Acting in such a way so as to dishonor God directly is perhaps a rather obvious breech of the First Commandment. But such behavior need not be limited to dishonoring God in a direct way in order to likewise be a sin against that commandment.

Rather, it can also be done by dishonoring those people or things which in some way symbolize or represent God — especially if the dishonor is shown precisely because they do represent God.

This sounds straightforward enough. In fact, we see something analogous in our civil society. When someone wants to attack the United States, often they choose to engage in provocative behavior like burning a flag in anger or protest, since it symbolizes the country.

Disrespect shown toward the flag (or other American symbol) is ultimately an attempt to dishonor the country it represents. In matters of faith the same principle applies regarding our keeping of the First Commandment.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church calls such disrespect, sacrilege, and defines it as: “profaning or treating unworthily the sacraments and other liturgical actions, as well as persons, things or places consecrated to God.” (CCC 2120)

As this definition indicates, sacrilege can take many forms, any of which can be serious since the object of attack is ultimately God. Therefore, failing to show proper respect to people consecrated to God (like religious sisters and those in Holy Orders) can be one such example.

This does not mean that one needs to agree with them in all cases or that immoral behavior by such people should be overlooked — not at all. It simply means that comments, jokes or actions which mock, belittle, misrepresent or demean them because of their vocations, or the vocations themselves, are examples of sacrilegious behavior.

Even more serious examples would include physical violence taken against someone because of their religious vocation. While one may not be an instigator of such actions, keeping the First Commandment well will mean that one should guard against other sources of such behavior, as, for example, forms of entertainment which are known to contain such material.

The same applies to things like religious items or places. Defacing a crucifix, a rosary, a religious piece of art or church property are likewise clear cases of sacrilege.

On this note, a question often arises about how to properly dispose of religious articles (so as to avoid sacrilege) that are damaged beyond repair or further use. The standard way to handle such items would be to respectfully bury them. In some cases, it might also be acceptable to dispose of certain items by burning them in a respectful manner — such as in the case of holy oils which will no longer be used, and which might be dug up by animals if put in the ground. Typically, one might say a prayer before or during such an activity.

The idea is never to show religious items disrespect by simply disposing of them with other trash, but to recognize that they do in fact call to mind the sacred and are thus treated with decorum even when no longer able to be used, especially if those items have been blessed.

Finally, as the catechism points out, some of the most serious sacrileges are associated with dishonoring the sacraments. Anything that intends to show disrespect can qualify as being sacrilegious.

This is true of any sacrament but is especially the case when it involves profaning the Eucharist since it is that privileged place of God’s real presence. In fact, a sacrilege against the Eucharist is so serious, that it can result in excommunication.

While we might never be tempted to commit so grievous a sin, the seriousness of the consequence can serve as an important reminder to treat all the sacraments, especially the Eucharist, with the utmost respect.

Ultimately, we’re not just showing respect to a symbol. Rather, it becomes a way to honor God Himself.