I. The Name of the Lord is Holy
Catechism number 2148
Blasphemy is directly opposed to the second commandment. It consists in
uttering against God - inwardly or outwardly - words of hatred, reproach, or
defiance; in speaking ill of God; in failing in respect toward him in one's
speech; in misusing God's name. St. James condemns those "who blaspheme
that honorable name [of Jesus] by which you are called."78 The
prohibition of blasphemy extends to language against Christ's Church, the
saints, and sacred things. It is also blasphemous to make use of God's name to
cover up criminal practices, to reduce peoples to servitude, to torture persons
or put them to death. the misuse of God's name to commit a crime can provoke
others to repudiate religion.
Blasphemy is contrary to the respect due God and his holy name. It is in itself
a grave sin.79