Episode Transcript  

One

Spiritual slavery comes before physical 

Today, we celebrate our national freedom and independence from the tyranny of King George III of England. Yet national independence, precious as it is, points to a deeper reality. The gravest tyranny is not political oppression but the bondage of sin. Jesus said, “Whoever commits sin is a slave to sin” (Jn 8:34). To guard us from that slavery, God gave the Ten Commandments, and, in the fullness of time, the teaching of Jesus handed on through His Church. The Commandments are not rules that take away our freedom, they preserve authentic freedom for persons and for nations.

The Book of Exodus illustrates the point. When Joseph first settled his family in Egypt, they enjoyed prosperity and full rights (cf. Gen 47:5-6). Over the next four centuries, they slowly drifted into Egypt’s pagan culture, neglected the moral law, and adopted its idols. Spiritual servitude came first, political servitude followed, as Pharaoh reduced the Israelites to forced labor. Internal slavery paved the way for exterior slavery.

The lesson is clear. Whenever a people forget God and cast aside His moral law, they do not gain freedom; they forfeit it. Real freedom isn’t doing anything you want, it’s choosing what’s right, because that’s what makes you truly happy.

Two

God’s Constitution 

In Exodus, God acts in a deliberate order: He liberates the Israelites from Egyptian slavery. He forms them into a nation at Sinai. He hands them their covenant charter, the Ten Commandments (Ex 19–20).

Far from being chains, the Commandments are the nation’s moral constitution, designed to protect the freedom God has just secured. Israel’s history proves the point. Whenever the people keep the Commandments, they enjoy peace and self-rule. When they break them, they slide first into idolatry, then into political oppression. The Book of Judges repeats this four-step cycle—apostasy → servitude → repentance → deliverance—no fewer than ten times. The pattern continues under the kings and into the exile, until Israel is finally under Roman domination, and then they are destroyed. 

The lesson is universal. Lasting freedom flows from fidelity to God’s moral law, not from casting it aside. How many times must we relearn that truth?

Three

Too Many Rules 

How many times have you heard people say, “The Catholic Church has too many rules.” Too often, people see the Ten Commandments and the moral law as a limitation on our freedom. 

Never forget this: the main strategy Satan uses to separate us from God is to convince us that God is not a loving Father who has given us freedom so that we learn to love. He is a harsh master bent on controlling us through His commands. Once that lie takes hold, the next step seems logical: if we want to be “free,”  then we have to break free from the Catholic Church and its moral law and determine for ourselves what is right and wrong. Believing Satan’s lie, we revolt against the very One who alone can make us truly free, and end up enslaving ourselves instead.

Pope Benedict XVI addressed this saying, “This was also the great temptation of the modern age, of the past three or four centuries.  More and more people have thought and said, ‘But this God does not give us our freedom; with all his commandments, he restricts the space in our lives.  So God has to disappear; we want to be autonomous and independent. Without this God we ourselves would be gods and do as we pleased.’”  

When we choose to sin, it’s like locking ourselves in chains. When we follow the Ten Commandments, we remain free to love and do what’s right.

Four

The Moral Law is our design

The Ten Commandments and the Church’s moral law are to us what an owner’s manual is to a car: they reveal our design and show how we operate at our best.

Imagine I just bought a new car, a red Ford Mustang. As soon as I got it home, I read the owner’s manual, which told me to: Change your oil every 3000 miles, inflate the tires to 35 psi, and use unleaded fuel only. Then, imagine me flying into a rage, “Who does Ford think they are! This is my car, I own it. I am free to do whatever I want with my car. You know how expensive gas is these days. But hey, wait, the grocery store down the street is selling Kool-Aid for 24 cents a gallon.” So, I use my freedom and my last fumes of gas. And I drive to the store and buy enough green cool aid to make 15 gallons, and I put it in my gas tank.

Was I free to do this? Yes. But now what am I? A pedestrian!

Ford wasn’t trying to deny my freedom by giving me the owner’s manual. Ford designed the car. They knew how it worked. Ford wanted me to know what I needed to do so the car would reach its full potential. So that I would be happy and tell other people to buy a Ford.

The moral law is a reflection of ourselves, of our design. If we break the moral law, we break our design, we break ourselves. In the end, we are less free, not more.  

Five

Our Design for Happiness

The Ten Commandments are God’s blueprint for human flourishing. The first three Commandments teach us that when we worship God alone, honor His name, and keep His day holy, we stay united to Him, the source of unending happiness. Commandments four through ten show us what true freedom in community looks like this: Honor your parents and care for them in their need. Respect life, do not murder. Safeguard marriage and family, be faithful to your spouse, and follow God’s plan for sexuality and procreation. Respect property, do not steal. Tell the truth, avoid lies, and gossip. Guard the heart, do not covet what belongs to others, lest envy and resentment take root.

The Ten Commandments safeguard relationships and make both individuals and societies truly happy. Jesus illuminated this blueprint in the Sermon on the Mount and still guides us through His Church today. Our task is simple: learn the moral laws, trust God who gave them, and live them. In doing so, we find real freedom and lasting joy.

Suggested Resolutions:

Choose one resolution for today to help you grow closer to God, or create your own. Here are some ideas to inspire you. 

• Change how you think about the Ten Commandments by reflecting on the ways that each commandment benefits your life so that your examination of conscience helps you to alter your feelings towards each action.

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