This week we conclude our examination of the Ten Commandments with an appreciation of the significance in the life of the believer of the ninth and tenth.  The account in Exodus:  "You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his man-servant, or his maidservant, or his ox, or his ass, or anything that is your neighbor's" binds the two together.  But "St. John distinguishes three kinds of covetousness or concupiscence: lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and pride of life.  In the Catholic catechetical tradition, the ninth commandment forbids carnal concupiscence; the tenth forbids coveting another's goods."  (2514)  Though our Baptism removes original sin from our souls and initiates our journey towards eternity we still suffer from the tendency to take the easy way, to avoid responsibility, and to seek temporary satisfactions of our cravings.  As the Catechism teaches:  "Because man is a composite being, spirit and body, there already exists a certain tension in him; a certain struggle of tendencies between  'spirit' and 'flesh' develops.  But in fact this struggle belongs to the heritage of sin.  It is a consequence of sin and at the same time a confirmation of it.  It is part of the daily experience of the spiritual battle." (2516) 

In a very real way we can say that the ninth commandment is an extension of the sixth.  The coveting or desiring for one's own satisfaction wars against the call to purify our hearts and practice temperance.  "Purity of heart is the precondition of the vision of God.  Even now it enables us to see according to God, to accept others as 'neighbors'; it lets us perceive the human body - ours and our neighbor's - as a temple of the Holy Spirit, a manifestation of divine beauty." (2519).  The person who covets fails to experience this reality.  There is in him or her  a lack of recognition of their own dignity as a human being and the reality which sees a neighbor as a precious element in God's creative plan.  To practice purity "…requires the modesty which is patience, decency, and discretion.  Modesty protects the intimate center of the person." (2533)  We might see this truth addressed by Pope Benedict XVI in his first encyclical as he calls upon the believer to regulate his passion by the fruitful use of will and intellect.  Infatuation on a personal level cannot be acted upon for it lacks the depth of knowledge and truth. 

The tenth commandment requires "that envy be banished from the human heart. " (2538)  It has been seen by tradition as a capital sin since it is the basis of so many of man's weaknesses.  Specifically, "the tenth commandment forbids greed and the desire to amass earthy good without limit.  It forbids avarice arising from a passion for riches and their attendant power.  It also forbids the desire to commit injustice by harming our neighbor in his temporal goods." (2536)   Our Catechism's predecessor arising out of the Council of Trent states that "we should banish our desires for whatever does not belong to us."  Our thirst for another's goods is immense, infinite, never quenched.  Thus it is written:  "He who loves money, never has money enough!"  The wisdom of Sirach has in our times been manifested in the machinations of ENRON, AIG, Lehman, and many other corporations ruining the futures of hundreds of thousands of innocent people.  But individuals as well think that they never have enough resources.  A few years ago, I was listening to a financial advice radio program while driving home.  A woman was expressing to the host that she was concerned she lacked security for a viable future.  She was asked as to her inventory of possessions.  She admitted to a $300,000 home with no mortgage, $ 250,000 in C.D.'s, another  $250,000 in stocks and bonds.  These totals seemed fairly sufficient for me but when the audience received the knowledge that the caller was 82,  I think I heard a communal groan and I shouted out in no one's hearing:  Spend it, Lady."  (Of course, I would not have objected if she gifted my parish or some worthy charity.)  She, as well as many of our contemporaries, must realize "Desire for true happiness frees man from his immoderate attachment to the goods of this world so that he can find his fulfillment in the vision and beatitude of  God.,"  (2548) 

I conclude this week's column with a few inept words of gratitude for the celebrations of the past few days beginning last Sunday.  So many of my friends  from near and far have commented on my great fortune in being called to pastor here at St. Stanislaus Kostka.  I could not agree more.  We have the most gifted music ministry in Dutchess County, perhaps in the Archdiocese of New York.  Our parish staff performed heroic feats preparing Sunday's liturgy as well as coordinating the efforts of so many throughout the week.  No parish that I know ever worked so hard and in such an united way.  It's my hope and prayer that this wonderful family will continue to grow and provide spiritual and material nourishment to its members and give witness of Christian faith, hope, and love to all our neighbors. 

Each of  you is a precious gift from God.  May I never take you for  granted. 

Vivat Jesus 

Fr Brian