ARTICLE I: ON THE VAIN USURPATION OF THE MOST HOLY NAME OF GOD

359. • The Most Holy Name of God is said to be usurped in vain when it is taken without a reasonable cause, or without due reverence. But this is wont to be done especially in a threefold manner, namely:

1° From impatience, or indignation, against creatures even inanimate, or against oneself, for example: My God! Good God! how badly this matter proceeds! My God! how foolish I am!...

2° From admiration, by way of exclamation. Thus it is said: Jesus, Mary! O God! My God!

3° Superfluously, generally from a mere formula, or from levity, or from a certain custom. Thus it is said: My God, indeed,... it is so, or it is not so.

360. Questions. - Quaer. 1° Is the vain usurpation of the name of God always a sin, and how great?

Resp. 1° Of itself it is a sin, because it injures the reverence due to the divine name. It is established moreover from Ecclesiasticus:² Let not the naming of God be continual in thy mouth.

Resp. 2° Of itself it is only a venial sin, because that reverence is not gravely injured. But it can become mortal because of formal contempt of God or grave anger against Him, because then it is judged to participate in the nature of blasphemy.

Resp. 3° Although fault is often absent because of inadvertence, yet they are not to be excused who, without any sense of reverence, from custom always have the Most Holy Name of God in their mouth. - On the other hand, if the Most Holy Name of God is usurped with due reverence, even in indifferent matters, not only will sin be absent, but, where it is thus usurped by way of invocation, it will be a good and meritorious work. For the rest, they will more easily be excused from sin who usurp the Most Holy Name of God by way of admiration or interjection, because then irreverence is more easily absent.

Quaer. 2° Is it a sin to usurp uselessly the names of the Saints?

Resp. Affirmatively. For what is said concerning the Most Holy Name of God must, proportion observed, also be said concerning the names of the Saints, as is established from the cited place of Ecclesiasticus, where it is added: And meddle not with the names of Saints. The same also must be said concerning the vain usurpation of the words of Sacred Scripture, when they are taken irreverently. Council of Trent, session 4.

Quaer. 3° Is the assiduous and useless usurpation of the name of the demon a sin?

Resp. Negatively, of itself. Yet it is to be reproved as less becoming in the mouth of Christians, especially of priests, who by reason of scandal sometimes are not free from mortal fault. - Busembaum apud St. Alphonsus,¹ Bouvier, etc.