Saints LightThe Tenth Commandment: Freedom from Greed and Envy
Do not let your heart be ruled by greed or envy. Hold your things loosely, rejoice in others' blessings, and trust God to give you what you need.
What this lesson teaches
- The tenth commandment forbids greed and envy, the disordered desires behind theft.
- Envy is sadness at another's good and is one of the capital sins.
- Detachment, or poverty of spirit, means our possessions serve us rather than rule us.
- Gratitude and contentment are the practical cure for a covetous heart.
Catechism paragraphs this lesson cites
- CCC 2534-2540
- CCC 2541-2550
CCC means the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Saints Light teaches it in its own words and never quotes it. Look up any paragraph in a printed copy or at vatican.va. See every lesson by paragraph in the Catechism index.
Scripture read in this lesson: Exodus 20:17; Luke 12:15; 1 Timothy 6:6-8.
A sample question from this lesson
What is envy, as the Church defines it?
- Wanting good things for your family
- Admiring someone's talents
- Sadness at another's good and a disordered desire to have it
- Saving money for retirement
Show the answer
Sadness at another's good and a disordered desire to have it. Envy is sadness at the sight of another's goods and an immoderate desire to acquire them, and it is a capital sin (CCC 2539).
The lesson in the app has three questions, each with an explanation.
Words to know
- Avarice
- Greed: a disordered, limitless desire for wealth and possessions.
- Detachment
- Freedom of heart toward possessions, so that they serve God and others rather than rule us.
More terms in the Catholic glossary. More passages in the Scripture index.
Read the full lesson in the app
"The Tenth Commandment: Freedom from Greed and Envy" is lesson 11 of The Ten Commandments. In Saints Light you get the whole teaching, the Scripture quoted in full, all three questions and a step to live it this week.
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Related lessons
- The Seven Capital Sins and Their Remedies (Grace and Virtue)