The Fifth Commandment
One
The fifth commandment and the right to life
After the Lord established the primacy of God, and – on the human level – the primordial importance of the family, the next commandment, the fifth commandment, was designed to respect the fundamental good of life.
“Thou shalt not kill.”
Like all the “thou shalt not” commandments, this prohibition is ultimately based on an affirmation. It’s based on the affirmation that existence, and above all, human existence is good.
We must treat the existence of God’s images as good, which means we must not seek to attack the goodness of others, their being, or their presence in the world.
We must not murder, because the existence of our neighbor is a wondrous thing.
Two
The right to life
The fifth commandment, “Thou shalt not kill”, is the biblical expression of what we now call “The right to life.”
St. John Paul II articulates this right very eloquently, and lays particular emphasis on its universality, “As far as the right to life is concerned, every innocent human being is absolutely equal to all others. This equality is the basis of all authentic social relationships which, to be truly such, can only be founded on truth and justice, recognizing and protecting every man and woman as a person and not as an object to be used. Before the moral norm which prohibits the direct taking of the life of an innocent human being ‘there are no privileges or exceptions for anyone. It makes no difference whether one is the master of the world or the poorest of the poor’ on the face of the earth. Before the demands of morality we are all absolutely equal.”
Notice how St. John Paul specifies that the right to life, “prohibits the direct taking of the life of an innocent human being.” The Catechism makes the same point, quoting Exodus, “Do not slay the innocent or the righteous.” (Ex 23:7; cf. CCC #2261).
The implication is that there are times when violent self-defense is legitimate, in order to safeguard against non-innocent aggressors. But when it comes to innocent human beings, then it doesn’t matter what demographic they come from – they must not be put to death.
Three
Foundational public good
The Catholic Church recognizes that “life” isn’t the only human good. There’s more to morality and public policy than just “being.”
That’s why, for instance, the Church has so much official teaching on property – its rights and responsibilities and the mechanisms of its ownership. Because having is an important part of what it means to be human.
The Catholic Church also has a lot of important teachings on participation and activity, what a just social order looks like, and how important meaningful economic contribution is. Because doing is also an important part of what it means to be human.
So being isn’t the only thing that matters. But, it is the fundamental thing on which everything else depends. Because you’re not going to have much, or do much, if you’re not even allowed to exist.
That’s why St. John Paul II says that the Right to Life, the good of being, of existing, must be a basic commitment for all of us. He says, “Above all, the common outcry, which is justly made on behalf of human rights – for example, the right to health, to home, to work, to family, to culture – is false and illusory if the right to life, the most basic and fundamental right and the condition for all other personal rights, is not defended with maximum determination.”
If you’re really worked up about economic reform, political reform, or cultural reform but you’re not committed to protecting the lives of the innocent, then what are you even working for?
Four
Anger as an extension of murder
So the fifth commandment demands that we refrain from murder, but as you might expect, Jesus Christ, the Lord of love, doesn’t let us rest content with not actually having “killed” somebody.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says, “You have heard it said, Thou shalt not kill – but I say to you, anyone who is angry with his brother is liable to judgment.”
Why? Well, because killing is destroying the goodness of someone else but anger is about the desire to destroy something, to break something.
Anger at sin is okay because we should want to eliminate our sin. But anger at your brother (or sister) means that you are indulging thoughts and feelings directed to attack them. You want to destroy them, to punish them, to get revenge. You want evil to befall them, maybe not the evil of death, but some evil.
The Lord wants us not to actually attack our neighbor’s life. But He also wants us not to desire to damage any part of our neighbor. Because our neighbor is good. And the fifth commandment is supposed to remind us of that.
Five
Affirming the goodness of the other
No one is perfect but everyone is good. Everyone has goodness in them. God has put people in the world because His view – which is, of course, the right one – is that they make the world a better place.
If we really keep the fifth commandment, we would always keep that truth in front of us: our neighbor, every person who sometimes frustrates us, makes the world a better place. That truth should keep us from attacking them, at any level. That truth should keep us from even wanting to.
It will help us follow the commandment, “Thou shalt not kill.” And it will help us refrain, as Christ instructs, from being angry at our brothers and sisters.