The Church does not oppose associations founded on law and justice; but on the contrary, has always encouraged and still encourages every organization that tends to benefit its members spiritually and temporally, and opposes only societies that have not a legitimate end.  Therefore you may understand that labor unions and benefit societies in which persons are leagued together for their own protection or the protection of their interests are not secret societies, though they may conduct their meetings in secret.

351 Q. Is it a sin not to fulfill our vows?  A. Not to fulfill our vows is a sin, mortal or venial according to the nature of the vow and the intention we had in making it.

“Vows”—­that is, lawful vows.  When a man who is in the habit of getting intoxicated vows not to take liquor for a certain time, he generally intends to bind himself only under venial sin; that is, if he breaks that pledge or promise it will be a venial and not a mortal sin; but he can make it a mortal sin by intending, when he takes the pledge, that if he breaks it he will be guilty of mortal sin.

352 Q. What is forbidden by the Second Commandment?  A. The Second Commandment forbids all false, rash, unjust, and unnecessary oaths, blasphemy, cursing, and profane words.

“Rash”—­swearing a thing is true or false without knowing for certain whether it is or not.  “Blasphemy” is not the same as cursing or taking God’s name in vain.  It is worse.  It is to say or do something very disrespectful to God.  To say that He is unjust, cruel or the like, is to blaspheme.  We can blaspheme also by actions.  To defy God by a sign or action, to dare Him to strike us dead, etc., would be blasphemy.  We have a terrible example of blasphemy related in the life of Julian the Apostate.  An apostate is one who renounces and gives up his religion, not one who merely neglects it.  Julian was a Roman emperor and had been a Catholic, but apostatized.  Then in his great hatred for Our Lord he wished to falsify His prophecies and prove them untrue.  Our Lord had said that of the temple of Jerusalem there would not be left a stone upon a stone.  To make this false Julian began to rebuild the temple.  In making the preparation he cleared away the ruins of the old building, not leaving a single stone upon a stone, and thus was instrumental himself in verifying the words of Our Lord; for while the ruins remained there were stones upon stones.  He wished to defy God, but when he began to build, fire came forth from the earth and drove back the workmen, and a strong wind scattered the materials.  Afterwards Julian was wounded in battle, an arrow having pierced his breast.  He drew it out, and throwing a handful of his blood toward heaven, said:  “Thou hast conquered, O Galilean,” meaning Our Lord.  This was a horrible blasphemy—­throwing his blood in defiance, and calling the Son of God a name which he thought would be insulting (see Fredet’s Modern History, Life of Julian).  Therefore we can blaspheme by actions or words, doing or saying things intended to insult Almighty God.  “Profane words”—­that is, bad, but especially irreverent and irreligious words.