MODULE 3
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
VALUES EDUCATION 09
(Second Quarter)
Prepared by:
MR. SHAYNE PENN C. PERDIDO
Subject Teacher
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MODULE 3
THE DECALOGUE: The Commandments of God
INTRODUCTION
When it was time for Moses
to receive God's standards for His
covenant people Israel, he went up
on a mountain and came down with
the laws of God, the Decalogue.
God gave Moses His ten
commandments on Mount Sinai.
Once the Hebrews went out from
Egypt, they encamped in the desert,
at the foot of Mount Sinai. Moses
went up the mountain, and there he
received from the Lord the two stone
tablets with the ten commandments
(Exodus 20: 1-17).
We must observe the ten
commandments in order to enter into
eternal life. Jesus said to the rich young man: If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments
(Matthew 19: 17).
The ten commandments teach us to love God and our neighbor. Jesus said: You must love
the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the
greatest and the first commandment. The second resembles i: You must love your neighbor as
yourself (Matthew 22, 37-39). The love for God is expressed in the first three commandments.
The love for our neighbor is expressed in the other seven.
Jesus did not give us a new commandment, but a new spirit in which to observe the ten
commandments. Thanks to the new Spirit, we no longer obey God out of fear, but out of love.
CONTENT COURSE COMPETENCIES
At the end of the Module, the students should be able to:
1. Reflect on the Ten Commandments in a given activity;
2. Illustrate the Commandments through given activity.
PERFORMANCE COURSE COMPETENCIES
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At the end of the module, the students should be able to demonstrate understanding about
God’s Commandments to us. Furthermore, the students should be able to demonstrate
understanding that Man must attune himself to the Divine Inspiration of becoming a real Christian
by his humility and integrity.
ASSESSMENT TOOL
RUBRIC FOR PHOTO EXHIBIT/ALBUM
POOR FAIR GOOD EXCELLENT (15
(7 pts) (9 pts) (12 pts) pts)
ORGANIZATION The pictures and The pictures and The pictures and The pictures were
words were not words were words were well extremely well
organized/balance generally organized and organized/balanced
d. Student did not organized/balance included several and included
include several d. Student may different types of several different
types of pictures, not have included media photos or art types of pictures,
words, or art various types of required for the words, and
required for the pictures required assignment. drawings.
assignment. for the
assignment.
CONTENT The photo The photo The photo The photo
KNOWLEDGE exhibit/album did exhibit/album exhibit/album exhibit/album
not demonstrate generally clearly sincerely
student’s demonstrated demonstrated demonstrated
understanding of student’s student’s student’s
requirements. understanding of understanding of understanding of
requirements but requirements. requirements.
a few things were Student added extra
lacking. information above
what was needed or
discussed in class.
FORMAT Student did not Student generally Student followed Student followed
follow format followed format format given and format given and
given for the given for the included all included all
requirement. requirement; required required
however, there components. There components. There
were still a few was none of the was no writing or
things missing. students own drawings by the
There were some writing or student.
own writing or drawings.
drawings.
CREATIVITY Not much effort Some effort was The student The student
put into making given to make the demonstrated demonstrated
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the photo photo creative ways for creative ways for
exhibit/album exhibit/album designing a photo designing a photo
uniform, unique, interesting. exhibit/album. exhibit/album.
or eye-catching. Forms and Colors Forms and Colors
were uniformed were uniformed
and balanced. and balanced. It
was very neat and
appealing.
ASSESSMENT TOOL
RUBRIC ON SHORT ANSWERS I
(for Worksheet 1)
5 Answers are clear and concise yet substantively presented. Explanation and
or justification shows in-depth understanding and logical reasoning that goes
beyond the discussion.
3 Answers are clear and concise. Explanation and or justification shows
understanding that goes beyond the discussion.
1 Answers are vague. Explanation and or justification shows minimal
understanding to the discussion.
RUBRIC ON SHORT ANSWERS 2
(for Worksheet 2)
10 Answers are clear and concise yet substantively presented. Explanation and
or justification shows in-depth understanding and logical reasoning that goes
beyond the discussion.
8 Answers are clear and concise. Explanation and or justification shows
understanding that goes beyond the discussion.
6 Answers are somewhat clear and concise. Explanation and or justification
shows relevance to the discussion.
4 Answers are vague. Explanation and or justification shows minimal
understanding to the discussion.
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2 Answers have no relevance to the topic. Justification and or explanation is
either, incomplete, missing, or irrelevant at all.
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Topic 1
The Ten Commandments of God
The term ‘commandments’ Defined
Commandments are rules, prescriptions, or directions that must be followed or obeyed.
Commandments may take other forms. In the government, there is the so called ‘law’ that must be
strictly followed by the citizens. In a certain institutions like schools, business centers, companies,
and organizations there is also the so called ‘rules and regulations’ that should be followed by the
members of such intitutions. These are meant to promote order that would cause peace and
harmony.
Going back to the commandments from God, these are concerning to particular matters,
which He wanted to be observed with reference to circumstances as they arose, in a period when
He spoke immediately and with greater frequency than after war
JESUS summed up the 10 COMMANDMENTS with these
TWO STATEMENTS
For GOD
(the 1st to 3rd Commandment)
“You shall love the Lord, your God,
With all your heart,
With all your soul,
And with all your mind.
This is the greatest and the first commandment.”
MARK 12:30
For NEIGHBOR
(the 4th to 10th Commandment)
“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
The whole law and the prophets depend on these two
commandements.”
MARK 12:31
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Topic 1.1
First Commandment
I AM THE LORD YOUR GOD:
YOU SHALL NOT HAVE OTHER GODS BESIDE ME
MOSES: I am Yahweh you God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the
house of slavery. You shall have no gods except me (Exodus 20: 2-3)
JESUS: You must worship the Lord your God, and serve him alone (Matthew 4: 10)
This Commandment explains...
To worship God alone. We must worship God as the only true God. Scriptures says:
Come in, let us bow, prostrate ourselves, and kneel in front of Yahweh our maker, for he is our
God (Psalm 95: 6)
Faith in God. We must keep and nourish our faith, and repel heresy, apostasy and
schism. Heresy is to deny a truth of our Catholic faith. Apostasy is to change religion. Schism
is to separate from the Pope without changing the Catholic faith.
Hope in God. We must hope in God, and avoid despair and presumption. Despair is
to think that we cannot be saved. Presumption is to claim that we can be saved by ourselves
without the help of God.
Love for God. We must love God above all things, and avoid indifference, gratitude
and hatred against Him. Scripture says: Listen, Israel: Yahweh our God is the one Yahweh.
You shall love Yahweh your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength
(Deuteronomy 6: 4-5).
The Consequences if we violate the commandment...
Idolatry. Idolatry is to love something or somebody more than God. Scripture say: They
exchanged the glory of the immortal God for a worthless imitation, for the image of mortal man.
They have given up divine truth for a lie and have worshipped and served creatures instead of the
Creator (Romans 1: 23, 25). The three greatest idols, which are the cause of all sins, are money,
sex, and power. We can oppose them by means of generosity, chastity, and humility.
Superstition, divination, magic. All these practices are mortal sins. As Scripture says:
These must never be anyone among you who practices divination, who is soothsayer, augur or
sorcerer, who uses charms, consults ghosts or spirits, or calls up the dead. For the man who
does these things is detestable to Yahweh your God (Deuteronomy 8: 10-12.
Sacrilege. It is to desecrate people, things, or places consecrated to God. The worst
sacrilege is the one against the Holy Eucharist.
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Simony: It is to buy or sell spiritual things. Peter said to Simon the magician, who wanted
to buy the Holy Spirit: May your silver be lost forever, and you with it, for thinking that money
could buy what God has given for nothing (Acts 8: 20).
Atheism: It is to refuse to believe in God. It is a sin, because everybody has the
opportunity to know God through the beauty and the harmony of the universe. Scripture say: Ever
since God created the world his everlasting power and deity, however invisible, have been there
for the mind to see in the things he made. That is why such people are without excuse: they knew
God and yet refused to honor him as God or to thank him (Roman 1: 2-21).
To worship the images of idols. Nobody is allowed worship images of the idols. When
we venerate the images of Christ, of the Virgin Mary and of the saints, we do not venerate the
images themselves, but the persons represented by them.
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Topic 1.2
Second Commandment
YOU SHALL NOT TAKE THE NAME OF THE LORD, YOUR GOD, IN VAIN
MOSES: You shall not utter the name of Yahweh your God to misuse it (Exodus 20: 7)
JESUS: Our Father in heaven, holy be your name (Matthew 6: 9).
This Commandment explains...
To respect the Holy Name of God. We must keep the Holy Name of God in our heart
with love and respect. We can use the Name of God only to bless, praise, and glorify Him.
To announce the Holy Name of God. God wants us to be missionaries and to proclaim
his Holy Name to all peoples.
To keep oaths and vows. The most common vows are the ones of chastity, poverty, and
obedience for the religious, and the one of perfect fidelity for married people.
The Consequences if we violate the commandment...
Blasphemy. It is mortal sin to utter words of hatred against God, Jesus Christ, the Virgin
Mary, and the saints.
To make false oaths in the Name of God. Every false oath and promise in the name of
God is serious offense to his Holy Name.
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Topic 1.3
Third Commandment
REMEMBER TO KEEP HOLY
THE SABBATH DAY
MOSES: Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. For six days you shall labor and
do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath for Yahweh you God. You shall do not work
that day. For in six days Yahweh made the heavens and the earth and the sea and all that these
ho9ld, but on the seventh day he rested; that is why Yahweh has blessed the Sabbath day and made
it sacred (Exodus 20: 8-11).
JESUS: Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and went into the
synagogue on the Sabbath day as he usually did (Luke 4: 16).
Note: The Sabbath, the holy day of the Hebrews, was replaced by Jesus with the Sunday,
the day of his resurrection.
This Commandment explains...
To participate in the Holy Mass. We must attend the Holy Mass on Sundays and holy
days of obligation. We have also to sanctify the Lord’s day by means of prayer and good deeds.
The holy days of obligation are: Mary Mother of God (January 1); Epiphany (January 6);
Saint Joseph (March 19); Ascension (40 days after Easter); Corpus Domini (second Sunday
after Pentecost); Saints Peter and Paul (June 29); Assumption (August 15); All Saints
(November 1); Immaculate (December 8); Christmas (December 25);
To care for the poor and the suffering. Every Sunday, we must take good care of the
poor, sick, and suffering people. God said: This day is sacred to Yahweh your God. Do not be
mournful, do not weep. Go, eat the fat, drink the sweet wine, and send portion to the man who has
nothing prepared ready. For this day is sacred to our Lord (Nehemiah 8: 9-10).
The Consequences if we violate the commandment...
Unnecessary servile work. We must avoid all the works which prevent us from
sanctifying the Lord’s day. Policemen and other necessary servicemen can work also on Sundays,
provided they will attend the Holy Mass on Saturday evening.
To rest, play, and enjoy without God. It is a great sin to spend the Lord’s day concerned
only for the body, without taking care of our spirit. God warns us: Where a man sows, there
he reaps: if he sows in the field of the flesh he will get a harvest of corruption out of it; if he sows
in the field of the spirit he will get from it a harvest of eternal life (Galatians 6: 8).
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Topic 1.4
Fourth Commandment
HONOR YOUR FATHER AND YOUR MOTHER
MOSES: Honor your father and your mother so that you may have along life in the land
that Yahweh your God has given to you (Exodus 20: 12).
JESUS: Jesus went down with them and came to Nazareth and lived under their authority
(Luke 2: 51).
This Commandment explains...
To honor our parents. We must love, respect, and obey our parents, because from
them we received our life. God said: With all your heart honor your father, never forget the birth
pangs of your mother. Remember that you owe your birth to them; how can you repay them for
what they have done for you? (Ecclesiasticus 7: 27-28)
To honor the religious and civil authority. Jesus commands to respect our priests,
teachers, and civil authorities, because every authority comes from God. Scripture says: You
must all obey the governing authorities. Since all government comes from God, the civil
authorities were appointed by God, and so anyone who resists authority is rebelling against God’s
decision (Romans 13: 1-2)
The Consequences if we violate the commandment...
To dishonor and disobey our parents. God said: Children, be obedient to your parents
always (Colossians 3: 20). Whoever abandons his own parents in their old age, will have to give
a bitter account on the judgement day. The Lord said: My son, support your father in his old
age, do not grieve him during his life. Even if his mind should fail, show him sympathy, do not
despise him in your health and strength; for kindness to a father shall not be forgotten but will
serve as a reparation four our sins. The man who deserts his father is not better than a
blasphemer, and whoever angers his mother is accursed by the Lord (Ecclesiasticus 3: 12-16).
To love our parents more than God. This is true especially for those who are called to
the priestly and religious vocation. Jesus said: Anyone who prefers father or mother to me is
not worthy of me (Matthew 10: 37).
To obey an evil authority. We must disobey our parents, teachers, and superiors WHEN
they order us to do something against the will of God. For example, we have to disobey the civil
authorities when they allow us to commit abortion, divorce and artificial birth control. God said:
Obedience to God comes before obedience to men (Acts 5: 29).
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Topic 1.5
Fifth Commandment
YOU SHALL NOT KILL
MOSES: You shall not kill (Exodus 20: 13).
JESUS: Put your sword back, for all who draw the sword will die by the sword (Matthew
26: 52)
This Commandment explains...
To safeguard life. The Lord alone is the owner of human life, we are only
administrators. Scripture says: God holds in his power the soul of every living thing, and the
breath of each man’s body (Job 12: 10). We must keep good care of our own life, and of the life
of our neighbor as well.
To respect our neighbor. Whenever we insult our neighbor, we are killing him in his
heart. As Jesus said: You have learnt how it was said to our ancestors: You must not kill; and if
anyone does kill, he must answer for it before the court. But I say this to you: anyone who is
angry with his brother will answer for it before the court (Matthew 5: 21-22).
The Consequences if we violate the commandment...
Murder. To kill the innocent is one of the greatest sins, and deserved eternal
damnation. God cursed Cain because he killed his brother Abel. What have you done? Listen to
the sound of your brother’s blood, crying out to me from the ground. Now we accursed and driven
from the ground that has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood at your hands (Genesis
4: 10-11). We are allowed to kill only for self-defense, or during the just war.
Suicide. Nobody has the right to commit suicide. Our life belongs to God. We are not
the owners of our life, but only the custodians.
Abortion. Abortion is murder! Whoever commits or cooperates in such a crime is
excommunicated by the Church. Those who are excommunicated cannot receive any sacrament
and, unless they repent, after their death are thrown down to the fires of hell. Man starts his
existence from the moment of conception. As God said: Before I formed you in the womb I
knew you; before you came to birth I consecrated you (Jeremiah 1: 5). The nations that approve
abortion in their laws are abandoned by the grace of God, and will be destroyed like Sodom and
Gomorrah. It is written: Yahweh rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from
Yahweh. He overthrew these towns and the whole plain, with all the inhabitants of the towns
(Genesis 19: 24-25).
Euthanasia. It is a shameful sin to kill the old, sick and abnormal people. In case of
incurable sickness, we may stop the extraordinary means, but we have to continue the ordinary
ones. Whoever practices euthanasia is a murderer.
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To used drugs and other dangerous substances. We must avoid everything which is
harmful to our health, and to the health of our neighbor. It is a sin to abuse food, alcohol, and
tobacco. Using and pushing drugs is a greater sin, because it promotes stealing, prostitution
and murder.
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Topic 1.6
Sixth Commandment
YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY
MOSES: None of you may approach a woman who is closely related to him, to uncover
her nakedness. You must not uncover the nakedness your father or mother. You must not uncover
the nakedness of your sister, nor of your daughter. You must not lie with a man as with a woman.
This is hateful thing. You must not lie with any animal. Anyone who does none of these hateful
things, must be cut off from his people (Leviticus 18: 6-29).
JESUS: Happy the pure of heart: they shall see God (Matthew 5: 8).
This Commandment explains...
Chastity. To be chaste means to use our sexuality according to the will of God. Those
who are married must love their spouse, and have many children. Those who are not married
must abstain from any sexual activity. Chastity is possible with the help of prayer, of self-
control, and by avoiding occasion of sin. The chaste man will always be happy and blessed by
God. As Scripture says: Happy, all those who fear Yahweh and follow in his paths. You will eat
what your hands have worked for, happiness and prosperity will be yours. Your wife: a fruitful
vine on the inner walls of your house. Your sons around your table like shoots round and olive
tree (Psalm 128: 1-3)
The Consequences if we violate the commandment...
Fornication. It is the sexual union between a man and a woman outside the sacrament
of Marriage. Those who live-in, or who have only civil marriage, are also guilty of fornication.
Homosexuality. Whoever has a sexual relation with a person of the same sex will not
enter into the kingdom of God. (1 Corinthians 6: 9-10)
Masturbation. It is mortal sin because it is against the proper use of sexuality, which
implies love for the spouse and opening to the gift of life.
Pornography. To sell, buy, or use pornographic material is a mortal sin. Pornography
is the ruin of the spirit, specially of the youth. Whoever promotes pornography is cursed by
God.
Child Abuse. To have sexual relations with children is a hateful sin. It is better to die
than to abuse children. As Jesus said: Anyone who is an obstacle to bring down one of these
littles ones who have faith, would be better thrown into the sea with a great milestone round his
neck (Mark 9:42).
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Prostitution. To buy and sell our own body, or the body of others, is a scandalous sin.
As Scripture says: Your bodies are members making up the body of Christ; do you think I can
take parts of Christ’s body and join them to the body of a prostitute? Never! (1 Corinthians 6:
15).
Artificial birth control. Whoever uses the contraceptives commits a great sin, because
he deprives marriage of the gift of the children. Every marital act must express love and be open
to life. Whoever restricts the number of children according to his own will betrays the mission
received from God, who said: Be fruitful and multiply (Genesis 1: 28).
Premarital sex. To have sexual relation before the holy sacrament of Marriage is a sin
of fornication. Jesus said: A man must leave father and mother, and the two become one body
(Mark 10: 7). To leave father and mother implies the sacrament of Marriage.
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Topic 1.7
Seventh Commandment
YOU SHALL NOT STEAL
MOSES: You shall not steal (Exodus 20: 15).
JESUS: If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments: You must not steal
(Matthew 19: 17-18).
This Commandment explains...
To respect the property of our neighbor. We must not steal, abuse, or destroy the
property of others. We have to keep with care whatever we borrow, and to return it as soon as
possible.
To share our goods with the poor. We have the right to possess private goods, but also
the duty to share them with the poor. The generous man will receive his reward in heaven. As
Jesus Christ said: Come, you whom my Father has blessed, take for your heritage the kingdom
prepared for you since the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food; I was
thirty and you gave me drink; I was stranger and you made me welcome, naked and you clothed
me (Matthew 25: 34-36).
To return what we have stolen. If it is impossible to find the owner again, we have to
give the corresponding stolen amount to the poor or to the Church. Let us follow the example
of Zacchaeus, who said: Lord, I am going to give half of my property to the poor, and if I have
cheated anybody I will pay him back four times the amount (Luke 19: 8).
To work. Every man must work to support himself and his family. Also Jesus was
working for 30 years as a carpenter in Nazareth. Our work should be accompanied by prayer,
according to the famous motto of Saint Benedict: “Ora et Labora” (pray and work).
The Consequences if we violate the commandment...
To steal. Other forms of stealing are: cheating in business, not paying just wages, not
paying taxes, not paying just debts, not returning found or borrowed articles, graft, and
accepting stolen properties. God detests the thieves, as He said: Thieves and usurers will never
enter the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6: 10). We can get the things of others only to save our
life and the life of our family.
To be stingy with the poor. Those who are stingy, will end like the Rich Man of the
Gospel. In this earth he used to dress in purple and feast magnificently every day, denying even
the scraps of bread to the poor Lazarus seated at his gate. After their death, the Rich man was
thrown into hell, while Lazarus was taken up to heaven. The Rich man in his torments cried out
to heaven, but Abraham replied: My son, remember that during your life good things came into
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your way, just as bad things came the way of Lazarus. Now he is being comforted here while you
are in agony (Luke 16: 25).
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Topic 1.8
Eight Commandment
YOU SHALL NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS
AGAINST YOUR NEIGHBOR
Moses: you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor (Exodus 20: 16).
JESUS: If you make my Word your home you will indeed be my disciples, you will learn
the truth and the truth will make you free (John 8: 31-32).
This Commandment explains...
Truthfulness. We must always say the truth. The truth comes from God while the
falsehood comes from the Devil. Jesus said: All you need say is YES if you mean yes, NO if
you mean no; anything more than this comes from the evil one (Matthew 5:37). The truthful man
is loved by God and admired by men.
To testify our faith. We must testify the truth of our faith in words and deeds.
Scripture says: Always have your answer ready for the people who ask you the reason for the
hope that you all have (1 Peter 3: 15). The martyrs are the heroes of our faith, because they testified
it till death. To die as a martyr is one of the greatest honors we can receive from God.
To correct our neighbor. We must correct our neighbor in truth and love. Jesus said:
If your brother does something wrong, go and have it out with him alone, between your two selves.
If he listens to you, you have won back your brother (Matthew 18: 15). If we do not correct our
brother when he is wrong, we become accomplices of his sins.
To accept the brotherly correction. We have to be humble and to accept a brotherly
correction. The proud man will never accept any correction. The humble one accepts the
correction and puts remedy to his sins.
To respect the good name of our neighbor. We must keep the name of our neighbor
with respect and honor. God said: Be sure you are never spiteful, or deceitful, or hypocritical,
or envious and critical of each other (1 Peter 2: 1).
To remedy for our lies. We must say sorry for all the lies we have said, and to remedy
in the best possible way.
The Consequences if we violate the commandment...
To lie. It is a mortal sin to lie with the intention of harming our neighbor. The liar is
the son of the Devil. As Jesus said: The Devil is your father, and you prefer to do what your
father wants. He was never grounded in the truth; there is no truth in him at all: he is a liar and
the father of lies (John 8:44).
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Hypocrisy. We must not behave in a false and ambivalent way in order to attain favors,
or to cheat our neighbor. We have to be frank and sincere in everything we do.
Gossip. We must not reveal the defect and the shortcomings of our neighbor to other
people.
Slander. We must not utter false accusation that will destroy the good reputation of
our neighbor.
Irony. We must not destroy the good name of our neighbor by making fun of him.
Jesus said: See that you never despise any of these little ones, for I tell you that their angels in
heaven are continually in the presence of my Father in heaven. (Matthew 18: 10).
To reveal secrets. We must not reveal a personal or professional secret, UNLESS
there is very serious reason. If a priest violates the secret of confession, he is excommunicate.
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Topic 1.9
Ninth Commandment
YOU SHALL NOT COVET YOUR NEIGHBOR’S WIFE
Moses: You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife (Exodus 20: 17)
JESUS: You have learnt how it was said: You must not commit adultery. But I say this
to you: if a man looks at a woman lustfully, he has already committed adultery with her in his
heart (Matthew 5: 27-28.
This Commandment explains...
To love our own spouse. Those who are united by the sacrament of Marriage must love
each other till their death. As Scripture says: Each one of you must love his wife as he loves
himself; and let every wife respect her husband (Ephesians 5: 33).
To be pure of heart. To be pure of heart means to walk according to the Spirit, not
according to the flesh. Scripture says: If you are guided by the Spirit you will be in no danger
of yielding to the flesh. When the flesh is at work the results are obvious: fornication, gross
indecency and sexual irresponsibility. What the Spirit brings is very different: love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness, trustfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5: 16-22).
The Consequences if we violate the commandment...
Adultery. It is a very big sin to have a sexual relation with a married person. Jesus said:
You have learnt how it was said: You must not commit adultery. But I say this to you: if a man
looks at a woman lustfully, he has already committed adultery with her in his heart (Matthew 5:
27-28).
Divorce. Whoever divorces from his spouse, for whatever reason, is running towards
eternal damnation. Jesus said: What God has united, man must not divide. The man who
divorces his wife and marries another is guilty of adultery against her (Mark 10: 9-10). Divorced
people who live-in with another person, or who remarry under civil law, cannot receive any
sacrament. Those countries that approve divorce are abandoned by God and will end in ruins.
Polygamy. It is against the will of God to have more than one wife. Because God said:
This is why a man leaves his father and mother and joins himself to his wife, and they become one
body (Genesis 2: 24).
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Topic 1.10
Tenth Commandment
YOU SHALL NOT COVET YOUR NEIGHBOR’S GOODS
MOSES: You shall not set your heart on your neighbor’s house, on his field, his servant,
his ox, his donkey or anything that is his (Deuteronomy 5:21).
JESUS: None of you can be my disciple unless he gives up all his possessions (Luke 14:
33).
This Commandment explains...
Spirit of poverty. The rich are never happy with what they have, while the poor in spirit
are satisfied of what the Lord has given them. Jesus said: Happy are the poor in spirit; theirs is
the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:3). To be poor in spirit means to be sure that the Lorde will
provide for our material and spiritual needs. Jesus said: Set your hearts on the kingdom first, and
on his righteousness, and all these other things will be given to you as well (Matthew 6: 33).
To give up everything and follow Jesus. One day a young rich man asked Jesus: Good
Master, what have I do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus told him to observe the commandments.
The young man said he did it since childhood. So Jesus replied: There is still one thing you lack.
Sell all that you own and distribute the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven;
then come, follow me (Luke 18: 18. 22).
The Consequences if we violate the commandment...
Envy. We must not be sad or angry for the good fortune of our neighbor. Envy is one
of the seven capital sins, and it is the cause of a multitude of sins. It was out of envy that Cain
killed his brother Abel (Genesis 4: 3-7). The envious man is son of the Devil. As God said: It
was the devil’s envy that brought death into the world, as those who are his partners will discover
(Wisdom 2: 24).
Greed. We must not crave endlessly for material goods. Jesus said: Do not store up
treasures for yourselves on earth, but store up treasures for yourselves in heaven. For where your
treasure is, there will your heart be also. No one can be the slave by two masters. You cannot be
the slave both of God and of money (Matthew 6: 19-21. 24).
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