Welcome back to the Jesse Tree on the Catholic Spouts podcast. Today is Monday of the second week of Advent.

The Israelites had lived in Egypt for over 400 years. Although the Egyptians had mistreated them,

the Israelites couldn't help but absorb some of the Egyptians' pagan practices.

Now that they were freed from slavery, God set out to free their hearts and establish a covenant with them.

Now, this was a tall order, and God gave his people the ten commandments to establish this.

God worked to conform their wills to His

through his law, and so they could live as His people. Listen now to the story of Moses and the

Ten Commandments found in the Book of Exodus. Exodus 19, 3 through 6, 21 through 3, 7 through 8, 12 through 17.

Then Moses went up to God, the Lord called to him from the mountain, saying,

Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the Israelites,

You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagle's wings and brought you to myself.

Now, therefore, if you obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession out of all

the peoples. Indeed, the whole earth is mine, but you shall be for me a priestly kingdom and a holy

nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the Israelites. Then God spoke all these words. I am the Lord

your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other

gods before me. You should not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord

will not acquit anyone who misuses his name. Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. Honor your

father and your mother so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord God is given you.

You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false

witness against your neighbor. You shall not covet your neighbor's house.

You shall not covet your neighbor's wife or male or female slave or ox or donkey or anything

that belongs to your neighbor. Belonging to God requires that we obey his laws. After the Israelites

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