“You shall have no other gods before Me.” — Exodus 20:3
Restore
the First Commandment.
A prophetic call to restore the primacy of God in Catholic worship and education.
God must always come first — in every Catholic gathering, school, parish, document, and act of worship. This is not a rejection of reconciliation or cultural respect. It is a First Commandment issue — an invitation to restore the order of love in Catholic worship.
Introduction
God must always come first
in Catholic worship, prayer, and identity.
Across Australia, a well-intentioned practice — the "Acknowledgment of Country" — has increasingly appeared at the start of Catholic school assemblies, parish gatherings, official documents, websites, and even affixed to church doors. While intended as a gesture of respect and hospitality, this practice has in some places begun to overshadow the primacy of God in Catholic worship.
This concern is not about Indigenous Australians. It is not a rejection of reconciliation or cultural respect. It is a First Commandment issue: God must always come first in Catholic worship, prayer, identity, and liturgical order.
The First Commandment & Liturgical Priority
Catholic worship begins with God.
Catholic worship begins with God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Sign of the Cross, prayer, Scripture, and the proclamation of Christ must always be the first act of any Catholic gathering.
Whenever any cultural, political, or social formula is placed before God in Catholic settings, the order of love becomes distorted. Even good things become spiritually unhealthy when they take precedence over worship.
"You shall have no other gods before Me."— Exodus 20:3
You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve.
Matthew 4:10
A Shift in Practice
When a cultural gesture becomes a quasi-ritual.
In many Catholic institutions, the Acknowledgment of Country has shifted from a gesture of respect to a ritualised pre-liturgy:
placed before prayer
placed before the Sign of the Cross
placed before the proclamation of Christ
treated as a mandatory opening formula
embedded into liturgical spaces
This unintentionally communicates that creation is acknowledged before the Creator, and culture is prioritised before Christ. This is not the intention, but it is the effect.
The Spiritual Consequence
The worship of the one God sets man free.
"The worship of the one God sets man free from turning toward false gods."— CCC 2113
When Catholic gatherings consistently begin with a cultural formula rather than prayer, it risks:
confusing students and parishioners
displacing God from first place
elevating creation above the Creator
creating a quasi-ritual not rooted in Catholic worship
The Holy Spirit is calling the Church in Australia to correct this imbalance.
A Prophetic Message · For the Church in Australia
God comes first. Always.
In every gathering.
In every school.
In every parish.
In every document.
In every act of worship.
Respect for Indigenous people is good. Reconciliation is good. Cultural sensitivity is good. But none of these can precede the worship of God.
Catholic Schools & the Need for Clarity
Christ first. Christ central. Christ proclaimed.
In many Catholic schools, the Acknowledgment of Country has become the focal point of assemblies and events, often placed before prayer. This creates confusion among students about the order of worship and the identity of the Church.
Christ first
Every school gathering opens in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Christ central
The identity of a Catholic school is found in Christ — not in any cultural formula.
Christ proclaimed
Students must hear, before anything else, the proclamation of the Gospel.
Cultural respect should follow prayer, not precede it.
The Balanced Catholic Approach
Correct liturgical order.
Begin with God
Sign of the Cross, prayer, Scripture.
Then offer cultural acknowledgment
Respectful, charitable, appropriate — following prayer, never preceding it.
This restores the First Commandment and maintains proper worship.
The Prophetic Call
The Holy Spirit is calling the Church in Australia to:
re-examine this practice
restore liturgical order
place God first
ensure Christ is proclaimed without hesitation
prevent cultural gestures from becoming quasi-rituals
protect the integrity of Catholic worship
This is not political. It is spiritual. It is a call to conversion, clarity, and courage.
A Prophetic Word
Restore the order of love.
Place God first.
Not political — spiritual. A call to conversion, clarity, and courage for the Church in Australia.