ECM Five Minute Maxims for Men - Strive to Keep the Commandments of Christ 

Go to EveryCatholicMan.com and find tools and resources to help you become a better Catholic Son and Catholic Father. 

Grow in holiness and happiness in 2026! Check out the critically acclaimed new book,  Becoming a Happier Catholic Man - 2026.

It doesn’t matter where you look today—schools, social media, politics—there’s a full-blown rebellion against authority and a rejection of rules. The world says: “Just do what makes you happy.” People are told to celebrate their impulses and call it authenticity. As religion is dismissed and God forgotten, the idea of moral commandments is mocked. What matters now is not right or wrong, but preference and pride.

But the world’s way is not God’s way. God Himself carved the 10 Commandments into stone with His own finger (Ex 31:18) and gave them as permanent law. They are not suggestions—they are requirements. And Jesus didn’t abolish them. He declared: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Mt 5:17, RSVCE). And in His final moments, Jesus confirmed: “I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in His love” (Jn 15:10, RSVCE). Jesus obeyed the Commandments—and He calls you to do the same.

Here’s the truth: you will never find true and lasting happiness unless you follow the Commandments of God. Jesus affirmed them. Jesus lived them. And He expects you to do the same. Study them. Memorize them. Examine your life by them. And when you fail, run to Confession. Keeping the Commandments is not about guilt—it’s about doing the things God promises will lead to eternal happiness.

Challenge

Today, choose one Commandment you have been neglecting and make it your focus. Reflect on how you can live it more faithfully, and make a concrete resolution to act on it before the day is done.

Pray: Holy Spirit, give me the Gift of Knowledge so I may be filled with a deep knowledge and love of the 10 Commandments, and strive to live them out every day of my life. Today, help me to keep God’s law with faithfulness and joy, just as Jesus did. Amen.