Lord, what is “enough”? Must I always have more, buy more things, and accumulate more possessions? I know that I am more than what I have. I know that my value is found in the love that I can give. My God, help me see clearly what has true value, what is essential in life. Make me happy with what you have given me and grateful for all that I have. You know what I need. Help me to trust in you.
Not to covet what belongs to your neighbor means not allowing yourself to be carried away by envy or greed. The tenth commandment warns against the desire to have everything immediately, to continuously have more, to gain at all costs, even when it means acting unjustly.
The tenth commandment is about material things, but it also has something to say about personal qualities, talents, positions or jobs, and awards.
Because he lived among us, Jesus has deeply personal knowledge of the human heart. He knows what it is to be anxious about what we need in order to live, and he understands our everyday concerns and fears.
This is what Jesus says to his disciples, “Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’...and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Mt 6:25–26, 31–33).
Jesus wants us to be free and confident. He wants us to be free from worries about the future, which can seem to crush us at times. But Jesus also wants us to be free from “dependencies” on earthly goods. Jesus invites us to trust God and place the richest treasure—knowledge of God’s love for us—at the center of our search.
“Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Lk 12:33).
This commandment teaches that there is a “pure” way of thinking about things that belong to others: the first step in conquering the desire to have what belongs to others is learning to be grateful to God for our own lives and possessions.
Gratitude for what we have helps us to stop measuring ourselves against others, as if life were a kind of contest that is won by whoever has the latest style, the newest cell phone, or the “right” kind of house or car. Respecting this commandment means recognizing our own gifts and talents and making good use of them, while at the same time being happy when others make good and fruitful use of their gifts.
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Are you envious of others because of what they possess? Are you bitter about what you don’t yet have? |
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Do you try to be grateful to God for all he has given you? Write some of his gifts to you here: |
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Are you able to be happy for the gifts God has given to others? |
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Always wanting more can pit people against one another. Read how Jesus responds to two brothers who were fighting over an inheritance. Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” But he said to him, “Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?” And he said to them, “Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions” (Lk 12:13–15). Jesus’ words free us from the common way of thinking that we should always be ready to acquire or gain, even at the expense of others. Jesus’ words help us understand the truth: our life and happiness do not depend on what we have, but on the love we share! |
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