Published in the bulletin of Holy Ghost Catholic Church in Knoxville, TN, on 29th Sunday of Ordinary Time.

My dear Parishioners,
Peace! There are six (6) “In Brief” articles in the Catechism of the Catholic Church addressing the Tenth Commandment of the Decalogue, ‘You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods.’ The following is a reflection on CCC 2551.
The Tenth Commandment, ‘You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods’ is related to the Seventh Commandment ‘You shall not steal’ (cf. Exodus 20:17; Deuteronomy 5:21). Often before anyone would steal something there is a disordered desire for that which is stolen. The Commandments of God are revealed expressions of the Natural Law and, with God’s grace, help us to keep our fallen nature in check and on track. The Catechism reminds us that what we treasure controls our hearts, or as Sacred Scripture puts it: “Where your treasure is, there is your heart” (Matthew 6:21; Luke 12:34).
What is it that we treasure? Of course, earthly treasure and wealth enable us to have the wherewithal to provide for our basic necessities: food, clothing and shelter. But these things, important as they are, do not exhaust what it means to be human, they are not all that there is to our story. Sometimes, however, it is actually our possessions which own us (cf. Matthew 19:22; Mark 10:22). The Commandments help us to see things, possessions, treasure, in their proper light, in view of God’s providence and the life hereafter (cf. Luke 12:13–21).
The Lord would rather have us store up treasure in Heaven (cf. Matthew 19:21; Mark 10:21; Luke 12:33). Saint Paul reminds us of the treasure God has given us in grace, faith, the Eucharist (2 Corinthians 4:7). Saint Peter reminds us that our faith is more precious than fire tried gold (cf. 1 Peter 1:7).
When considering the Tenth Commandment, ‘You shall not covet your neighbors’s goods’, we should also recall the virtue of brotherly love by which we rejoice in the good of our neighbor. If our neighbors have lovely a home, automobile, wardrobe… brotherly love and the Tenth Commandment call us to rejoice for them. Jealousy, the anger or sadness experienced by those unable to rejoice in blessings in their neighbors’ lives is treated together with envy as a sin by Saint Cyprian of Carthage (+ 258) who points out that jealousy inflames avarice (Treatise 10); Saint John Chrysostom (+ 407) who points out that jealousy is for the most part generated by the way we look at wealth and sovereignty and pomp and how outward beauty is full of conceit and great license, and throws us into jealousy (Homily 3 on Galatins; Homily 20 on Ephesians); Saint Clement (+99) saw envy and jealousy as leading to Cain’s fratricide (Letter to the Corinthians). While envy may also arise when confronted by the blessings in another’s life, it does not include anger or sadness, only the ardent burning desire to possess. Saint Thomas Aquinas (+1274) does address envy in the Summa Theologiae (II-II Q. 36, A. 1–4) but he does not address sinful jealousy.
God bless you!
Father John Arthur Orr