As we come to our conclusion of the month of February, we consider the last of the Ten Commandments: “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant, or his maidservant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.” (Exodus 20:17) We do not often use the language of covetousness in our confessions, but we often use words like envy or jealousy. Even that can be a bit of a gray area, so what does this commandment really mean?
The Modern Catholic Dictionary by Father John Hardon, S.J. defines covetousness in this way: “A strong desire for possessions, especially material possessions. It implies that the desire is inordinate, with allusion to the prohibition in the Ten Commandments not to covet what belongs to someone else.” I draw your attention to the word “inordinate” in this definition. It is not bad for us to desire things, such as money, reputation, health, etc. In fact, it can be very good to desire these things, but to always desire them in an ordered way. Ordered toward what? Since Jesus reminds us that all the commandments can be summed up as expressions of love of God and love of neighbor, this is where our desire for things must be ordered. For example, we can desire financial stability as long as those resources do not prevent us from being generous in our support for the Church and our love of others through charity. A disordered desire for money would be to accumulate more things and experiences just for ourselves, to the exclusion of helping others. We should desire health so that we can be of good service to our families and those around us. A disordered desire would be for people to be attracted to us so that we can get more attention or recognition.
This commandment calls us to be especially careful not to fall into envy. We often notice the things others have and something stirs in our hearts. On the one hand, we might rightly desire to also have what they have, which is not always bad. But when we feel sadness about what someone else has been blessed with, if we wish we could take what they have, or harbor a grudge against them for what they have, we are falling into envy, and envy is sinful because it lacks charity toward another. Here is what the Catechism has to say about envy:
2539 Envy is a capital sin. It refers to the sadness at the sight of another’s goods and the immoderate desire to acquire them for oneself, even unjustly. When it wishes grave harm to a neighbor it is a mortal sin: (1866)
St. Augustine saw envy as “the diabolical sin.” “From envy are born hatred, detraction, calumny, joy caused by the misfortune of a neighbor, and displeasure caused by his prosperity.”
2540 Envy represents a form of sadness and therefore a refusal of charity; the baptized person should struggle against it by exercising good will. Envy often comes from pride; the baptized person should train himself to live in humility: (1829)
Would you like to see God glorified by you? Then rejoice in your brother’s progress and you will immediately give glory to God. Because his servant could conquer envy by rejoicing in the merits of others, God will be praised. (St. John Chrysostom)
To proactively guard against falling into envy, the best thing is to foster an “attitude of gratitude”, taking time each day to thank God for the blessings you have been given, those seen and unseen, always aware that they are signs of His unique and particular love for you. Then, having given thanks for your blessings, thank Him for the blessings He has given to somebody else. To do so is an expression of love of God and neighbor.