Thou shall not covet thy neighbor's goods

In the last post, we introduced the Ten Commandments in general, and made a few points about them as a whole.  In this post, we will begin looking at each one individually.

I thought I would present them a little different than how they are presented normally.  I will do them in reverse order, kind of like a “Top 10” list.  So we will begin with the 10^Th Commandment,

You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods.

This commandment is focused on the intentions of the heart, more so than the acts of the body.  It is still a sin to desire something that we should not, even if we do not act on that desire and actually take it.  Good moral codes focus not just on exterior acts, but on the longings and desires of the heart from which external acts, both good and evil ones, proceed.  All of us, tainted by Original Sin, suffer what is called concupiscence, which is the inclination to sin caused by disordered desires of the flesh.  This is why two of the 10 Commandments (this one and the ninth) focus on the interior life of the passions, to help control them and redirect them to proper ends.

So what is the improper desire this Commandment forbids?  It is the desire beyond reason for goods that one does not have.   Now it is not referring to natural desires that are good, like the desire to have food when one is hungry.  Nor is it referring to a desire to have something that belong to someone if asking for it is reasonable and just ( for example, if a friend has two of something, and we know he would be happy to give us one. )  However, if we desire something  that does not belong to us, like our neighbor’s house or his car, and it would be unjust to ask him to give it to us, than that desire has fallen out of the control of reason, and has become controlled by the flesh. Letting that desire continue is what this commandment forbids.   

This inordinate desire can lead to violations of several of the other commandments (stealing, lying, and killing) in some cases.  However, even it does not, it is still sinful, for the time spent harboring something we should not is time not spent doing something we should be doing, which would be whatever act of charity would be called for at that moment, be it a kind thought, a kind deed, a kind word, or maybe even a prayer.

This Commandment forbids greed, which is the desire to amass everything one can, out of proportion to what one needs.   It also forbids avarice, which is specifically an inordinate love and desire for money.  It also forbids envy, which is jealousy of another’s good, and an inordinate desire to acquire whatever that good is for oneself.   It also forbids wishing harm on someone for monetary or other sort of gain (for example, a personal injury lawyer wishing for someone to get hurt, or a doctor wishing someone to get sick).

Our Lord Jesus Christ exhorts us to “poor in spirit” (Matthew 5:3).   He did not necessarily say we need to be materially poor.   He does mean, however, that we cannot be attached to our riches, or attached to hoarding them for ourselves.   Clearly, as we stated last post, he certainly does not do away with any of the Commandments, including ones such as this one that are "from the heart"! However, he does give us the grace to fulfill them, and not just out of obedience. He gives us the graces needed to live them with heroic virture, out of love and a desire to be the best we can be. 

To win this fight against the desires of the flesh, his grace is needed, the grace provided by the Holy Spirit through the Sacraments.  Frequenting the Sacraments, and responding to the outpourings of the Holy Spirit that come as a result,  allows us to live lives of grace, and do works of grace, instead of living out of desires of the flesh, and doing works of the flesh.

So to begin to live the 10 Commandments, we must, with the help of the Holy Spirit, begin by purifying our internal desires.   This will not happen overnight.  It is a battle we will fight throughout our lives.   However, it should and does become easier the more we cooperate with the Spirit.

Next up, we will cover the other Commandment that deals with the internal passions of the heart.

Joseph, lover of poverty, pray for us.