The tenth commandment of God
"You shall not covet anything that belongs to your neighbor" (Ex. 20:17).
"Which of you, if he has a hundred sheep and loses one, does not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost one until he finds it?" (Lk 15:4)"Or what woman, if she has ten drachmas and loses one, does not string a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it?" (Lk 15:8)From the first parable, the question arises, what will the shepherd do when he loses one of his sheep? Will he be without concern for that loss? No, he will not be without worry, but he will immediately leave the other sheep and hurriedly go after the lost one to find her as soon as possible and return her to the flock.Another parable also raises the question of what a woman will do when she loses one valuable coin? Will it be without concern for him? No, but she will be caring and will do anything to find him. He will hastily turn on the light, clean the house and search every corner to find him as soon as possible.
The question arises, what do these parables from the Gospel say ? It is clear to a reasonable and righteous person that they are talking about the duty of diligent and zealous work for the salvation of one's soul!As the shepherd is concerned about the sheep and the woman about the coin, that is, as they would be concerned about their material earthly possessions, we should be concerned about the salvation of our souls even more than that. The value of our soul, which is the image of God redeemed by the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, sanctified by the Holy Spirit and destined for bliss and eternal celebration in Heaven, is inestimable . If we lose our soul, then we have lost everything , i.e. our body, Heaven and God, and we will be thrown into the abyss of Hell from where there is no more redemption. The question arises, who would not do everything to save his soul and bring it to the bliss of Heaven?However, today there are many who do not take care of their souls. They have forgotten about God and their salvation, they accumulate sins and await death, which will lead them to eternal ruin. Their whole endeavor is to strive for abundant earthly goods so that they can have carefree and happy days here on earth. According to the words of the apostle Paul, their god is their stomach, whom they want to please in everything: "Their end is destruction; their god is the belly; their pride is in their shame. They think only of earthly things" (Phil 3:19).It is precisely this misunderstanding of the true values of life that causes many to lose their eternal destiny right before their eyes and completely neglect the work of salvation. Whoever does not seek and love what he is obliged to seek and love, i.e. who does not love God and the salvation of his soul, seeks and loves what he must not seek and love, that is, he seeks and loves the world and its worthless goods and fleeting joys. God knows this, and that is why he gave the ninth and tenth commandments, which forbid man any disordered desire for earthly goods and instructs him to seek and fight with all his strength for goods that have value in Heaven.When we talk about the tenth commandment we should know:What God commands in the tenth commandmentWhat God forbids in the tenth commandmentWhat God commands in the tenth commandmentIn this commandment, God commands:To appreciate and respect everything that our neighbor hasTo be completely satisfied with what belongs to usTo appreciate and respect everything that our neighbor hasWe are obliged to respect and appreciate the property of our neighbor, to rejoice in his betterment and to wish him from the bottom of our hearts to possess and support all that he has acquired in a just way. This is clearly ordered by the law of love that the Lord said: "Whatever you want people to do to you, do to them!" (Mt 7:12).It is our constant desire that our neighbor wants what we own from the bottom of his heart and that he sincerely rejoices when he sees us happy and satisfied . Therefore, we should have the same thoughts and desires towards our neighbors , because this is the only way we fulfill the law of love.
From the bottom of our hearts, we are obliged to wish our neighbor his good, because our main commandment is to love our neighbor as ourselves , which the Lord confirms: "Love your neighbor as yourself!" (Mt 22:39).Therefore, if we love our neighbor as ourselves, then we think well of him and wish him from the bottom of our hearts the good that he possesses. That is why the apostle Paul says that love knows no envy.Also, the betterment of human society, that is, the community, requires that we wish our neighbor from the bottom of our hearts for the goods that he owns. Therefore, it is not possible for us to possess our possessions in peace and contentment and to sincerely look forward to our well-being if we know that there are those who envy us and to whom our happiness is a thorn in their side.If we were allowed to envy our neighbor for his goods, then there would no longer be security of person, property, honor and good name, because envy does not remain closed in the heart, but at the first best opportunity it breaks in like a poisonous snake and does great evil and ruin. Human history gives us plenty of evidence of this, because at the very beginning of the human race, Satan envied Adam and Eve the happiness they possessed in their state of innocence, and because of that he attacked them and ruined the entire human race and sent them into the greatest calamity.Furthermore, Cain envied his brother Abel, whom God loved more than him, and therefore he raised his hand on him and thus became his murderer.It also happened out of envy that the sons of Jacob sold their brother Joseph as a slave, that Saul wanted to execute the innocent David, and that the Israelites crucified the Lord Jesus Christ.These examples clearly show how and how serious a sin envy is. Slander, harm, robbery, murder, in short, every wickedness comes from envy. Therefore, we need to be careful and never allow this ugly sin to take hold.Finally, it is necessary to emphasize once again that the tenth commandment of God strictly commands that we sincerely rejoice in all the good things that our neighbor possesses and that we wish him all the best in all his endeavors from the bottom of our hearts.To be completely satisfied with what belongs to usTo be satisfied with what we own, the apostle Paul clearly warns us: "Let your rule be without greed for money! Be content with what you have!" (Heb 13:5).The very thought that God has given us all the goods we have should cause us to be completely satisfied with what we have.
In fact, it is not a mere coincidence, but the will of God, that is, his permission for someone to be rich and someone to be poor, and for one to have more and the other to have less.It is also certain that the Lord God did not without reason divide his earthly goods by giving more to one and less to another. If God judges by his immense wisdom that it will be good if someone is rich, then he gives him that wealth, and if he judges that it is better for someone to be poor, then he allows him to be poor. However, God also gives the poor as much as they need so that they can live normally only if they are thrifty, hardworking and honest. The question arises, what follows from such a decision of God? Nothing else, but the duty to be satisfied with what we have. To be dissatisfied with your circumstances in life means to be dissatisfied with God himself, which is obviously unjust and completely sinful.So, if, because of poverty, such thoughts come to us, which force us to have dissatisfaction in our hearts because of such a state, then we should immediately suppress them and think and understand that God, who put us in a state of poverty and humility, wants and wants only what it is good and useful for us , and because of that we should joyfully accept his holy will.Another reason to be satisfied with what we have is that dissatisfaction with the state we are in leads to many sins and injustices. He who is not satisfied with his condition envies his neighbor whom he sees in a better condition. As such, he falls into the temptation to extend his hands for other people's good, to cheat, steal and commit other injustices. His dissatisfaction forces him to improve his condition, that is, to acquire money and treasure at any cost. For him, there is no greater purpose and goal in life than to become rich. Due to the excessive pursuit of wealth, such a person falls into the traps of Satan and is in great danger of losing his soul, which is confirmed by the apostle Paul: "And those who want to become rich fall into temptation, into a trap and into many crazy and destructive desires that lead people to ruin and destruction, because greed for money is the source of all evil" (1 Tim 6:9-10).Dissatisfaction due to the situation in which we find ourselves very often has an evil effect on us and leads us to the point that, in the service of laziness, we completely neglect our duties and therefore become a burden to ourselves and others.
Looking at these great evils that spring from this way of dissatisfaction, we should curb all disorderly desires for the goods of this world and be satisfied with what God has given us , which is confirmed by the apostle Paul: "Indeed, faith is a great source of gain if the spirit satisfied with what he has. Namely, we brought nothing into this world, so we cannot take anything out of it. And when we have food and clothes, let us be satisfied with that!" (1 Tim 6:6-8).The truth that says that not wealth and abundance, but only the contentment of the heart, can make our life happy, should make us even more satisfied with what God has given us . "Don't think" - says Saint John Chrysostom - "that great wealth can give you joy." You can only be happy if you don't want to be rich. While we are thirsty, the torment lasts and even if we exhaust all the students and drink thousands of rivers, the torment will be even greater.''How true this holy teacher of the holy Church speaks, because everything in this world is so weak, useless and small, and it is not possible to give at least apparent bliss even for a short time. That is why we must not have disordered desires for earthly goods that are so vain and fleeting that they cannot satisfy us , but we should be satisfied with what God has given us .Our main concern should be to have a clean conscience, because it brings us real satisfaction, peace and tranquility that this proud world with all its treasures can never give us . "He who has a clear conscience" - says St. John Chrysostom - "he is, even if he is wrapped in sackcloth and even if he suffers hunger, still happier than the one who swims in all the delights." He who has an evil conscience is the most unlucky of all people, even if he lives in abundance of all goods.For this reason, the apostle Paul rejoiced and lived in greater enjoyment of life than any king even though he constantly suffered thirst, nakedness and endured many blows. This is why we should take care of a clear conscience, because it is the greatest treasure during life and at the hour of death.In order to save our heart from disordered desires for the goods of this world, we should think about the fact that our homeland is not here on earth but up in Heaven.
Now let's assume that we have an abundance of money and treasures and that we are lords over all the kingdoms of the world, then we should ask ourselves the question, how long will our so -called happiness last? Twenty, thirty, fifty or more years and then everything will pass and disappear, because our life in this world is short and all its days are numbered. Death comes with quick steps and we are left with nothing but dead clothes, a coffin and a few square meters of earth to cover us . How much folly do we commit if our hearts are captured by goods that are vain and transitory? For this reason, we should direct our gaze to eternity, because that is where our purpose and goal is , and we should often think about the words of the apostle Paul: "What the eye has not seen, what the ear has not heard, what the human heart has not thought about: that is God prepared for those who love him" (1 Cor 2:9).Considering the immense bliss that awaits those who love God will make us despise everything that the earth has and offers, and we will say, like St. Ignatius: "Oh, how disgusting the earth is to me when I look at Heaven!"According to the words of the apostle Paul: "For those whom he foresaw, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he would be the firstborn among many brothers" (Romans 8:29), we have the duty to be equal to Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, we should also fulfill this duty with a good and clear conscience.Therefore, if we have acquired something unfairly , that is, if we have damaged the property of our neighbor through robbery, theft, fraud, usury, then we are obliged to return everything and compensate for the damage, because our eternal bliss in Heaven depends on the fulfillment of this duty .What God forbids in the tenth commandmentIn this commandment, God forbids us from any unjust desire for the good of our neighbor!It is emphasized here that we must not unjustly desire what belongs to our neighbor, because not every desire for someone else's property is sinful, unjust and forbidden by the tenth commandment, because when we want to obtain a good of our neighbor only in a just and permissible way, then we are by no means sinning.This can be seen from the example when we want to buy a neighbor's field that borders our own field and when we do not intend to win that field for ourselves by force or cunning, but we want to have it as such only on the condition that the neighbor voluntarily sells it to us or gives it to us in exchange. In that case, we do not unjustly strive for the good of our neighbor, that is, we do not want to gain someone else's good in an unfair way, and as such we do not sin.So, according to God's tenth commandment, we sin when we want someone else's good in an unjust way and willingly appropriate it for ourselves at the expense of our neighbor.
A visible example of this is when we know that there is a lot of money in our neighbor's house, and when we are greedy for that money and decide to steal it and appropriate it for ourselves. In this case, our greed is seriously sinful, because we want to acquire other people's good by unfair means, that is, by willful theft.According to the example from the Gospel, such was the greed of Ahab who desired the vineyard of Naboth. Ahab wanted to win Naboth's vineyard for himself by any means, fair or unfair. Since he could not get it by a fair purchase, he committed a murderous robbery out of greed to appropriate it. That's why Saint John Chrysostom says: "Greed is the passion that brings all evil into the world."Now, briefly and in more detail, we need to consider which sin is the desire for an unjust good?Among those who sin by the desire for an unjust good are first of all those who are engaged in trade and who, as such, will wish for famine or high prices to occur so that they can sell their goods as expensive as possible.He and the merchants who do not want others to buy or sell near them also make a mistake with the desire for an unfair advantage , because then they suffer damage due to the created competition.
Generally speaking, every merchant who wants to unjustly enrich himself with other people's property sins against the tenth commandment of God.On a moral basis, the merchant is allowed to seek a moderate gain, but he is not allowed to use the plight of his neighbor for unjust enrichment. Taking advantage of the plight of a neighbor is very sinful and reprehensible because it is against love and justice.Furthermore, the one who has the right to inherit sins by wishing for an unjust good when, as such, he wishes for the early death of his parents in order to get their property as soon as possible, that is, by this sin he sins who prays to God that God may take his parents from this world as soon as possible. so that he could dispose of the parental property as soon as possible.The same sin is also committed by the one who wishes his parents dead so that he no longer has to support and support them. Such a person can be so ungodly that he tells an old father or mother to their face that they have lived long enough and that the time has come for them to die.
Whoever does such a thing should be afraid that God will judge him in the same way as he judged his parents and that a terrible punishment awaits him in the other world because he has seriously violated his duties towards his parents. As such, the words from the Holy Scriptures should be engraved in their hearts: "A son is shameful and corrupt who abuses his father and drives his mother away" (Prov. 19:26).In the same way, the one who expects the premature death of his relatives and other relatives in order to inherit their inheritance also sins. Such a person sins very gravely out of holy Catholic love for his neighbor because he touches the justice of God who is the only master of life and death.In the same way, the one who is a soldier and who, as such, does not like peace but wants war in order to be able to conquer or to achieve as much honor as possible regardless of the sacrifices, also sins by the desire for an unjust good.And he who is a doctor also makes a mistake when he rejoices when certain diseases appear or that rich patients do not recover for a long time in order to benefit as long as possible by paying them.He who is a lawyer also makes a mistake if he cares about generous and long-lasting litigations.The one who is a craftsman also makes a mistake if he wishes misfortune on others, for example, to start a fire so that he can have more work and thus earn more and more profitably.The one who is envious of his neighbor's honor and good reputation, wishing that he would lose it as soon as possible, and that he would gain it as soon as possible, commits an equally grave sin .This greed for other people's honor often leads to the greatest injustices, because he gossips and slanders his neighbor and wants to humiliate him in every way in order to achieve his own benefit.All these above examples show how we sin against the holy Catholic love which commands us to wish our neighbor well and to rejoice with those who are happy, and to mourn with those who mourn.In general, it can be said that according to the tenth commandment of God, we sin when we have disordered or unjust desires for the temporal goods of this world. From these unjust desires arises not only impermissible greed for other people's goods, but also envy, malice, striving for litigation, theft, robbery, murder, as well as other other evils, and that is why the apostle Paul rightly says that greed is the source of all evil: "And they those who want to become rich fall into temptation, into a trap and into many crazy and destructive desires that lead people to ruin and destruction, because greed for money is the source of all evils" (1 Tim 6:9-10).Therefore, you should carefully watch your heart so that greed does not enter it. If a disordered greed for some good of this world enters the heart, then as such we should immediately remove it and reject it from ourselves. N must never want to multiply his wealth or enrich himself in an untidy way to the detriment of his neighbor and thus violate justice. In a word, we are obliged to refrain from everything that the Tenth Commandment forbids us , and we should diligently do everything that it commands. Amen!
"You shall not covet anything that belongs to your neighbor" (Ex. 20:17).
"Which of you, if he has a hundred sheep and loses one, does not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost one until he finds it?" (Lk 15:4)
"Or what woman, if she has ten drachmas and loses one, does not string a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it?" (Lk 15:8)
From the first parable, the question arises, what will the shepherd do when he loses one of his sheep? Will he be without concern for that loss? No, he will not be without worry, but he will immediately leave the other sheep and hurriedly go after the lost one to find her as soon as possible and return her to the flock.
Another parable also raises the question of what a woman will do when she loses one valuable coin? Will it be without concern for him? No, but she will be caring and will do anything to find him. He will hastily turn on the light, clean the house and search every corner to find him as soon as possible.
The question arises, what do these parables from the Gospel say ? It is clear to a reasonable and righteous person that they are talking about the duty of diligent and zealous work for the salvation of one's soul!
As the shepherd is concerned about the sheep and the woman about the coin, that is, as they would be concerned about their material earthly possessions, we should be concerned about the salvation of our souls even more than that. The value of our soul, which is the image of God redeemed by the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, sanctified by the Holy Spirit and destined for bliss and eternal celebration in Heaven, is inestimable . If we lose our soul, then we have lost everything , i.e. our body, Heaven and God, and we will be thrown into the abyss of Hell from where there is no more redemption. The question arises, who would not do everything to save his soul and bring it to the bliss of Heaven?
However, today there are many who do not take care of their souls. They have forgotten about God and their salvation, they accumulate sins and await death, which will lead them to eternal ruin. Their whole endeavor is to strive for abundant earthly goods so that they can have carefree and happy days here on earth. According to the words of the apostle Paul, their god is their stomach, whom they want to please in everything: "Their end is destruction; their god is the belly; their pride is in their shame. They think only of earthly things" (Phil 3:19).
It is precisely this misunderstanding of the true values of life that causes many to lose their eternal destiny right before their eyes and completely neglect the work of salvation. Whoever does not seek and love what he is obliged to seek and love, i.e. who does not love God and the salvation of his soul, seeks and loves what he must not seek and love, that is, he seeks and loves the world and its worthless goods and fleeting joys. God knows this, and that is why he gave the ninth and tenth commandments, which forbid man any disordered desire for earthly goods and instructs him to seek and fight with all his strength for goods that have value in Heaven.
When we talk about the tenth commandment we should know:
What God commands in the tenth commandment
What God forbids in the tenth commandment
What God commands in the tenth commandment
In this commandment, God commands:
To appreciate and respect everything that our neighbor has
To be completely satisfied with what belongs to us
To appreciate and respect everything that our neighbor has
We are obliged to respect and appreciate the property of our neighbor, to rejoice in his betterment and to wish him from the bottom of our hearts to possess and support all that he has acquired in a just way. This is clearly ordered by the law of love that the Lord said: "Whatever you want people to do to you, do to them!" (Mt 7:12).
It is our constant desire that our neighbor wants what we own from the bottom of his heart and that he sincerely rejoices when he sees us happy and satisfied . Therefore, we should have the same thoughts and desires towards our neighbors , because this is the only way we fulfill the law of love.
From the bottom of our hearts, we are obliged to wish our neighbor his good, because our main commandment is to love our neighbor as ourselves , which the Lord confirms: "Love your neighbor as yourself!" (Mt 22:39).
Therefore, if we love our neighbor as ourselves, then we think well of him and wish him from the bottom of our hearts the good that he possesses. That is why the apostle Paul says that love knows no envy.
Also, the betterment of human society, that is, the community, requires that we wish our neighbor from the bottom of our hearts for the goods that he owns. Therefore, it is not possible for us to possess our possessions in peace and contentment and to sincerely look forward to our well-being if we know that there are those who envy us and to whom our happiness is a thorn in their side.
If we were allowed to envy our neighbor for his goods, then there would no longer be security of person, property, honor and good name, because envy does not remain closed in the heart, but at the first best opportunity it breaks in like a poisonous snake and does great evil and ruin. Human history gives us plenty of evidence of this, because at the very beginning of the human race, Satan envied Adam and Eve the happiness they possessed in their state of innocence, and because of that he attacked them and ruined the entire human race and sent them into the greatest calamity.
Furthermore, Cain envied his brother Abel, whom God loved more than him, and therefore he raised his hand on him and thus became his murderer.
It also happened out of envy that the sons of Jacob sold their brother Joseph as a slave, that Saul wanted to execute the innocent David, and that the Israelites crucified the Lord Jesus Christ.
These examples clearly show how and how serious a sin envy is. Slander, harm, robbery, murder, in short, every wickedness comes from envy. Therefore, we need to be careful and never allow this ugly sin to take hold.
Finally, it is necessary to emphasize once again that the tenth commandment of God strictly commands that we sincerely rejoice in all the good things that our neighbor possesses and that we wish him all the best in all his endeavors from the bottom of our hearts.
To be completely satisfied with what belongs to us
To be satisfied with what we own, the apostle Paul clearly warns us: "Let your rule be without greed for money! Be content with what you have!" (Heb 13:5).
The very thought that God has given us all the goods we have should cause us to be completely satisfied with what we have.
In fact, it is not a mere coincidence, but the will of God, that is, his permission for someone to be rich and someone to be poor, and for one to have more and the other to have less.
It is also certain that the Lord God did not without reason divide his earthly goods by giving more to one and less to another. If God judges by his immense wisdom that it will be good if someone is rich, then he gives him that wealth, and if he judges that it is better for someone to be poor, then he allows him to be poor. However, God also gives the poor as much as they need so that they can live normally only if they are thrifty, hardworking and honest. The question arises, what follows from such a decision of God? Nothing else, but the duty to be satisfied with what we have. To be dissatisfied with your circumstances in life means to be dissatisfied with God himself, which is obviously unjust and completely sinful.
So, if, because of poverty, such thoughts come to us, which force us to have dissatisfaction in our hearts because of such a state, then we should immediately suppress them and think and understand that God, who put us in a state of poverty and humility, wants and wants only what it is good and useful for us , and because of that we should joyfully accept his holy will.
Another reason to be satisfied with what we have is that dissatisfaction with the state we are in leads to many sins and injustices. He who is not satisfied with his condition envies his neighbor whom he sees in a better condition. As such, he falls into the temptation to extend his hands for other people's good, to cheat, steal and commit other injustices. His dissatisfaction forces him to improve his condition, that is, to acquire money and treasure at any cost. For him, there is no greater purpose and goal in life than to become rich. Due to the excessive pursuit of wealth, such a person falls into the traps of Satan and is in great danger of losing his soul, which is confirmed by the apostle Paul: "And those who want to become rich fall into temptation, into a trap and into many crazy and destructive desires that lead people to ruin and destruction, because greed for money is the source of all evil" (1 Tim 6:9-10).
Dissatisfaction due to the situation in which we find ourselves very often has an evil effect on us and leads us to the point that, in the service of laziness, we completely neglect our duties and therefore become a burden to ourselves and others.
Looking at these great evils that spring from this way of dissatisfaction, we should curb all disorderly desires for the goods of this world and be satisfied with what God has given us , which is confirmed by the apostle Paul: "Indeed, faith is a great source of gain if the spirit satisfied with what he has. Namely, we brought nothing into this world, so we cannot take anything out of it. And when we have food and clothes, let us be satisfied with that!" (1 Tim 6:6-8).
The truth that says that not wealth and abundance, but only the contentment of the heart, can make our life happy, should make us even more satisfied with what God has given us . "Don't think" - says Saint John Chrysostom - "that great wealth can give you joy." You can only be happy if you don't want to be rich. While we are thirsty, the torment lasts and even if we exhaust all the students and drink thousands of rivers, the torment will be even greater.''
How true this holy teacher of the holy Church speaks, because everything in this world is so weak, useless and small, and it is not possible to give at least apparent bliss even for a short time. That is why we must not have disordered desires for earthly goods that are so vain and fleeting that they cannot satisfy us , but we should be satisfied with what God has given us .
Our main concern should be to have a clean conscience, because it brings us real satisfaction, peace and tranquility that this proud world with all its treasures can never give us . "He who has a clear conscience" - says St. John Chrysostom - "he is, even if he is wrapped in sackcloth and even if he suffers hunger, still happier than the one who swims in all the delights." He who has an evil conscience is the most unlucky of all people, even if he lives in abundance of all goods.
For this reason, the apostle Paul rejoiced and lived in greater enjoyment of life than any king even though he constantly suffered thirst, nakedness and endured many blows. This is why we should take care of a clear conscience, because it is the greatest treasure during life and at the hour of death.
In order to save our heart from disordered desires for the goods of this world, we should think about the fact that our homeland is not here on earth but up in Heaven.
Now let's assume that we have an abundance of money and treasures and that we are lords over all the kingdoms of the world, then we should ask ourselves the question, how long will our so -called happiness last? Twenty, thirty, fifty or more years and then everything will pass and disappear, because our life in this world is short and all its days are numbered. Death comes with quick steps and we are left with nothing but dead clothes, a coffin and a few square meters of earth to cover us . How much folly do we commit if our hearts are captured by goods that are vain and transitory? For this reason, we should direct our gaze to eternity, because that is where our purpose and goal is , and we should often think about the words of the apostle Paul: "What the eye has not seen, what the ear has not heard, what the human heart has not thought about: that is God prepared for those who love him" (1 Cor 2:9).
Considering the immense bliss that awaits those who love God will make us despise everything that the earth has and offers, and we will say, like St. Ignatius: "Oh, how disgusting the earth is to me when I look at Heaven!"
According to the words of the apostle Paul: "For those whom he foresaw, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he would be the firstborn among many brothers" (Romans 8:29), we have the duty to be equal to Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, we should also fulfill this duty with a good and clear conscience.
Therefore, if we have acquired something unfairly , that is, if we have damaged the property of our neighbor through robbery, theft, fraud, usury, then we are obliged to return everything and compensate for the damage, because our eternal bliss in Heaven depends on the fulfillment of this duty .
What God forbids in the tenth commandment
In this commandment, God forbids us from any unjust desire for the good of our neighbor!
It is emphasized here that we must not unjustly desire what belongs to our neighbor, because not every desire for someone else's property is sinful, unjust and forbidden by the tenth commandment, because when we want to obtain a good of our neighbor only in a just and permissible way, then we are by no means sinning.
This can be seen from the example when we want to buy a neighbor's field that borders our own field and when we do not intend to win that field for ourselves by force or cunning, but we want to have it as such only on the condition that the neighbor voluntarily sells it to us or gives it to us in exchange. In that case, we do not unjustly strive for the good of our neighbor, that is, we do not want to gain someone else's good in an unfair way, and as such we do not sin.
So, according to God's tenth commandment, we sin when we want someone else's good in an unjust way and willingly appropriate it for ourselves at the expense of our neighbor.
A visible example of this is when we know that there is a lot of money in our neighbor's house, and when we are greedy for that money and decide to steal it and appropriate it for ourselves. In this case, our greed is seriously sinful, because we want to acquire other people's good by unfair means, that is, by willful theft.
According to the example from the Gospel, such was the greed of Ahab who desired the vineyard of Naboth. Ahab wanted to win Naboth's vineyard for himself by any means, fair or unfair. Since he could not get it by a fair purchase, he committed a murderous robbery out of greed to appropriate it. That's why Saint John Chrysostom says: "Greed is the passion that brings all evil into the world."
Now, briefly and in more detail, we need to consider which sin is the desire for an unjust good?
Among those who sin by the desire for an unjust good are first of all those who are engaged in trade and who, as such, will wish for famine or high prices to occur so that they can sell their goods as expensive as possible.
He and the merchants who do not want others to buy or sell near them also make a mistake with the desire for an unfair advantage , because then they suffer damage due to the created competition.
Generally speaking, every merchant who wants to unjustly enrich himself with other people's property sins against the tenth commandment of God.
On a moral basis, the merchant is allowed to seek a moderate gain, but he is not allowed to use the plight of his neighbor for unjust enrichment. Taking advantage of the plight of a neighbor is very sinful and reprehensible because it is against love and justice.
Furthermore, the one who has the right to inherit sins by wishing for an unjust good when, as such, he wishes for the early death of his parents in order to get their property as soon as possible, that is, by this sin he sins who prays to God that God may take his parents from this world as soon as possible. so that he could dispose of the parental property as soon as possible.
The same sin is also committed by the one who wishes his parents dead so that he no longer has to support and support them. Such a person can be so ungodly that he tells an old father or mother to their face that they have lived long enough and that the time has come for them to die.
Whoever does such a thing should be afraid that God will judge him in the same way as he judged his parents and that a terrible punishment awaits him in the other world because he has seriously violated his duties towards his parents. As such, the words from the Holy Scriptures should be engraved in their hearts: "A son is shameful and corrupt who abuses his father and drives his mother away" (Prov. 19:26).
In the same way, the one who expects the premature death of his relatives and other relatives in order to inherit their inheritance also sins. Such a person sins very gravely out of holy Catholic love for his neighbor because he touches the justice of God who is the only master of life and death.
In the same way, the one who is a soldier and who, as such, does not like peace but wants war in order to be able to conquer or to achieve as much honor as possible regardless of the sacrifices, also sins by the desire for an unjust good.
And he who is a doctor also makes a mistake when he rejoices when certain diseases appear or that rich patients do not recover for a long time in order to benefit as long as possible by paying them.
He who is a lawyer also makes a mistake if he cares about generous and long-lasting litigations.
The one who is a craftsman also makes a mistake if he wishes misfortune on others, for example, to start a fire so that he can have more work and thus earn more and more profitably.
The one who is envious of his neighbor's honor and good reputation, wishing that he would lose it as soon as possible, and that he would gain it as soon as possible, commits an equally grave sin .
This greed for other people's honor often leads to the greatest injustices, because he gossips and slanders his neighbor and wants to humiliate him in every way in order to achieve his own benefit.
All these above examples show how we sin against the holy Catholic love which commands us to wish our neighbor well and to rejoice with those who are happy, and to mourn with those who mourn.
In general, it can be said that according to the tenth commandment of God, we sin when we have disordered or unjust desires for the temporal goods of this world. From these unjust desires arises not only impermissible greed for other people's goods, but also envy, malice, striving for litigation, theft, robbery, murder, as well as other other evils, and that is why the apostle Paul rightly says that greed is the source of all evil: "And they those who want to become rich fall into temptation, into a trap and into many crazy and destructive desires that lead people to ruin and destruction, because greed for money is the source of all evils" (1 Tim 6:9-10).
Therefore, you should carefully watch your heart so that greed does not enter it. If a disordered greed for some good of this world enters the heart, then as such we should immediately remove it and reject it from ourselves. N must never want to multiply his wealth or enrich himself in an untidy way to the detriment of his neighbor and thus violate justice. In a word, we are obliged to refrain from everything that the Tenth Commandment forbids us , and we should diligently do everything that it commands. Amen!
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