Lesson 40: The Seventh and Tenth Commandments
"Thou shalt not steal."  (Exodus 20:15)
"A thief is better than a man that is always lying:  but both of them shall inherit destruction."  (Ecclesiasticus 20:27)
"He that stealeth any thing from his father, or from his mother:  and saith, 'This is no sin', is the partner of a murderer."  (Proverbs 28:24)
"Nor thieves, nor covetous... nor extortioners, shall possess the kingdom of God."  (Corinthians 6:9-10)
"He that stole, let him now steal no more; but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have something to give to him that suffereth need."  (Ephesians 4:28)
"Envies, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like.  Of the which I foretell you, as I have foretold to you, that they who do such things shall not obtain the kingdom of God."  (Galatians 5:21)

  1. What is the Seventh Commandment?

    2.    Thou shalt not steal.

  2. What does the Seventh Commandment oblige you to do?

    3.    To respect the property of others.

  3. What is meant by stealing?

    4.    Taking anything which does not belong to you and which the owner is not willing to give you.

  4. What sins does stealing include?

    1. Robbery and burglary.
    2. Graft, bribes and embezzlement.
    3. Cheating and fraud.
    4. Not paying bills, taxes and debts.
    5. Not supporting your family.
    6. Damaging the property of others.
    7. Wasting time or materials on your job.
    8. Not giving employees a just wage.

  5. What kind of sin is it to steal?

    6.    Stealing something expensive is a mortal sin; something cheap is a venial sin.

  6. Are you ever allowed to keep stolen goods?

    7.    No, you have to give the good to the person whom they were stolen, whether you stole them yourself or got them from somebody else.
    No matter how small the theft- silverware, ash trays, towels - you must give it back.

  7. What must you do if you cannot find the owner?

    8.    Give the stolen goods to charity, or give a comparable amount of money.

  8. What must you do if you damage someone's property?

    9.    You must pay for the damage, or else be guilty of sin.
    The sin is mortal or venial depending ont he value of the object damaged or destroyed.

  9. What should you do with something you find?

    10.    Try to find the owner.
    If the article is expensive, then you must spend some money advertising for him.  He has to pay you the money you spent in trying to find him.

  10. Is gambling a sin?

    11.    It is no sin to gamble if --
    1. it is your money
    2. you do not thereby deprive your family of the things they need
    3. everyone has an equal chance to win.

  11. What are the duties of employees?

    1. Not to waste time or materials.
    2. To do the job assigned as well as possible.

  12. What are the duties of employers?

    1. To pay their employees a just wage.
    2. To provide for the safety of all employees.

  13. What is the Tenth Commandment?

    14.    Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's goods.

  14. How do you sin against the Tenth Commandment?

    15.    By desiring to steal someone else's property and by envy or jealousy, that is, resentment over someone else's good fortune or wishing he did not have it.
    You can be jealous and envious of someone's beauty, intelligence, holiness, etc., as well as of his or her material goods.  Jealousy is also called discontent.

  15. What kind of sins are jealousy and envy?

    16.    Usually venial sins, unless they involve a serious matter; then they are mortal.
    Remember that temptation is not a sin, unless you accept the envious feelings.  If you reject them, you do a good act and receive more Sanctifying Grace from God in return.