By Susan Ciancio
This week, as we celebrate Mary’s assumption into heaven, we cannot help but think back and ponder her “yes” to God at the Annunciation. The Assumption could only have come because of Mary’s yes to the angel Gabriel and to God for the rest of her life. Her yes serves as an example of how we, too, are called to say yes to God in all that we do. In so doing, we know and trust that He wants what’s best for us.
This trust in God is something that He has long tried to instill in His people. When God gave Moses the 10 Commandments, He was giving all of us a roadmap to heaven. But following these commandments doesn’t simply mean that we don’t commit sinful or bad acts. The commandments require us to actually do good things—to and for others, and for God as well. This is how we build a culture of life, and it’s what will eventually allow us to spend eternity with Him.
We teach about this truth in Honoring the Blessed Mother—a lesson booklet for elementary-aged kids that dives into Mary’s yes at the Annunciation. Mary’s “yes” reinforces the pro-life message in many ways. Through her example, we learn how to love, affirm, and respect every human being as a gift during every stage of life. This is what the commandments call us to do.
We honor our Blessed Mother and her Son by following the 10 Commandments and by teaching our kids to do the same. This starts with a simple yes—one we must reaffirm every day of our lives.
What does this look like in our 21st-century world? We explain below, and then we challenge you to ponder how you can make changes in your own and your family’s lives to say yes to God every day.
1. I am the Lord thy God; thou shall not have strange gods before me.
This command doesn’t just mean physical idols like the golden calf. Idols are anything we put before God. They include money, food, games, TV, social media, phone usage, and more. Putting God first means living our faith every moment and never giving something more importance than our Lord.
Let us ask ourselves: Do my actions glorify God? Do I spend time with Him each day and unapologetically talk about Him to my kids, friends, and the people around me?
2. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
When we say God’s name, we should say it with love and reverence for the gifts He has given us. To use it in anger, frustration, or any other way is blasphemous. We must temper our language and teach our children to do so as well.
Let us ask ourselves: Do I say God’s name only with reverence? Do I express to others the importance of this?
3. Remember to keep holy the Lord’s day.
God asks for just one hour a week, though we know we should give Him time every day, for He gave us everything. We must go to Mass every Sunday (or Saturday night) and on holy days (like the Assumption). This is not too difficult. But we should also take the time to rest on Sundays. God does not want us to live as slaves to our work. And taking time to rest means we have more time to spend with our families.
Let us ask ourselves: Do we prioritize God, or is He just our backup plan when things go wrong?
4. Honor your father and mother.
No matter our age, we can show respect to our parents. As they grow older, we do this by caring for them—physically and emotionally. We must teach our kids to do the same. Showing respect for the elderly is a vital part of building a culture of life.
Let us ask ourselves: Do we honor our parents with our actions and make sure they know they are valued, regardless of their abilities? Do we care for them lovingly and joyfully, or do we look upon our care for them like it’s a bothersome chore?
5. You shall not kill.
This commandment means more than simply not willfully taking the life of another person, including preborn babies. It means doing no harm to others, including to their reputation.
Let us ask ourselves: Do I speak out about abortion, euthanasia, and other threats to life? Do I gossip? Do I hurt people with unkind words?
6. You shall not commit adultery.
Marriage is a holy sacrament between one man and one woman that should be taken seriously in good times and bad. Too often today people give up, walk away, or convince themselves that they have found “someone better.” This is not God’s plan for a healthy marriage.
Let us ask ourselves: Do I cherish my spouse as I should? Do I see him/her through God’s eyes? Am I serving as a good example of a holy marriage to my children and to those around me?
Use our lesson booklet to teach teens about the sanctity of marriage.
7. You shall not steal.
We must not take what does not belong to us. That includes more than shoplifting from a store. It includes not cheating on taxes, not taking items from the office, not wastefully spending your family’s money, and even being generous with the gifts you have.
Let us ask ourselves: Do I ever take what belongs to others? Do I give to the needy when possible? Do I help my children see the value in working for the things they have rather than taking what does not belong to them?
8. You shall not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
Lies about others can greatly harm people and their reputation. Kids today especially need to understand this truth. The anonymity of social media gives people a green light to making untrue and cruel comments without any consequences. But we must understand that there are always consequences to our actions, and people can easily get hurt.
Let us ask ourselves: Do we monitor our children’s online habits? Do we temper our own online habits? Do we teach our children how to talk to and about others? Do we speak kindly about the people in our lives?
9. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife; you shall not covet your neighbor’s goods.
For the sake of brevity, we combined the last two commandments, as they can be easily summed up by saying that God forbids us from becoming jealous because of what other people have. That doesn’t mean we can’t admire our best friend’s new house or car. It doesn’t mean we cannot think that someone’s spouse is good looking. It means that we cannot let those feelings overwhelm us and create jealousy, bitterness, or animosity.
Let us ask ourselves: Do we teach our children to work hard for the things they want and to thank God for the gifts they have? Do we uphold these standards for ourselves? Do we respect what belongs to others?
Mary’s yes to God serves as a perfect example for how we must say yes to Him every day and how we must guide our children to do the same. She now lives forever with God because of her obedience. This is a stark reminder that we too must say yes, for if instead we spend our lives saying no to God, He will eventually give us what we ask for.