The examples below are our personal thoughts from using the Exercise to practice some Vital Catholic Knowledge.

Example Exercise to Practice the First Commandment

1. Choose a virtue, commandment, or idea from the Vital Catholic Knowledge.
Example: The First Commandment says, “I am the Lord thy God; thou shalt not have strange gods before Me.“
2. Look for an important word:
Example: the word “God”
3. Use a dictionary to look over all definitions of that word, and find a definition that matches the way the word is used in the Vital Catholic Knowledge.
Example: God is the Supreme Being beyond which there is nothing more important.
4. Observe who has exemplified this quality.
Example: Our Lady said, “Be it done to me according to thy word.”
5. When have you exemplified this quality?
Example: At my First Communion I knew I had received God.
6. When have you not exemplified this quality?
Example: I missed Sunday Mass on purpose when I painted my house. Another time I just decided to sleep late. I broke the First and Third Commandments.
7. What decision did you make about that?
Example: I decided, “God won’t mind.” Then I was stuck with the idea that God wouldn’t mind, and I used that excuse for many other sins.
8. Meditate on that quality.
Example: View this sermon on putting God first.
9. How are you going to apply this quality in your life?
Example: The solution is not to put anything else before God. I will go to Mass first thing on Sunday morning.
10. Make a plan and decide firmly to follow it. Take definite action or write your plan in a notebook or journal.
Example: I set an alarm in my phone to wake me in time for Sunday Mass.