must be obedient,
> Fifth, be kind and true,
> Sixth, be pure in all I say and see and hear and do.
> Seventh, I must be honest
> Eighth, be truthful in all things I say
> Ninth, be pure in mind and heart and all I think and desire each day.
> Tenth, I must be satisfied, not be jealous come what may
> These are God's Ten Commandments, These I must obey.
First, I must honour God, Second, honour His Name...
There are also more modern songs for memorizing the Ten Commandments, such as Judy Roger's "If You Love Me - Songs for the 10 Commandments".
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Frequently asked questions
The Ten Commandments are a summary of the conditions of a life freed from the slavery of sin. They are a good reminder not to commit deeds such as murder, adultery, stealing, and bearing false witness.
One method is to group the commandments into categories. For example, you can group them into four groups of three, two, three, and two commandments. Another method is to use word association, connecting two things by a word that is common to both items.
For the first commandment, "You shall have no other gods before me," hold up one finger and remember "one God." For the second commandment, "You shall not take the Lord's name in vain," hold up two fingers to make a "V" for "vain." For the sixth commandment, "You shall not commit adultery," remember that adultery is one of the seven deadly sins.
The Catholic Church follows the commandments in the order they were written in Exodus 20:2-17 and Deut. 5:6-21. The first commandment is "You shall have no other gods before me," and the second is "You shall not take the Lord's name in vain." The sixth commandment is "You shall not commit murder," and the tenth is "You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, his maidservant, etc."
