On the Second Commandment: Giving the Highest Respect for God's Name

HEBREW NAMES OF GOD.
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"You shall not misuse the name of Yahweh your God, 

for Yahweh will not leave unpunished 

anyone who misuses his name." 

- Exodus 20:7

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, 

"The second commandment prescribes respect for the Lord's name. Like the first commandment, it belongs to the virtue of religion and more particularly it governs our use of speech in sacred matters." [CCC 2142].

For this reason we must be careful to use the name of the Lord keeping it in our minds in silent adoration and only to use His name in our speech to bless, praise and glorify the Holy Name of God [CCC 2143]. Such as when the Blessed Virgin Mary said in the Magnificat, "the Almighty has done great things for me. Holy is His name," [Luke 1:49]. The Psalm also states that,

"O God, our Lord, 

how majestic is your name 

in all the earth!" 

- Psalm 8:1

God's name is Holy [see Psalm 111:9]. Since His name is Holy, we must give it the greatest respect and awe for respect for His very name is respect for the mystery of God himself [2144]. Mentioning His name must be made with full veneration and fear of offending Him [2149]. 

The Israelites [also, Hebrews, and later on, Jews] gave God's name due honor and respect by not even mentioning it that is why even Moses had to ask God regarding the Name he has to tell the Israelites when he goes to them to lead them out of Egypt [see Exodus 3: 13-15]. For until then, God was only known to them as the God of Abraham, of Isaac and of Jacob, or in short, the God of our Fathers, and they were content with that [see Genesis 24:12; 26:24; 28:13; Exodus 3:6, 15-16; 4:5; 15:2; 1 Kings 18:36; Acts 7:32; Matthew 22:32; Mark 12:26; Luke 20:37]. Such respect for God's Name ought to be one of the important heritages that we have to duplicate from the Jews. 

This Commandment is also worded as follows, "You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain." And how do we take His holy Name in vain? We take the name of the Lord our God in vain by

[1] blasphemy, a grave sin, which consists in uttering against God - inwardly or outwardly - words of hatred, reproach, or defiance, in speaking ill of God; in failing in respect toward him in one's speech; in misusing God's name, with St James condemning those who blaspheme the honorable name of Jesus [see James 2:7] [2148]. We must remember that in Jesus' name every shall bend [see Philippians 2:10] for there is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved except in Jesus' name [see Acts 4:12].

This prohibition also extends to language against Christ's Church, the saints, and sacred things. It is also blasphemous to make use of God's name to cover up criminal practices, to reduce peoples to servitude, to torture persons or put them to death. The misuse of God's name to commit a crime can provoke others to repudiate religion [2148].

[2] making promises to others made in God's name that are not fulfilled [2147] and swearing false oaths [2150; 2153] for these are equivalent to making God a witness to lies.

[3] commission of perjury [2152].

[4] invocation of the Lord's name as witness and yet not using it in accordance with truth and justice [2154].

[5] using God's name in trivial matters [2155].

[6] using God's name in magic [2149].

This Commandment also covers the matters regarding our Christian name for every name is sacred, God calls each of us by name, and our name signifies the dignity of our person being made in the image and likeness of God [2156; 2158; 2159; 2167]. Hence making fun of our baptismal Christian name could also mean disrespect for God, the Lord Jesus Christ and His Church for we receive such name through the Sacrament of Baptism in the Church. Christian parents also have to make sure that the names they give to their children are not foreign to Christian sentiment [2156] for our names we shall bear for all eternity [2159].

In closing, we must remember that as Christians, we ought to begin each day and each activity by invoking the name of the Holy Trinity, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and through the sign of the cross we ask God's protection and guidance throughout the day and the activity [2157]. Making the sign of the cross should therefore be taken seriously and not hurriedly for it is the Christian's summary of faith and manifestation of due respect to the Holy Name of the Most Holy Trinity.