Catechism number 2057

The Decalogue must first be understood in the context of the Exodus, God's great liberating event at

the center of the Old Covenant. Whether formulated as negative commandments, prohibitions, or as

positive precepts such as: "Honor your father and mother," the "ten words" point out the conditions of a life

freed from the slavery of sin. the Decalogue is a path of life:

This liberating power of the Decalogue appears, for example, in the commandment about the

sabbath rest, directed also to foreigners and slaves: