ft Egypt they came to the
foot of Mount Sinai. (Ex. 19). Here God commanded Moses to come up into
the mountain, and in the midst of fire and smoke, thunder and lightning,
God spoke to him and delivered into his hands the Ten Commandments
written on two tablets of stone.

Every day while the Israelites were traveling in the desert God sent
them manna--a miraculous food that fell every morning. It was white, and
looked something like fine rice. It had any taste they wished it to
have. For instance, if they wished it to taste like fruit, it did taste
so to them; but its usual taste was like that of flour and honey. (Ex.
16).

I said there is no difference between the Ten Commandments of God and
the six commandments of the Church; and there is no difference as far as
the sin of violating them is concerned. But they differ in this: the
Church can change the commandments it made itself, while it cannot
change those that God Himself gave directly.

*311 Q. Which are the Commandments that contain the whole law of God?
A. The Commandments which contain the whole law of God are these two:
first, thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, with thy
whole soul, with thy whole strength, and with thy whole mind; second,
thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.

"As thyself"--that is, as explained elsewhere, with the same kind,
though not necessarily with the same degree, of love. First we must love
ourselves and do what is essential for our own salvation, because
without our cooperation others cannot save us, though they may help us
by their prayers and good works. Next to ourselves nature demands that
we love those who are related to us in the order of parents, children,
husbands, wives, brothers, etc., and help them in proportion to their
needs, and before helping strangers who are in no greater distress.

*312 Q. Why do these two Commandments of the love of God and of our
neighbor contain the whole law of God?
A. These two Commandments of the love of God and of our neighbor contain
the whole law of God because all the other Commandments are given either
to help us to keep these two, or to direct us how to shun what is
opposed to them.

Of the Ten Commandments the first three refer to Almighty God and the
other seven to our neighbor. Thus all the Commandments may be reduced to
the two of the love of God and of the love of our neighbor. The First
Commandment says you shall worship only the true God; the Second says