In our first reading today, God gives Moses the commandments he wishes his people to follow. Perhaps we could think about how following God’s law is foundational to our Christian faith and to our life of discipleship. Yet, it is not always easy to follow God’s law and to apply it to the reality of life. Reading those commandments, they might seem clear-cut, but when applied to our complicated human lives, it is not so straight-forward.
Under the old calendar of the martyrs for our Catholic Church, July 27 was assigned to the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus. Their story is relevant to the commandment of honoring God and his name and not taking his name in vain. Supposedly, there were seven young men who lived during the persecutions conducted by the Emperor Decius in the 3rd century. They hid in a cave during the persecutions to save their lives because they refused to make pagan sacrifices. The cave was sealed; legend has it that they fell into a miraculous sleep and later woke up 300 years later where they were seen by the residents of the city. This incident was revered by both the Christian and Muslim traditions because it was interpreted as validating the resurrection of the dead that is a part of our belief. Martyrdom was respected and honored in the early Church and was the true sign of sainthood for the sacrifices and testimony those individuals made for the faith. Whether the story is true or not isn’t relevant. Rather, this story can help us reflect upon the ways we honor God and his holy name and what sacrifices and commitments we are making to follow our faith as disciples of Christ.
A lot of times, it is good looking at an examination of conscience that helps us critically examine our view of the ten commandments, to reflect upon our actions in all aspects of God’s commandments. We may think we know what these commandments entail, but perhaps we can always learn more about them.
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