THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT : "Honour thy father and thy
mother, that thou mayest be long lived upon the land which the lord thy god
will give thee."
Relative Importance Of The Preceding And The Following
Commandments
The preceding Commandments are supreme both in dignity
and in importance; but those which follow rank next in order because of their
necessity. For the first three tend directly to God; while the object of the
others is the charity we owe to our neighbour, although even these are
ultimately referred to God, since we love our neighbour on account of God, our
last end. Hence Christ our Lord has declared that the two Commandments which
inculcate the love of God and of our neighbour are like unto each other.
Importance Of Instruction On The Fourth Commandment
The advantages arising from the present subject can
scarcely be expressed in words; for not only does it bring with it its own
fruit, and that in the richest abundance and of superior excellence, but it
also affords a test of our obedience to and observance of the first
Commandment. He that loveth not his brother whom he seeth, says
The application of this Commandment is of very great
extent. Besides our natural parents, there are many others whose power, rank,
usefulness, exalted functions or office, entitle them to parental honour.
Furthermore.(this Commandment) lightens the labor of
parents and superiors; for their chief care is that those under them should
live according to virtue and the divine Law. Now the performance of this duty
will be considerably facilitated, if it be known by all that highest honour to
parents is an obligation, sanctioned and commanded by God.
The Two Tables Of The Law
To impress the mind with this truth it will be found
useful to distinguish the Commandments of the first, from those of the second
table. This distinction, therefore, the pastor should first explain.
Let him begin by showing that the divine precepts of the
Decalogue were written on two tables, one of which, in the opinion of the holy
Fathers, contained the three preceding, while the rest were given on the second
table.
This order of the Commandments is especially appropriate,
since the very collocation points out to us their difference in nature. For
whatever is commanded or prohibited in Scripture by the divine law springs from
one of two principles, the love of God or of our neighbour: one or the other of
these is the basis of every duty required of us. The three preceding
Commandments teach us the love which we owe to God; and the other seven, the
duties which we owe to our neighbour and to public society. The arrangement,
therefore, which assigns some of the Commandments to the first and others to
the second table is not without good reason.
In the first three Commandments, which have been
explained, God, the supreme good, is, as it were, the subject matter; in the
others, it is the good of our neighbour. The former require the highest love,
the latter the love next to the highest. The former have to do with our last
end, the latter with those things that lead us to our end.
Again, the love of God terminates in God Himself, for God
is to be loved above all things for His own sake; but the love of our neighbour
originates in, and is to be regulated by, the love of God. If we love our
parents, obey our masters, respect our superiors, our ruling principle in doing
so should be that God is their Creator, and wishes to give pre-eminence to
those by whose cooperation He governs and protects other men; and as He
requires that we yield a dutiful respect to such persons, we should do so,
because He deems them worthy of this honour. If, then, we honour our parents,
the tribute is paid to God rather than to man. Accordingly we read in St.
Matthew concerning duty to superiors: He that receiveth you, receiveth me; and
the Apostle in his Epistle to the Ephesians, giving instruction to servants,
says: Servants, be obedient to them that are your lords according to the flesh,
with fear and trembling, in the simplicity of your heart, as to Christ: not
serving to the eye, as it were pleasing men, but as the servants of Christ.
Moreover, no honour, no piety, no devotion can be
rendered to God sufficiently worthy of Him, since love of Him admits of
infinite increase. Hence our charity should become every day more fervent
towards Him, who commands us to love Him with our whole heart, our whole soul,
and with all our strength. The love of our neighbour, on the contrary, has its
limits, for the Lord commands us to love our neighbour as ourselves.
To outstep these limits by loving our neighbour as we
love God would be an enormous crime. If any man come to me, says the Lord and
hate not his father and mother, and wife and children, and brethren and
sisters, yea, and his own life also; he cannot be my disciple. In the same way,
to one who would first attend the burial of his father, and then follow Christ,
it was said: Let the dead bury their dead; and the same lesson is more clearly
conveyed in St. Matthew: He that loveth father or mother more than me, is not
worthy of me.
Parents, no doubt, are to be highly loved and respected;
but religion requires that supreme honour and homage be given to Him alone, who
is the Creator and Father of all, and that all our love for our earthly parents
be referred to our eternal Father who is in heaven. Should, however, the
injunctions of parents be at any time opposed to the Commandments of God,
children are, o{ course, to prefer the will of God to the desires of their
parents, always keeping in view the divine maxim: We ought to obey God rather
than men.
Explanation of the Fourth Commandment: "Honour"
After these preliminaries the pastor should explain the
words of the Commandment, beginning with honour. To honour is to think
respectfully of anyone, and to hold in the highest esteem all that relates to
him. It includes love, respect, obedience and reverence.
Very properly, then, is the word honour used here in
preference to the word fear or love, although parents are also to be much loved
and feared. Respect and reverence are not always the accompaniments of love;
neither is love the inseparable companion of fear; but honour, when proceeding
from the heart, combines both fear and love.
"Thy Father"
The pastor should next explain who they are, whom the
Commandment designates as fathers; for although the law refers primarily to our
natural fathers, yet the name belongs to others also, and these seem to be
indicated in the Commandment, as we can easily gather from numerous passages of
Scripture. Besides our natural fathers, then, there are others who in Scripture
are called fathers, as was said above, and to each of these proper honour is
due.
In the first place, the prelates of the Church, her
pastors and priests are called fathers, as is evident from the Apostle, who,
writing to the Corinthians, says: I write not these things to confound you; but
I admonish you as my dearest children. For if you have ten thousand instructors
in Christ, yet not many fathers. For in Christ Jesus by the gospel I have
begotten you. It is also written in Ecclesiasticus: Let us praise men of
renown, and our fathers in their generation.
Those who govern the State, to whom are entrusted power,
magistracy, or command, are also called fathers; thus Naaman was called father
by his servants.
The name father is also applied to those to whose care,
fidelity, probity and wisdom others are committed, such as teachers,
instructors masters and guardians; and hence the sons of the Prophets called
Elias and Eliseus their father. Finally, aged men, advanced in years, we also
call fathers.
Why Parents Should Be Honoured
In his instructions the pastor should chiefly emphasise
the obligation of honouring all who are entitled to be called fathers,
especially our natural fathers, of whom the divine Commandment particularly
speaks. They are, so to say, images of the immortal God. In them we behold a
picture of our own origin; from them we have received existence, them God made
use of to infuse into us a soul and reason, by them we were led to the
Sacraments, instructed in our religion, schooled in right conduct and holiness,
and trained in civil and human knowledge.
"And Thy Mother"
The pastor should teach that the name mother is mentioned
in this Commandment, in order to remind us of her benefits and claims in our
regard, of the care and solicitude with which she bore us, and of the pain and
labor with which she gave us birth and brought us up.
Manner Of Honouring Parents
The honour which children are commanded to pay to their
parents should be the spontaneous offering of sincere and dutiful love. This is
nothing more than their due, since for love of us, they shrink from no labor,
no exertion, no danger. Their highest pleasure it is to fed that they are loved
by their children, the dearest objects of their affection. Joseph, when he
enjoyed in
We also owe to our parents other duties of respect, such
as to supplicate God in their behalf, that they may lead prosperous and happy
lives, beloved and esteemed by all who know them, and most pleasing in the
sight of God and of the Saints in heaven.
We also honour them by submission to their wishes and
inclinations. My son, says Solomon, hear the instruct-on of thy father, and
forsake not the law of thy mother; that grace may be added to thy head, and a
chain of gold to thy neck. Of the same kind are the exhortations of
We also honour our parents by the imitation of their good
example; for, to seek to resemble closely anyone is the highest mark of esteem
towards him. We also honour them when we not only ask, but follow their advice.
Again we honour our parents when we relieve their
necessities, supplying them with necessary food and clothing according to these
words of Christ, who, when reproving the impiety of the Pharisees, said: Why do
you also transgress the commandments of God because of your traditions? For God
said: "Honour thy father and thy mother," and "He that shall
curse father or mother let him die the death." But you say:
"Whosoever shall say to his father or mother, The gift whatsoever
proceedeth from me, shall profit thee." And he shall not honour his father
or his mother; and you have made void the commandment of God for your
tradition.
But if at all times it is our duty to honour our parents,
this duty becomes still more imperative when they are visited by severe
illness. We should then see to it that they do not neglect confession and the
other Sacraments which every Christian should receive at the approach of death.
We should also see that pious and religious persons visit them frequently to
strengthen their weakness, assist them by their counsel, and animate them to
the hope of immortality, that having risen above the concerns of this world,
they may fix their thoughts entirely on God. Thus blessed with the sublime
virtues of faith, hope and charity, and fortified by the helps. of religion,
they will not only look at death without fear, since it is necessary, but will
even welcome it, as it hastens their entrance into eternity.
Finally, we honour our parents, even after their death,
by attending their funerals, procuring for them suitable obsequies and burial,
having due suffrages and anniversary Masses offered for them, and faithfully
executing their last wills.
Manner Of Honouring Other Superiors
We are bound to honour not only our natural parents, but
also others who are called fathers, such as Bishops and priests, kings, princes
and magistrates, tutors, guardians and masters, teachers, aged persons and the
like, all of whom are entitled, some in a greater, some in a less degree, to
share our love, our obedience, and our assistance.
The Honour Due To Bishops And Priests
Of Bishops and other pastors it is written: Let the
priests that rule well be esteemed worthy of double honour especially they who
labour in the word and doctrine.
What wondrous proofs of love for the Apostle must the
Galatians have shown ! For he bears this splendid testimony of their
benevolence: I bear you witness that if it could be done, you would hove
plucked out your own eyes, and would have given them to me.
The priest is also entitled to receive whatever is
necessary for his support. Who, says the Apostle, serveth as a soldier at his
own charges? Give honour to the priests, it is written in Ecclesiasticus, and
purify thyself with thy arms; give them their portion, as it is commanded thee,
of the first fruits and of purifications.
The Apostle also teaches that they are entitled to
obedience: Obey your prelates, and be subject to them; for they watch as being
to render an account of your souls. Nay, more. Christ the Lord commands
obedience even to wicked pastors: Upon the chair of Moses have sitten the
scribes and Pharisees: all things, therefore, whatsoever they shall say to you,
observe and do; but according to their works do ye not, for they say and do
not.
The Honour Due To Civil Rulers
The same is to be said of civil rulers, governors,
magistrates and others to whose authority we are subject. The Apostle in his
Epistle to the Romans, explains at length the honour, respect and obedience
that should be shown them, and he also bids us to pray for them. St. Peter
says: Be ye subject, therefore, to every human creature for God's sake; whether
it be to the king as excelling, or to governors as sent by him.
For whatever honour we show them is given to God, since
exalted human dignity deserves respect because it is an image of the divine
power, and in it we revere the providence of God who has entrusted to men the
care of public affairs and who uses them as the instruments of His power.
If we sometimes have wicked and unworthy officials it is
not their faults that we revere, but the authority from God which they possess.
Indeed, while it may seem strange, we are not excused from highly honouring
them even when they show themselves hostile and implacable towards us. Thus
David rendered great services to Saul even when the latter was his bitter foe,
and to this he alludes when he says: With them that hated peace I was
peaceable.
However, should
their commands be wicked or unjust, they should not be obeyed, since in such a
case they rule not according to their rightful authority, but according to
injustice and perversity.
'That Thou Mayest be Long-lived," etc.
Having explained the above matters, the pastor should
next consider the reward promised to the observance of this Commandment and its
appropriateness. That reward is great, indeed, for it consists principally in
length of days. They who always preserve the grateful remembrance of a benefit
deserve to be blessed with its prolonged enjoyment. Children, therefore, who
honour their parents, and gratefully acknowledge the blessing of life received
from them are deservedly rewarded with the protracted enjoyment of that life to
an advanced age.
Reward Promised For Observance Of This Commandment
The (nature of the) divine promise also demands distinct
explanation. It includes not only the eternal life of the blessed, but also the
life which we lead on earth, according to the interpretation of
Many very holy men, it is true, such as Job, David, Paul,
desired to die, and a long life is burdensome to the afflicted and wretched:
but the reward which is here promised is, notwithstanding, neither
inconsiderable, nor to be despised.
The additional words, which the Lord thy God will give
thee, promise not only length of days, but also repose, tranquillity, and
security to live well; for in Deuteronomy it is not only said, that thou mayest
live a long time, but it is also added, and that it may be well with thee,
words afterwards quoted by the Apostle.
Why This Reward Is Not Always Conferred On Dutiful
Children
These blessings, we say, are conferred on those whose
piety God rewards; otherwise the divine promises would not be fulfilled, since
the more dutiful child is sometimes the more short lived.
Now this happens sometimes because it is better for him
to depart from this world before he has strayed from the path of virtue and of
duty; for he was taken away lest wickedness should alter his understanding, or
deceit beguile his soul. Or because destruction and general upheaval are
impending, he is called away that he may escape the calamities of the times.
The just man, says the Prophet, is taken away from before the face of evil,
lest his virtue and salvation be endangered when God avenges the crimes of men.
Or else, he is spared the bitter anguish of witnessing the calamities of his
friends and relations in such evil days. The premature death of the good,
therefore, gives special reason for fear.
Punishment For Violation Of This Commandment
But if God promises rewards and blessings to grateful
children, He also reserves the heaviest chastisements to punish those who are
wanting in filial piety; for it is written: He that curseth his father or
mother shall die the death: He that afflicteth his father and chaseth away his
mother, is infamous and unhappy." He that curseth his father and mother,
his lamp shall be put out in the midst of darkness: The eye that mocketh at his
father, and that despiseth the labour of his mother in bearing him, let the
ravens of the brooks pick it out, and the young eagles eat it. There are on
record many instances of undutiful children, who were made the signal objects
of the divine vengeance. The disobedience of Absalom to his father David did
not go unpunished. On account of his sin he perished miserably, transfixed by
three lances.
Of those who resist the priest it is written: He that
will be proud, and refuse to obey the commandment of the priest, who
ministereth at that time to the Lord thy God, by the decree of the judge, that
man shall die.
Duties of Parents Towards their Children
As the law of God commands children to honour, obey, and
respect their parents so are there reciprocal duties which parents owe to their
children. Parents are obliged to bring up their children in the knowledge and
practice of religion, and to give them the best rules for the regulation of
their lives; so that, instructed and trained in religion, they may serve God
holily and constantly. It was thus, as we read, that the parents of Susanna
acted.
The priest, therefore, should admonish parents to be to
their children guides in the virtues of justice, chastity, modesty and
holiness.
Three Things To Be Avoided By Parents
He should also admonish them to guard particularly
against three things, in which they but too often transgress.
In the first place, they are not by words or actions to
exercise too much harshness towards their children. This is the instruction of
Should a fault be committed which requires reproof and
chastisement, the parent should not, on the other hand, by undue indulgence,
overlook its correction. Children are often spoiled by too much lenity and
indulgence on the part of their parents. The pastor, therefore, should deter
from such excessive mildness by the warning example of Heli, the high-priest,
who, on account of over-indulgence to his sons, was visited with the heaviest
chastisements.
Finally, to avoid what is most shameful in the
instruction and education of children, let them not propose to themselves aims
that are unworthy. Many there are whose sole concern is to leave their children
wealth, riches and an ample and splendid fortune; who encourage them not to
piety and religion, or to honourable employment, but to avarice, and an
increase of wealth, and who, provided their children are rich and wealthy, are
regardless of their good name and eternal salvation. Can anything more shameful
be thought or expressed? Of such parents it is true to say, that instead of
bequeathing wealth to their children, they leave them rather their own
wickedness and crimes for an inheritance; and instead of conducting them to
heaven, lead them to the eternal torments of hell.
The priest, therefore, should impress on the minds of
parents salutary principles and should exhort them to imitate the virtuous
example of Tobias, that having properly trained up their children to the
service of God and to holiness of life, they may, in turn, experience at their
hands abundant fruit of filial affection, respect and obedience.
THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT : "Thou shalt not kill"
Importance Of Instruction On This Commandment
The great happiness proposed to the peacemakers, of being
called the children of God, should prove a powerful incentive to the pastor to
explain to the faithful with care and accuracy the obligations imposed by this
Commandment. No means more efficacious can be adopted to promote peace among mankind,
than the proper explanation of this Commandment and its holy and due observance
by all. Then might we hope that men, united in the strictest bonds of union,
would live in perfect peace and concord.
The necessity of explaining this Commandment is proved
from the following. Immediately after the earth was overwhelmed in universal
deluge, this was the first prohibition made by God to man. I will require the
blood of your lives, He said, at the hand of every beast and at the hand of
man. In the next place, among the precepts of the Old Law expounded by our
Lord, this Commandment was mentioned first by Him; concerning which it is
written in the Gospel of St. Matthew: It has been said thou shalt not kill,
etc.
The faithful, on their part, should hear with willing
attention the explanation of this Commandment, since its purpose is to protect
the life of each one. These words, Thou shalt not kill, emphatically forbid
homicide; and they should be heard by all with the same pleasure as if God,
expressly naming each individual, were to prohibit injury to be offered him
under a threat of the divine anger and the heaviest chastisements. As, then,
the announcement of this Commandment must be heard with pleasure, so also
should the avoidance of the sin which it forbids give pleasure.
Two Parts Of This Commandment
In the explanation of this Commandment the Lord points
out its twofold obligation. The one is prohibitory and forbids us to kill; the
other is mandatory and commands us to cherish sentiments of charity, concord
and friendship towards our enemies, to have peace with all men, and finally, to
endure with patience every inconvenience.
The Prohibitory Part of this Commandment
Exceptions: The Killing Of Animals
With regard to the prohibitory part, it should first be
taught what kinds of killing are not forbidden by this Commandment. It is not
prohibited to kill animals; for if God permits man to eat them, it is also
lawful to kill them. When, says
Execution Of Criminals
Another kind of lawful slaying belongs to the civil
authorities, to whom is entrusted power of life and death, by the legal and
judicious exercise of which they punish the guilty and protect the innocent.
The just use of this power, far from involving the crime of murder, is an act
of paramount obedience to this Commandment which prohibits murder. The end of
the Commandment- is the preservation and security of human life. Now the
punishments inflicted by the civil authority, which is the legitimate avenger
of crime, naturally tend to this end, since they give security to life by repressing
outrage and violence. Hence these words of David: In the morning I put to death
all the wicked of the land, that I might cut off all the workers of iniquity
from the city of the Lord.
Killing In A Just War
In like manner, the soldier is guiltless who, actuated
not by motives of ambition or cruelty, but by a pure desire of serving the
interests of his country, takes away the life of an enemy in a just war.
Furthermore, there are on record instances of carnage
executed by the special command of God. The sons of Levi, who put to death so
many thousands in one day, were guilty of no sin; when the slaughter had
ceased, they were addressed by Moses in these words: You have consecrated your
hands this day to the Lord.
Killing By Accident
Again, death caused, not by intent or design, but by
accident, is not murder. He that killeth his neighbour ignorantly, says the
book of Deuteronomy, and who is proved to have had no hatred against him
yesterday and the day before, but to have gone with him to the wood to hew
wood, and in cutting down the tree the axe slipt out of his hand, and the iron
slipping from the handle struck his friend and killed him, shall live. Such
accidental deaths, because inflicted without intent or design, involve no guilt
whatever, and this is confirmed by the words of
There are, however, two cases in which guilt attaches (to
accidental death). The first case is when death results from an unlawful act;
when, for instance, a person kicks or strikes a woman in a state of pregnancy,
and abortion follows. The consequence, it is true, may not have been intended,
but this does not exculpate the offender, because the act of striking a
pregnant woman is in itself unlawful. The other case is when death is caused by
negligence, carelessness or want of due precaution.
Killing In Self-Defence
If a man kill another in self-defence, having used every
means consistent with his own safety to avoid the infliction of death, he
evidently does not violate this Commandment.
Negative Part Of This Commandment Forbids Murder And
Suicide
The above are the cases in which life may be taken
without violating this Commandment; and with these exceptions all other killing
is forbidden, whether we consider the person who kills, the person killed, or
the means used to kill.
As to the person who kills, the Commandment recognises no
exception whatever, be he rich or powerful, master or-parent. All, without
exception or distinction, are forbidden to kill.
With regard to the person killed, the law extends to all.
There is no individual, however humble or lowly his condition, whose life is
not shielded by this law.
It also forbids suicide. No man possesses such power over
his own life as to be at liberty to put himself to death. Hence we find that
the Commandment does not say: Thou shalt not kill another, but simply: Thou
shalt not kill.
Finally, if we consider the numerous means by which
murder may be committed, the law admits of no exception. Not only does it
forbid to take away the life of another by laying violent hands on him, by
means of a sword, a stone, a stick, a halter, or by administering poison; but
also strictly prohibits the accomplishment of the death of another by counsel,
assistance, help or any other means whatever.
Sinful Anger Is Also Forbidden By The Fifth Commandment
The Jews, with singular dullness of apprehension, thought
that to abstain from taking life with their own hands was enough to satisfy the
obligation imposed by this Commandment. But the Christian, instructed in the
interpretation of Christ, has learned that the precept is spiritual, and that
it commands us not only to keep our hands unstained, but our hearts pure and
undefiled; hence what the Jews regarded as quite sufficient, is not sufficient
at all. For the Gospel has taught that it is unlawful even to be angry with
anyone: But I say to you that whosoever is angry with his brother, shall be in
danger of the judgment. And whosoever shall say to his brother,
"Raca," shall be in danger of the council. And whosoever shall say,
"Thou fool," shall be in danger of hell fire. From these words it clearly
follows that he who is angry with his brother is not free from sin, even though
he conceals his resentment; that he who gives indication of his wrath sins
grievously; and that he who does not hesitate to treat another with harshness,
and to utter contumelious reproaches against him, sins still more grievously.
This, however, is to be understood of cases in which no
just cause of anger exists. God and His laws permit us to be angry when we
chastise the faults of those who are subject to us. For the anger of a
Christian should spring from the Holy Spirit and not from carnal impulse,
seeing that we should be temples of the Holy Ghost, in which Jesus Christ may
dwell.
Our Lord has left us many other lessons of instruction
with regard to the perfect observance of this law, such as Not to resist evil;
but if one strike thee on thy right cheek, turn to him also the other. And if a
man will contend with thee in judgment, and take away thy coat, let go thy
cloak also unto him; and whosoever will force thee one mile, go with him two.
Remedies Against The Violation Of This Commandment
From what has been said, it is easy to see how inclined
man is to those sins which are prohibited by this Commandment, and how many are
guilty of murder, if not in fact, at least in desire. As, then, the Sacred
Scriptures prescribe remedies for so dangerous a disease, the pastor should
spare no pains in making them known to the faithful.
Of these remedies the most efficacious is to form a just
conception of the wickedness of murder. The enormity of this sin is manifest
from many and weighty passages of Holy Scripture. So much does God abominate
homicide that He declares in Holy Writ that of the very beast of the field He
will exact vengeance for the life of man, commanding the beast that injures man
to be put to death. And if (the Almighty) commanded man to have a horror of
blood,' He did so for no other reason than to impress on his mind the
obligation of entirely refraining, both in act and desire, from the enormity of
homicide.
The murderer is the worst enemy of his species, and
consequently of nature. To the utmost of his power he destroys the universal
work of God by the destruction of man, since God declares that He created all
things for man's sake. Nay, as it is forbidden in Genesis to take human life,
because God created man to his own image and likeness, he who makes away with
God's image offers great injury to God, and almost seems to lay violent hands
on God Himself !
David, thinking of this with a mind divinely illumined,
complained bitterly of the bloodthirsty in these words: Their feet are swift to
shed blood. He does not simply say, they kill, but, they shed blood, words
which serve to mark the enormity of that execrable crime and to denote the
barbarous cruelty of the murderer. With a view also to describe in particular
how the murderer is precipitated by the impulse of the devil into the
commission of such a crime, he says: Their feet are swift.
Positive Part of this commandment
Love Of Neighbour Inculcated
The mandatory part of this Commandment, as Christ our
Lord enjoins, requires that we have peace with all men. Interpreting the
Commandment He says: If therefore thou offer thy gift at the altar, and there
thou remember that thy brother hath anything against thee; leave there thy
offering before the altar, and go first to be reconciled to thy brother, and
then coming thou shalt offer thy gift, etc.
Charity To All Commanded
In explaining this admonition, the pastor should show
that it inculcates the duty of charity towards all without exception. In his
instruction on the precept he should exhort the faithful as much as possible to
the practice of this virtue, since it is especially included in this precept.
For since hatred is clearly forbidden by this Commandment, as whosoever hateth
his brother is a murderer, it follows, as an evident consequence, that the
Commandment also inculcates charity and love.
Patience, Beneficence And Mildness Commanded
And since the Commandment inculcates charity and love, it
must also enjoin all those duties and good offices which follow in their train.
Charity is patient, says
These works of beneficence and goodness, in themselves
exalted, become still more illustrious when done towards an enemy; for our
Saviour says: Love your enemies, do good to them that hate you, which also the
Apostle enjoins in these words: If thine enemy be hungry, give him to eat: if
he thirst, give hint to drink. For, doing this, thou shalt heap coals of fire
on his head. Be not overcome by evil, but overcome evil by good.
Finally, if we consider the law of charity, which is
kind, we shall be convinced that to practice the good offices of mildness,
clemency, and other kindred virtues, is a duty prescribed by that law.
Forgiveness Of Injuries Commanded
But the most important duty of all, and that which is the
fullest expression of charity, and to the practice of which we should most
habituate ourselves, is to pardon and forgive from the heart the injuries which
we may have received from others. The Sacred Scriptures, as we have already
observed, frequently admonish and exhort us to a full compliance with this
duty. Not only do they pronounce blessed those who do this, but they also
declare that God grants pardon to those who really fulfil this duty, while He
refuses pardon to those who neglect it, or refuse to obey it.
How to Persuade Men to Forgive Injuries
As the desire of revenge is almost natural to man, it
becomes necessary for the pastor to exert his utmost diligence not only to
instruct, but also earnestly to persuade the faithful, that a Christian should
forgive and forget injuries; and as this is a duty frequently inculcated by
sacred writers, he should consult them on the subject, in order to be able to
subdue the pertinacity of those whose minds are obstinately bent on revenge,
and he should have ready the forcible and appropriate arguments which those
Fathers piously employed. The three following considerations, however, demand
particular exposition.
All We Have To Endure Comes From God
First, he who thinks himself injured ought above all to
be persuaded that the man on whom he desires to be revenged was not the
principal cause of the loss or injury. Thus that admirable man, Job, when
violently injured by the Sabeans, the Chaldeans, and by Satan, took no account
of these, but as a righteous and very holy man exclaimed with no less truth
than piety: The Lord gave, the Lord hath taken away. The words and the example
of that man of patience should, therefore, convince Christians, and the conviction
is most just, that whatever chastisements we endure in this life come from the
hand of God, the Father and Author of all justice and mercy. He chastises us
not as enemies, but, in His infinite goodness, corrects us as children. To view
the matter in its true light, men, in these cases, are nothing more than the
ministers and agents of God. One man, it is true, may cherish the worst
feelings towards another, he may harbour the most malignant hatred against him;
but, without the permission of God, he can do him no injury. This is why Joseph
was able patiently to endure the wicked counsels of his brethren, and David,
the injuries inflicted on him by Semei.
Here also applies an argument which St. Chrysostom has
ably and learnedly handled. It is that no man is injured but by himself. Let
the man, who considers himself injured by another, consider the matter in the
right way and he will certainly find that he has received no injury or loss
from others. For although he may have experienced injury from external causes,
he is himself his greatest enemy by wickedly staining his soul with hatred,
malevolence and envy.
Advantages Of Forgiveness
The second consideration is that there are two
advantages, which are the special rewards of those, who, influenced by a holy
desire to please God, freely forgive injuries. In the first place, God has
promised that he who forgives, shall himself obtain forgiveness of sins, a
promise which clearly shows how acceptable to God is this duty of piety. In the
next place, the forgiveness of injuries ennobles and perfects our nature; for
by it man is in some degree made like to God, Who maketh his sun to shine on
the good and the bad, and raineth upon the just and the unjust.
Disadvantages Of Revenge
Finally, the disadvantages which arise from the refusal
to pardon others are to be explained. The pastor, therefore, should place
before the eyes of the unforgiving man that hatred is not only a grievous sin,
but also that the longer it is indulged the more deeply rooted it becomes. The
man, of whose heart this passion has once taken possession, thirsts for the
blood of his enemy. Filled with the hope of revenge, he will spend his days and
nights brooding over some evil design, so that his mind seems never to rest
from malignant projects, or even from thoughts of blood. Thus it follows that
never, or at least not without extreme difficulty, can he be induced generously
to pardon an offence, or even to mitigate his hostility. Justly, therefore, is
hatred compared to a wound in which the weapon remains firmly embedded.
Moreover, there are many evil consequences and sins which
are linked together with this one sin of hatred. Hence these words of
Not without good reason is hatred called the sin of the
devil. The devil was a murderer from the beginning; and hence our Lord Jesus
Christ, the Son of God, when the Pharisees sought His life, said that they were
begotten of their father the devil.
Remedies Against Hatred
Besides the reasons already adduced, which afford good
grounds for detesting this sin, other and most suitable remedies are prescribed
in the pages of Holy Writ.
Of these remedies the first and greatest is the example
of the Redeemer, which we should set before our eyes as a model for imitation.
For He, in whom even suspicion of fault could not be found, when scourged with
rods, crowned with thorns, and finally nailed to a cross, uttered that most
charitable prayer: Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. And as
the Apostle testifies: The sprinkling of his blood speaketh better than Abel.
Another remedy, prescribed by Ecclesiasticus, is to call
to mind death and judgment: Remember thy last end, and. thou shalt never
sin." As if he had said: Reflect frequently and again and again that you
must soon die, and since at death there will be nothing you desire or need more
than great mercy from God, that now you should keep that mercy always before
your mind. Thus the cruel desire for revenge will be extinguished; for you can
discover no means better adapted, none more efficacious to obtain the mercy of
God than the forgiveness of injuries and love towards those who in word or deed
may have injured you or yours.
THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT : "Thou shalt not commit adultery"
The Position Of This Commandment In The Decalogue Is Most
Suitable
The bond between man and wife is one of the closest, and
nothing can be more gratifying to both than to know that they are objects of
mutual and special affection. On the other hand, nothing inflicts deeper
anguish than to feel that the legitimate love which one owes the other has been
transferred elsewhere. Rightly, then, and in its natural order, is the
Commandment which protects human life against the hand of the murderer, followed
by that which forbids adultery and which aims to prevent anyone from injuring
or destroying by such a crime the holy and honourable union of marriage -- a
union which is generally the source of ardent affection and love.
Importance Of Careful Instruction On This Commandment
In the explanation of this Commandment, however, the
pastor has need of great caution and prudence, and should treat with great
delicacy a subject which requires brevity rather than copiousness of
exposition. For it is to be feared that if he explained in too great detail or
at length the ways in which this Commandment is violated, he might
unintentionally speak of subjects which, instead of extinguishing, usually
serve rather to inflame corrupt passion.
As, however, the precept contains many things which
cannot be passed over in silence, the pastor should explain them in their
proper order and place.
Two Parts Of This Commandment
This Commandment, then, resolves itself into two heads;
the one expressed, which prohibits adultery; the other implied, which
inculcates purity of mind and body.
What this Commandment Prohibits
Adultery Forbidden
To begin with the prohibitory part (of the Commandment),
adultery is the defilement of the marriage bed, whether it be one's own or
another's. If a married man have intercourse with an unmarried woman, he
violates the integrity of his marriage bed; and if an unmarried man have
intercourse with a married woman, he defiles the sanctity of the marriage bed
of another.
Other Sins Against Chastity Are Forbidden
But that every species of immodesty and impurity are
included in this prohibition of adultery, is proved by the testimonies of St.
Augustine and St. Ambrose; and that such is the meaning of the Commandment is
borne out by the Old, as well as the New Testament. In the writings of Moses,
besides adultery, other sins against chastity are said to have been punished.
Thus the book of Genesis records the judgment of Judah against his
daughter-in-law. In Deuteronomy is found the excellent law of Moses, that there
should be no harlot amongst the daughters of Israel. Take heed to keep thyself,
my son, from all fornication, is the exhortation of Tobias to his son; and in
Ecclesiasticus we read: Be ashamed of looking upon a harlot.
In the Gospel, too, Christ the Lord says: From the heart
come forth adulteries and fornications, which defile a man. The Apostle Paul
expresses his detestation of this crime frequently, and in the strongest terms:
This is the will of God, your sanctification, that you should abstain from
fornication; Fly fornication; Keep not company with fornicators; Fornication,
and an uncleanness and covetousness, let it not so much as be named among you;
" Neither fornicators nor adulterers, nor the effeminate nor sodomites
shall possess the kingdom of God.
Why Adultery Is Expressly Mentioned
But the reason why adultery is expressly forbidden is-
because in addition to the turpitude which it shares with other kinds of
incontinence, it adds the sin of injustice, not only against our neighbour, but
also against civil society.
Again it is certain that he who abstains not from other
sins against chastity, will easily fall into the crime of adultery. By the
prohibition of adultery, therefore, we at once see that every sort of immodesty
and impurity by which the body is defiled is prohibited. Nay, that every inward
thought against chastity is forbidden by this Commandment is clear, as well
from the very force of the law, which is evidently spiritual, as also from these
words of Christ the Lord: You have heard that it was said to them of old:
"Thou shalt not commit adultery." But I say to you, that whosoever
shall look on a woman to lust after her, hath already committed adultery with
her in his heart.
These are the points which we have deemed proper matter
for public instruction of the faithful. The pastor, however, should add the
decrees of the Council of Trent against adulterers, and those who keep harlots
and concubines, omitting many other species of immodesty and lust, of which
each individual is to be admonished privately, as circumstances of time and
person may require.
What this Commandment Prescribes
Purity Enjoined
We now come to explain the positive part of the precept.
The faithful are to be taught and earnestly exhorted to cultivate continence
and chastity with all care, to cleanse themselves from all defilement of the
flesh and of the spirit, perfecting sanctification in the fear of God.
First of all they should be taught that although the virtue
of chastity shines with a brighter lustre in those who make the holy and
religious vow of virginity, nevertheless it is a virtue which belongs also to
those who lead a life of celibacy; or who, in the married state, preserve
themselves pure and undefiled from unlawful desire.
Reflections which Help one to Practice Purity
The holy Fathers have taught us many means whereby to
subdue the passions and to restrain sinful pleasure. The pastor, therefore,
should make it his study to explain these accurately to the faithful, and
should use the utmost diligence in their exposition. Of these means some are
reflections, others are active measures.
Impurity Excludes From Heaven
The first kind consists chiefly in our forming a just
conception of the filthiness and evil of this sin; for such knowledge will lead
one more easily to detest it. Now the evil of this crime we may learn from the
fact that, on account of it, man is banished and excluded from the kingdom of
God, which is the greatest of all evils.
Impurity Is A Filthy Sin
The above-mentioned calamity is indeed common to every
mortal sin. But what is peculiar to this sin is that fornicators are said to
sin against their own bodies, according to the words of the Apostle: Fly
fornication. Every-sin that a man doth is without the body; but he that
committeth fornication, sinneth against his own body. The reason is that such a
one does an injury to his own body violating its sanctity. Hence St. Paul,
writing to the Thessalonians, says: This is the will of God, your
sanctification; that you should abstain from fornication, that every one of you
should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; not in the
passion of lust, like the Gentiles that know not God.
Furthermore, what is still more criminal, the Christian
who shamefully sins with a harlot makes the members of Christ the members of an
harlot, according to these words of St. Paul: Know you not that your bodies are
the members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them
the members of a harlot? God forbid. Or know you not, that he who is joined to
a harlot is made one body? Moreover, a Christian, as St. Paul testifies is the
temple of the Holy Ghost ; and to violate this temple is nothing else than to
expel the Holy Ghost.
Adultery Is A Grave Injustice
But the crime of adultery involves that of grievous
injustice. If, as the Apostle says, they who are joined in wedlock are so
subject to each other that neither has power or right over his or her body, but
both are bound, as it were, by a mutual bond of subjection, the husband to
accommodate himself to the will of the wife, the wife to the will of the
husband; most certainly if either dissociate his or her person, which is the
right of the other, from him or her to whom it is bound, the offender is guilty
of an act of great injustice and wickedness.
Adultery Is Disgraceful
As dread of disgrace strongly stimulates to the
performance of duty and deters from the commission of crime, the pastor should
also teach that adultery brands its guilty perpetrators with an unusual stigma.
He that is an adulterer, says Scripture, for the folly of his heart shall
destroy his own soul: he gathereth to himself shame and dishonour, and his
reproach shall not be blotted out.
Impurity Severely Punished
The grievousness of the sin of adultery may be easily
inferred from the severity of its punishment. According to the law promulgated
by God in the Old Testament, the adulterer was stoned to death. Nay more,
because of the criminal passion of one man, not only the perpetrator of the
crime, but a whole city was destroyed, as we read with regard to the
Sichemites. The Sacred Scriptures abound with examples of the divine vengeance,
such as the destruction of Sodom and of the neighbouring cities,' the
punishment of the Israelites who committed fornication in the wilderness with
the daughters of Moab, and the slaughter of the Benjamites. These examples the
pastor can easily make use of to deter men from shameful lust.
Impurity Blinds The Mind And Hardens The Heart
But even though the adulterer may escape the punishment
of death, he does not escape the great pains and torments that often overtake
such sins as his. He becomes afflicted with blindness of mind a most severe
punishment; he is lost to all regard for God, for reputation, for honour, for
family, and even for life; and thus, utterly abandoned and worthless, he is
undeserving of confidence in any matter of moment, and becomes unfitted to
discharge any kind of duty.
Of this we find examples in the persons of David and of
Solomon. David had no sooner fallen into the crime of adultery than he
degenerated into a character the very reverse of what he had been before; from
the mildest of men he became so cruel as to consign to death Urias, one of his
most deserving subjects. Solomon, having abandoned himself to the lust of
women, gave up the true religion to follow strange gods. This sin, therefore,
as Osee observes, takes away man's heart and often blinds his understanding.
means of practicing purity
Avoidance Of Idleness
We now come to the remedies which consist in action. The
first is studiously to avoid idleness; for, according to Ezechiel, it was by
yielding to the enervating influence of idleness that the Sodomites plunged
into the most shameful crime of criminal lust.
Temperance
In the next place, intemperance is carefully to be
avoided. I fed them to the full, says the Prophet, and they committed adultery.
An overloaded stomach begets impurity. This our Lord intimates in these words:
Take heed to yourselves, lest perhaps your hearts be overcharged with
surfeiting and drunkenness. Be not drunk with wine, says the Apostle, wherein
is luxury.
Custody Of The Eyes
But the eyes, in particular, are the inlets to criminal
passion, and to this refer these words of our Lord: If thine eye scandalise
thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee. The Prophets, also, frequently speak
to the same effect. I made a covenant with mine eyes, says Job, that I would not
so much as think upon a virgin. Finally, there are on record innumerable
examples of the evils which have their origin in the indulgence of the eyes. It
was thus that David sinned, thus that the king of Sichem fell, and thus also
that the elders sinned who calumniated Susanna.
Avoidance Of Immodest Dress
Too much display in dress, which especially attracts the
eye, is but too frequently an occasion of sin. Hence the admonition of
Ecclesiasticus: Turn away thy face from a woman dressed up. As women are given
to excessive fondness for dress, it will not be unseasonable in the pastor to
give some attention to the subject, and sometimes to admonish and reprove them
in the impressive words of the Apostle Peter: Whose adorning let it not be the
outward plaiting of the hair, or the wearing of gold, or the putting on of
apparel. St. Paul likewise says: Not with plaited hair, or gold, or pearls, or
costly attire. Many women adorned with gold and precious stones, have lost the
only true ornament of their soul and body.
Avoidance Of Impure Conversation, Reading, Pictures
Next to the sexual excitement, usually provoked by too
studied an elegance of dress, follows another, which is indecent and obscene
conversation. Obscene language is a torch which lights up the worst passions of
the young mind; and the Apostle has said, that evil communications corrupt good
manners. Immodest and passionate songs and dances are most productive of this
same effect and are, therefore, cautiously to be avoided.
In the same class are to be numbered soft and obscene
books which must be avoided no less than indecent pictures. All such things
possess a fatal influence in exciting to unlawful attractions, and in inflaming
the mind of youth. In these matters the pastor should take special pains to see
that the faithful most carefully observe the pious and prudent regulations of
the Council of Trent.
Frequentation Of The Sacraments
If the occasions of sin which we have just enumerated be
carefully avoided, almost every excitement to lust will be removed. But the
most efficacious means for subduing its violence are frequent use of confession
and Communion, as also unceasing and devout prayer to God, accompanied by
fasting and almsdeeds. Chastity is a gift of God. To those who ask it aright He
does not deny it; nor does He suffer us to be tempted beyond our strength.
Mortification
But the body is to be mortified and the sensual appetites
to be repressed not only by fasting, and particularly, by the fasts instituted
by the Church, but also by watching, pious pilgrimages, and other works of
austerity. By these and similar observances is the virtue of temperance chiefly
manifested. In connection with this subject, St. Paul, writing to the
Corinthians, says: Every one that striveth for the mastery, refraineth himself
from all things; and they indeed that they may receive a corruptible crown, but
we an incorruptible one. A little after he says: I chastise my body and bring
it into subjection, lest, perhaps, when I have preached to others, I myself
should become a castaway. And in another place he says: Make not provision for
the flesh in its concupiscence.
THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT : "Thou shalt not
steal"
Importance Of Instruction On This Commandment
In the early ages of the Church, it was customary to
impress on the minds of hearers the nature and force of this Commandment. This
we learn from the reproof uttered by the Apostle against some who were most
earnest in deterring others from vices, in which they themselves were found
freely to indulge: Thou, therefore, that teachest another, teachest not
thyself: thou that preachest that men should not steal, stealest. The salutary
effect of such instructions was not only to correct a vice then very prevalent,
but also to repress quarrels, litigation and other evils which generally grow
out of theft. Since in these our days men are unhappily addicted to the same
vices, with their consequent misfortunes and evils, the pastor, following the
example of the holy Fathers and Doctors, should strongly insist on this point
and explain with diligent care the force and meaning of this Commandment.
This Commandment A Proof Of The Love Of God Towards Us
And A Claim On Our Gratitude
In the first place the pastor should exercise care and
industry in declaring the infinite love of God for man. Not satisfied with
having fenced round, so to say, our lives, our persons and our reputation, by
means of the two Commandments, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not commit
adultery, God defends and places a guard over our property and possessions, by
adding the prohibition, Thou shalt not steal. These words can have no other
meaning than that which we indicated above when speaking of the other
Commandments. They declare that God forbids our worldly goods, which are placed
under His protection, to be taken away or injured by anyone.
Our gratitude to God, the author of this law, should be
in proportion to the greatness of the benefit the law confers upon us. Now
since the truest test of gratitude and the best means of returning thanks,
consists not only in lending a willing ear to His precepts, but also in obeying
them, the faithful are to be animated and encouraged to an observance of this
Commandment.
Two Parts Of This Commandment
Like the preceding Commandments, this one also is divided
into two parts. The first, which prohibits theft, is mentioned expressly; while
the spirit and force of the second, which en- forces kindliness and liberality
towards our neighbour, are implied in the first part.
Negative Part of this Commandment
Stealing Forbidden
We shall begin with the prohibitory part of the
Commandment, Thou shalt not steal. It is to be observed, that by the word steal
is understood not only the taking away of anything from its rightful owner,
privately and without his consent, but also the possession of that which
belongs to another, contrary to the will, although not without the knowledge,
of the true owner; else we are prepared to say that He who prohibits theft does
not also prohibit robbery, which is accomplished by violence and injustice,
whereas, according to St. Paul, extortioners shall not possess the kingdom of
God, and their very company and ways should be shunned, as the same Apostle
writes.
Theft And Robbery Forbidden
But though robbery is a greater sin than theft, inasmuch
as it not only deprives another of his property, but also offers violence and
insult to him; yet it cannot be a matter of surprise that the divine
prohibition is expressed under the milder word, steal, instead of rob. There
was good reason for this, since theft is more general and of wider extent than
robbery, a crime which only they can commit who are superior to their neighbour
in brute force and power. Furthermore, it is obvious that when lesser crimes
are forbidden, greater enormities of the same sort are also prohibited.
Various Names Given To Stealing
The unjust possession and use of what belongs to another
are expressed by different names, according to the diversity of the objects
taken without the consent and knowledge of the owners To take any private
property from a private individual is called theft; from the public,
peculation. To enslave a freeman, or appropriate the slave of another is called
man-stealing. To steal anything sacred is called sacrilege -- a crime most
enormous and sinful, yet so common in our days that what piety and wisdom had
set aside for the necessary expenses of divine worship, for the support of the
ministers of religion, and the use of the poor is employed in satisfying
individual avarice and the worst passions.
Desire Of Stealing Forbidden
But, besides
actual theft, that is, the outward commission, the will and desire are also
forbidden by the law of God. The law is spiritual and concerns the soul, the
source of our thoughts and designs. From the heart, says our Lord in St.
Matthew, come forth evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts,
false testimonies.
Gravity Of The Sin Of Stealing
The grievousness of the sin of theft is sufficiently seen
by the light of natural reason alone, for it is a violation of justice which
gives to every man his own. The distribution and allotment of property, fixed
from the beginning by the law of nations and confirmed by human and divine
laws, must be considered as inviolable, and each one must be allowed secure
possession of what justly belongs to him, unless we wish the overthrow of human
society. Hence these words of the Apostle: Neither thieves, nor covetous, nor
drunkards, nor railers, nor extortioners, shall possess the kingdom of God.
The long train of evils which this sin entails are a
proof at once of its mischievousness and enormity. It gives rise to hasty and
rash judgments, engenders hatred, originates enmities, and sometimes subjects
the innocent to cruel condemnation.
What shall we say of the necessity imposed by God on all
of satisfying for the injury done? Without restitution, says St. Augustine, the
sin is not forgiven. The difficulty of making such restitution, on the part of
those who have been in the habit of enriching themselves with their neighbour's
property, we may learn not only from personal observation and reflection, but
also from the testimony of the Prophet Habacuc: Woe to him that heapeth
together what is not his own. How long also doth he load himself with thick
clay? The possession of other men's property he calls thick clay, because it is
difficult to emerge and extricate one's self from (ill-gotten goods).
The Chief Kinds Of Stealing
There are so many kinds of stealing that it is most
difficult to enumerate them all; but since the others can be reduced to theft
and robbery, it will be sufficient to speak of these two. To inspire the
faithful with a detestation of such grievous crimes and to deter them from
their commission, the pastor should use all care and diligence. Now let us
consider these two kinds of stealing.
Various Forms Of Theft
They are guilty of theft who buy stolen goods, or retain
the property of others, whether found, seized, or pilfered. If you have found,
and not restored, says St. Augustine, you have stolen. If the true owner
cannot, however, be discovered, whatever is found should go to the poor. If the
finder refuse to make restitution, he gives evident proof that, were it in his
power, he would make no scruple of stealing all that he could lay his hands on.
Those who, in buying or selling, have recourse to fraud
and lying, involve themselves in the same guilt. The Lord will avenge their
trickery. Those who sell bad and adulterated goods as real and genuine, or who
defraud the purchasers by weight, measure, number, or rule, are guilty of a
species of theft still more criminal and unjust. It is written in Deuteronomy:
Thou shalt not have divers weights in thy bag. Do not any unjust thing, says Leviticus,
in judgment, in rule, in weight or in measure. Let the balance be just, and the
weights equal, the bushel just, and the sextary equal. And elsewhere it is
written: Divers weights are an abomination before the Lord; a deceitful balance
is not good.
It is, also, a downright theft, when labourers and
artisans exact full wages from those to whom they have not given just and due
labor. Again, dishonest servants and agents are no better than thieves, nay
they are more detestable than other thieves; against these everything may be
locked, while against a pilfering servant nothing in a house can be secure by
bolt or lock.
They, also, who obtain money under pretence of poverty,
or by deceitful words, may be said to steal, and their guilt is aggravated
since they add falsehood to theft.
Persons charged with offices of public or private trust,
who altogether neglect, or but indifferently perform their duties, while they
enjoy the salary and emoluments of such offices, are also to be reckoned in the
number of thieves.
To enumerate the various other modes of theft, invented
by the ingenuity of avarice, which is versed in all the arts of making money,
would be a tedious and, as already said, a most difficult task.
Various Forms Of Robbery
The pastor, therefore, should next come to treat of
robbery, which is the second general division of these crimes. First, he should
admonish the Christian people to bear in mind the teaching of the Apostle: They
that will become rich fall into temptation, and the snare of the devil; and
never to forget the rule: All things whatsoever you will that men do to you, do
you also to them; and always to bear in mind the words of Tobias: See thou
never do to another what thou wouldst hate to have done to thee by another.
Robbery is more comprehensive than theft. Those who pay
not the labourer his hire are guilty of robbery, and are exhorted to repentance
by St. James in these words: Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your
miseries, which shall come upon you. He adds the reason for their repentance:
Behold the hire of the labourers, who have reaped down your fields, which by
fraud has been kept back by you, crieth: and the cry of them hath entered into
the ears of the Lord of sabaoth. This sort of robbery is strongly condemned in
Leviticus, Deuteronomy, Malachy, and Tobias.
Among those who are guilty of robbery are also included
persons who do not pay, or who turn to other uses or appropriate to themselves,
customs, taxes, tithes and such revenues, which are owed to the Church or civil
authorities.
To this class also belong usurers, the most cruel and
relentless of extortioners, who by their exorbitant rates of interest, plunder
and destroy the poor. Whatever is received above the capital and principal, be
it money, or anything else that may be purchased or estimated by money, is
usury; for it is written in Ezechiel: He hath not lent upon usury, nor taken an
increase; and in Luke our Lord says: Lend, hoping for nothing thereby. Even
among the pagans usury was always considered a most grievous and odious crime.
Hence the question, "What is usury ?" was answered: "What is
murder?" And, indeed, he who lends at usury sells the same thing twice, or
sells that which has no real existence.
Corrupt judges, whose decisions are venal, and who,
bought over by money or other bribes, decide against the just claims of the
poor and needy, also commit robbery.
Those who defraud their creditors, who deny their just
debts, and also those who purchase goods on their own, or on another's credit,
with a promise to pay for them at a certain time, and do not keep their word,
are guilty of the same crime of robbery. And it is an aggravation of their
guilt that, in consequence of their want of punctuality and their fraud, prices
are raised to the great injury of the public. To such persons seem to apply the
words of David: The sinner shall borrow, and not pay again.
But what shall we say of those rich men who exact with
rigour what they lend to the poor, even though the latter are not able to pay
them, and who, disregarding God's law, take as security even the necessary
clothing of the unfortunate debtors ? For God says: If thou take of thy
neighbour a garment in pledge, thou shalt give it him again before sunset, for
that same is the only thing wherewith he is covered, the clothing of his body,
neither hath he any other to sleep in: if he cry to me I will hear him, because
I am compassionate. Their rigorous exaction is justly termed rapacity, and
therefore robbery.
Among those whom the holy Fathers pronounced guilty of
robbery are persons who, in times of scarcity, hoard up their corn, thus
culpably rendering supplies scarcer and dearer. This holds good with regard to
all necessaries of life and sustenance. These are they against whom Solomon
utters this execration: He that hideth up corn, shall be cursed among the
people. Such persons the pastor should warn of their guilt, and should reprove
with more than ordinary freedom; he should explain to them at length the
punishments which await such sins.
So much for what the seventh Commandment forbids.
Positive Part of this Commandment
Restitution Enjoined
We now come to the positive part of this Commandment, in
which the first thing to be considered is satisfaction or restitution; for
without restitution the sin is not forgiven.
Who Are Held To Restitution
But as the law of making restitution to the injured party
is binding not only on the person who commits theft, but also on all who
cooperate in the sin, it is necessary to explain who are indispensably bound to
this satisfaction or restitution. There are several classes (who are thus
bound).
The first consists of those who order others to steal,
and who are not only the authors and accomplices of theft, but also the most
criminal among thieves.
Another class embraces those, who, when they cannot
command others to commit theft persuade and encourage it. These, since they are
like the first class in intention, though unlike them in power, are equally
guilty of theft.
A third class is composed of those who consent to the
theft committed by others.
The fourth class is that of those who are accomplices in,
and derive gain from theft; if that can be called gain, which, unless they
repent, consigns them to everlasting torments. Of them David says: If thou
didst see a thief, thou didst run with him.
The fifth class of thieves are those who, having it in
their power to prohibit theft, so far from opposing or preventing it, fully and
freely suffer and sanction its commission.
The sixth class is constituted of those who are well
aware that the theft was committed, and when it was committed; and yet, far
from mentioning it, pretend they know nothing about it.
The last class comprises all who assist in the accomplishment
of theft, who guard, defend, receive or harbour thieves.
All these are bound to make restitution to those from
whom anything has been stolen, and are to be earnestly exhorted to the
discharge of so necessary a duty.
Neither are those who approve and commend thefts entirely
innocent of this crime. Children also who steal from their parents, and wives
who steal from their husbands are not guiltless of theft.
Almsdeeds Enjoined
This Commandment also implies an obligation to sympathise
with the poor and needy, and to relieve their difficulties and distresses by
our means and good offices. Concerning this subject, which cannot be insisted
on too often or too strongly, the pastor will find abundant matter to enrich
his discourses in the works of St. Cyprian, St. John Chrysostom, St. Gregory
Nazianzen, and other eminent writers on almsdeeds.
Inducements To Practice Almsgiving
The pastor, therefore, should encourage the faithful to
be willing and anxious to assist those who have to depend on charity, and
should make them realise the great necessity of giving alms and of being really
and practically liberal to the poor, by reminding them that on the last day God
will condemn and consign to eternal fires those who have omitted and neglected
the duty of almsgiving, while on the contrary He will praise and introduce into
His heavenly country those who have exercised mercy towards the poor. These two
sentences have been already pronounced by the lips of Christ the Lord: Come, ye
blessed of my Father, possess the kingdom prepared for you; and: Depart front
me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire.
Priests should also cite those texts which are calculated
to persuade (to the performance of this important duty): Give and it shall be
given to you. They should dwell on the promise of God, the richest and most
abundant that can be conceived: There is no man who hath left house, or
brethren, etc., that shall not receive an hundred times as much now in this
time and in the world to come life everlasting; and he should add these words
of our Lord: Make unto yourselves friends of the mammon of iniquity, that when
you shall fail, they may receive you into everlasting dwellings.
Ways Of Giving Alms
They should also explain the parts of this necessary
duty, so that whoever is unable to give may at least lend to the poor what they
need to sustain life, according to the command of Christ our Lord: Lend, hoping
for nothing thereby. The happiness of doing this is thus expressed by holy
David: Acceptable is the man that showeth mercy and lendeth.
But if we are not able to give to those who must depend
on the charity of others for their sustenance, it is an act of Christian piety,
as well as a means of avoiding idleness, to procure by our labor and industry
what is necessary for the relief of the poor. To this the Apostle exhorts all
by his own example. For yourselves, he says to the Thessalonians, know how you
ought to imitate us; and again, writing to the same people: Use your endeavour
to be quiet, and that you do your own business, and work with your own, hands,
as we commanded you; and to the Ephesians: He that stole, let him steal no
more; but rather let him labour working with his hands the thing which is good,
that he may have something to give to him that suffereth need.'
Frugality Is Enjoined
We should also practice frugality and draw sparingly on
the kindness of others, that we may not be burden or a trouble to them. The
exercise of considerateness is conspicuous in all the Apostles, but
preeminently so in St. Paul. Writing to the Thessalonians he says: You
remember, brethren, our labour and toil; working night and day lest we should
be chargeable to any of you, we preached amongst you the gospel of God. And in
another place the same Apostle says: In labour and in toil, we worked night and
day, lest we should be burdensome to any of you.
Sanction Of This Commandment
The Punishment Of Its Violation
To inspire the faithful with an abhorrence of all
infamous sins against this Commandment, the pastor should have recourse to the
Prophets and the other inspired writers, to show the detestation in which God
holds the crimes of theft and robbery, and the awful threats which He denounces
against their perpetrators. Hear this, exclaims the Prophet Amos, you that
crush the poor, and make the needy of the land to fail, saying: "When will
the month be over, and we shall sell our wares, and the sabbath, and we shall
open the corn; that we may lessen the measure, and increase the sickle, and may
convey in deceitful balances? Many passages of the same kind may be found in
Jeremias, Proverbs,' and Ecclesiasticus. Indeed it cannot be doubted that such
crimes are the seeds from which have sprung in great part the evils which in
our times oppress society.
The Reward Of Observing This Commandment
That Christians may accustom themselves to those acts of
generosity and kindness towards the poor and the needy which are inculcated by
the second part of this Commandment, the pastor should place before them those
ample rewards which God promises in this life and in the next to the beneficent
and the bountiful.
Excuses for Stealing Refuted
As there are not wanting those who would even excuse
their thefts, these are to be admonished that God will accept no excuse for
sin; and that their excuses, far from extenuating, serve only greatly to
aggravate their guilt.
The Plea Of Rank And Position
How insufferable the vanity of those men of exalted rank
who excuse themselves by alleging that they act not from cupidity or avarice,
but stoop to take what belongs to others only from a desire to maintain the
grandeur of their families and of their ancestors, whose repute and dignity
must fall, if not upheld by the possession of another man's property. Of this
harmful error they are to be disabused; and they are to be convinced that the
only means to preserve and augment their wealth and to enhance the glory of
their ancestors is to obey the will of God and observe His Commandments. Once
His will and Commandments are contemned, the stability of property, no matter
how securely settled, is overturned; kings are dethroned, and hurled from the
highest stations of honour; while the humblest individuals, men too, towards
whom they cherished the most implacable hatred, are sometimes called by God to
occupy their place.
It is incredible to what degree the divine wrath is
kindled against such offenders, and this we know from the testimony of Isaias,
who records these words of God: Thy princes are faithless, companions of
thieves; they all love bribes, they run after rewards. Therefore, saith the
Lord, the God of Hosts, the mighty one of Israel: Ah! I will comfort myself
over my adversaries; and I will be revenged of my enemies; and I will turn my
hand to thee, and I will clean purge away thy dross.
The Plea Of Greater Ease And Elegance
Some there are, who plead in justification of such
conduct, not the ambition of maintaining splendour and glory, but a desire of
acquiring the means of living in greater ease and elegance. These are to be
refuted, and should be shown how impious are the words and conduct of those who
prefer their own ease to the will and the glory of God whom, by neglecting His
Commandments, we offend extremely. And yet what real advantage can there be in
theft? Of how many very serious evils is it not the source? Confusion and
repentance, says Ecclesiasticus, is upon a thief. But even though no
disadvantage overtake the thief, he offers an insult to the divine name,
opposes the most holy will of God, and contemns His salutary precepts. From
hence result all error, all dishonesty, all impiety.
The Plea Of The Other's Wealth
But do we not sometimes hear the thief contend that he is
not guilty of sin, because he steals from the rich and the wealthy, who, in his
mind, not only suffer no injury, but do not even feel the loss? Such an excuse
is as wretched as it is baneful.
The Plea Of Force Of Habit
Others imagine that they should be excused, because they
have contracted such a habit of stealing as not to be able easily to refrain
from such desires and practices. If such persons listen not to the admonition
of the Apostle: He that stole, let him now steal no more, let them recollect
that one day, whether they like it or not, they will become accustomed to an eternity
of torments.
The Plea Of Favourable Opportunity
Some excuse themselves by saying that the opportunity
presented itself. The proverb is well known: Those who are not thieves are made
so by opportunity. Such persons are to be disabused of their wicked idea by
reminding them that it is our duty to resist every evil propensity. If we yield
instant obedience to every inordinate impulse, what measure, what limits will
there be to crime and disorder? Such an excuse, therefore,- is of the lowest
character, or rather is an avowal of a complete want of restraint and justice.
To say that you do not commit sin, because you have no opportunity of sinning,
is almost to acknowledge that you are always prepared to sin when opportunity
offers.
The Plea Of Revenge
There are some who say that they steal in order to
gratify revenge, having themselves suffered the same injury from others. To
such offenders it should be answered first of all that no one is allowed to
return injury for injury; next that no person can be a judge in his own cause;
and finally that still less can it be lawful to punish one man for the wrong
done you by another.
The Plea Of Financial Embarrassment
Finally, some find a sufficient justification of theft in
their own embarrassments, alleging that they are overwhelmed with debt, which
they cannot pay off otherwise than by theft. Such persons should be given to
understand that no debt presses more heavily upon all men than that which we
mention each day in these words of the Lord's Prayer: Forgive us our debts.
Hence it is the height of folly to be willing to increase our debt to God by
new sin, in order to be able to pay our debts to men. It is much better to be
consigned to prison than to be cast into the eternal torments of hell; it is by
far a greater evil to be condemned by the judgment of God, than by that of man.
Hence it becomes our duty to have recourse to the assistance and mercy of God
from whom we can obtain whatever we need.
There are also other excuses, which, however, the
judicious and zealous pastor will not find it difficult to meet, so that thus
he may one day be blessed with a people who are followers of good works.
THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT : "Thou shalt not bear false
witness against thy neighbour"
Importance Of Instruction On This Commandment
The great utility, nay the necessity, of carefully
explaining this Commandment, and of emphasising its obligation, we learn from
these words of St. James: If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect
man; and again, The tongue is indeed a little member, and boasteth great
things. Behold how small a fire, what a great wood it kindleth; and so on, to
the same effect.
From these words we learn two truths. The first is that
sins of the tongue are very prevalent, which is confirmed by these words of the
Prophet: Every man is a liar, so that it would almost seem as if this were the
only sin which extends to all mankind. The other truth is that the tongue is
the source of innumerable evils. Through the fault of the evil-speaker are
often lost the property, the reputation, the life, and the salvation of the
Injured person, or of him who inflicts the injury. The injured person, unable
to bear patiently the contumely, avenges it without restraint. The offender, on
the other hand, deterred by a perverse shame and a false idea of what is called
honour, cannot be induced to make reparation to him whom he has offended.
This Commandment Should Call Forth Our Gratitude
Hence the faithful are to be exhorted to thank God as
much as they can for having given this salutary Commandment, not to bear false
witness, which not only forbids us to injure others, but which also, if duly
observed, prevents others from injuring us.
Two Parts Of This Commandment
In its explanation we shall proceed as we have done with
regard to the others, pointing out that in it are contained two laws. The first
forbids us to bear false witness. The other commands us to lay aside all
dissimulation and deceit, and to measure our words and actions by the standard
of truth, a duty of which the Apostle admonishes the Ephesians in these words:
Doing the truth in charity, let us grow up in all things in him.
Negative Part Of This Commandment
With regard to the prohibitory part of this Commandment,
although by false testimony is understood whatever is positively but falsely
affirmed of anyone, be it for or against him, be it in a public court or
elsewhere; yet the Commandment specially prohibits that species of false
testimony which is given on oath in a court of justice. For a witness swears by
the Deity, because the words of a man thus giving evidence and using the divine
name, have very great weight and possess the strongest claim to credit. Such
testimony, therefore, because it is dangerous, is specially prohibited; for
even the judge himself cannot reject the testimony of sworn witnesses, unless
they be excluded by exceptions made in the law, or unless their dishonesty and
malice are notorious. This is especially true since it is commanded by divine
authority that in the mouth of two or three every word shall stand.
"Against Thy Neighbour"
In order that the faithful may have a clear comprehension
of this Commandment it should be explained who is our neighbour, against whom
it is unlawful to bear false witness. According to the interpretation of Christ
the Lord, our neighbour is he who needs our assistance, whether bound to us by
ties of kindred or not, whether a fellow-citizen or a stranger, a friend or an
enemy.' It is wrong to think that one may give false evidence against an enemy,
since by the command of God and of our Lord we are bound to love him.
Moreover, as every man is bound to love himself, and is
thus, in some sense, his own neighbour, it is unlawful for anyone to bear false
witness against himself. He who does so brands himself with infamy and
disgrace, and injures both himself and the Church of which he is a member, much
as the suicide, by his act, does a wrong to the state. This is the doctrine of
St. Augustine, who says: To those who do not understand (the precept) properly,
it might seem lawful to give false testimony against one's self, because the
words "against thy neighbour" are subjoined in the Commandment. But
let no one who bears false testimony against himself think that he has not
violated this Commandment, for the standard of loving our neighbour is the love
which we cherish towards ourselves.
False Testimony In Favour Of A Neighbour Is Also
Forbidden
But if we are forbidden to injure our neighbour by false
testimony, let it not be inferred that the contrary is lawful, and that we may
help by perjury those who are bound to us by ties of kinship or religion. It is
never allowed to have recourse to lies or deception, much less to perjury.
Hence St. Augustine in his book to Crescentius On Lying teaches from the words
of the Apostle that a lie, although uttered in false praise of anyone, is to be
numbered among false testimonies. Treating of that passage, Yea, and we are
found false witnesses of God, because we have given testimony against God, that
he hath raised up Christ whom he hath not raised, if the dead rise not again,
he says: The Apostle calls it false testimony to utter a lie with regard to
Christ, even though it should seem to redound to His praise.
It also not infrequently happens, that by favouring one
party we injure the other. False testimony is certainly the occasion of
misleading the judge, who, yielding to such evidence, is sometimes obliged to
decide against justice, to the injury of the innocent.
Sometimes, too, it happens that the successful party, who
by means of perjured witnesses, has gained his case and escaped with impunity,
exulting in his iniquitous victory, soon becomes accustomed to the work of
corrupting and suborning false witnesses, by whose aid he hopes to obtain
whatever he wishes.
To the witness himself it must be most grievous that his
falsehood and perjury are known to him whom he has aided and abetted by his
perjury; whilst encouraged by the success that follows his crime, he becomes
every day more accustomed to wickedness and audacity.
"Thou Shalt Not Bear False Witness"
All Falsehoods In Lawsuits Are Forbidden
This precept then prohibits deceit, lying and perjury on
the part of witnesses. The same prohibition extends also to plaintiffs,
defendants, promoters, representatives, procurators and advocates; in a word,
to all who take any part in lawsuits.
False Testimony Out Of Court Is Forbidden
Finally, God prohibits all testimony which may inflict
injury or injustice, whether it be a matter of legal evidence or not. In the
passage of Leviticus where the Commandments are repeated, we read: Thou shalt
not steal; thou shalt not lie; neither shall any man deceive his neighbour.' To
none, therefore can it be a matter of doubt, that this Commandment condemns
lies of every sort, as these words of David explicitly declare: Thou wilt
destroy all that speak a lie.
This Commandment Forbids Detraction
This Commandment forbids not only false testimony, but
also the detestable vice and practice of detraction, -- a pestilence, which is
the source of innumerable and calamitous evils. This vicious habit of secretly
reviling and calumniating character is frequently reprobated in the Sacred
Scriptures. With him, says David, I would not eat; and St. James: Detract not
one another, my brethren.
Holy Writ abounds not only with precepts on the subject,
but also with examples which reveal the enormity of the crime. Aman, by a crime
of his own invention, had so incensed Assuerus against the Jews that he ordered
the destruction of the entire race. Sacred history contains many other examples
of the same kind, which priests should recall in order to deter the people from
such iniquity.
Various Kinds Of Detraction
But, to understand well the nature of this sin of
detraction, we must know that reputation is injured not only by calumniating
the character, but also by exaggerating the faults of others. He who gives
publicity to the secret sin of any man, in an unnecessary place or time, or
before persons who have no right to know, is also rightly regarded as a
detractor and evil-speaker, if his revelation seriously injures the other's
reputation.
But of all sorts of calumnies the worst is that which is
directed against Catholic doctrine and its teachers. Persons who extol the
propagators of error and of unsound doctrine are guilty of a like crime.
Nor are those to be dissociated from the ranks of
evil-speakers, or from their guilt, who, instead of reproving, lend a willing
ear and a cheerful assent to the calumniator and reviler. As we read in St.
Jerome and St. Bernard, it is not so easy to decide which is more guilty, the
detractor, or the listener; for if there were no listeners, there would be no
detractors.
To the same category belong those who cunningly foment
divisions and excite quarrels; who feel a malignant pleasure in sowing discord,
dissevering by fiction and falsehood the closest friendships and the dearest
social ties, impelling to endless hatred and deadly combat the fondest friends.
Of such pestilent characters the Lord expresses His detestation in these words:
Thou shalt not be a detractor nor a whisperer among the people. Of this
description were many of the advisers of Saul, who strove to alienate the
king's affection from David and to arouse his enmity against him.
This Commandment Forbids Flattery
Among the transgressors of this Commandment are to be
numbered those fawners and sycophants who, by flattery and insincere praise,
gain the hearing and good will of those whose favour, money, and honours they
seek, calling good evil, and evil good, as the Prophet says. Such characters
David admonishes us to repel and banish from our society. The just man, he
says, shall correct me in mercy, and shall reprove me; but let not the oil of
the sinner fatten my head. This class of persons do not, it is true, speak ill
of their neighbour; but they greatly injure him, since by praising his sins
they cause him to continue in vice to the end of his life.
Of this species of flattery the most pernicious is that
which proposes to itself for object the injury and the ruin of others. Thus
Saul, when he sought to expose David to the sword and fury of the Philistines,
in order to bring about his death, ad dressed him in these soothing words:
Behold my eldest daughter Merob, her will I give thee to wife: only be a
valiant man and fight the battles of the Lord. In the same way the Jews thus
insidiously addressed our Lord: Master, we know that thou art a true speaker,
and teachest the way of God in truth.
Still more pernicious is the language addressed sometimes
by friends and relations to a person suffering with a mortal disease, and on
the point of death, when they assure him that there is no danger of dying,
telling him to be of good spirits, dissuading him from confession, as though
the very thought should fill him with melancholy, and finally withdrawing his
attention from all care and thought of the dangers which beset him in the last
perilous hour.
This Commandment Forbids Lies Of All Kinds
In a word, lies of every sort are prohibited, especially
those that cause grave injury to anyone, while most impious of all is a lie
uttered against or regarding religion.
God is also grievously offended by those attacks and
slanders which are termed lampoons, and other defamatory publications of this
kind.
To deceive by a jocose or officious lie, even though it
helps or harms no one, is, notwithstanding, altogether unworthy; for thus the
Apostle admonishes us: Putting away lying, speak ye the truth. This practice
begets a strong tendency to frequent and serious lying, and from jocose lying
men contract the habit of lying, lose all reputation for truth, and ultimately
find it necessary, in order to gain belief, to have recourse to continual
swearing.
This Commandment Forbids Hypocrisy
Finally, the first part of this Commandment prohibits
dissimulation. It is sinful not only to speak, but to act deceitfully. Actions,
as well as words, are signs of what is in our mind; and hence our Lord,
rebuking the Pharisees, frequently calls them hypocrites. So, far with regard
to the negative, which is the first part of this Commandment.
Positive Part of this Commandment
Judges Must Pass Sentence According To Law And Justice
We now come to explain what the Lord commands in the
second part. Its nature and purpose require that trials be conducted on
principles of strict justice and according to law. It requires that no one
usurp judicial powers or authority, for, as the Apostle writes, it were unjust
to judge another man's servant.
Again it requires that no one pass sentence without a
sufficient knowledge of the case. This was the sin of the priests and scribes
who passed judgment on St. Stephen. The magistrates of Philippi furnish another
example. They have beaten us publicly, says the Apostle, uncondemned, men that
are Romans, and have cast us into prison; and now do they thrust us out
privately.
This Commandment also requires that the innocent be not
condemned, nor the guilty acquitted; and that (the decision) be not influenced
by money, or favour, hatred or love. For so Moses admonished the elders whom he
had constituted judges of the people: Judge that which is just, whether he be
one of your country or a stranger. There shall be no difference of persons, you
shall hear the little as well as the great; neither shall you respect any man's
person, because it is the judgment of God.
Witnesses Must Give Testimony Truthfully
With regard to an accused person who is conscious of his
own guilt, God commands him to confess the truth, if he is interrogated
judicially. By that confession he, in some sort, bears witness to, and
proclaims the praise and glory of God; and of this we have a proof in these
words of Josue, when exhorting Achan to confess the truth: My son, give glory
to the Lord the God of Israel.
But as this Commandment chiefly concerns witnesses, the
pastor should give them special attention. The spirit of the precept not only
prohibits false testimony, but also commands the truth to be told. In human
affairs, to bear testimony to the truth is a matter of the highest importance,
because there are innumerable things of which we must be ignorant unless we
arrive at a knowledge of them on the faith of witnesses. In matters with which
we are not personally acquainted and which we need to know, there is nothing so
important as true evidence. Hence the words of St. Augustine: He who conceals
the truth and he who utters falsehood are both guilty; the one, because he is
unwilling to render a service; the other, because he has the will to do an
injury.
We are not, however, at all times, obliged to disclose
the truth; but when, in a court of justice, a witness is legally interrogated
by the judge, he is emphatically bound to tell the whole truth. Here, however,
witnesses should be most circumspect, lest, trusting too much to memory, they
affirm for certain what they have not fully ascertained.
Lawyers And Plaintiffs Must Be Guided By Love Of Justice
Attorneys and counsel, plaintiffs and prosecutors, remain
still to be treated of. The two former should not refuse to contribute their
services and legal assistance, when the necessities of others call for their
aid. They should deal generously with the poor. They should not defend an
unjust cause, prolong lawsuits by trickery, nor encourage them for the sake of
gain. As to remuneration for their services and labours, let them be guided by
the principles of justice and of equity.
Plaintiffs and prosecutors, on their side, are to be
warned not to be led by the influence of love, or hatred, or any other undue
motive into exposing anyone to danger through unjust charges:
All Must Speak Truthfully And With Charity
To all conscientious persons is addressed the divine
command that in all their intercourse with society, in every conversation, they
should speak the truth at all times from the sincerity of their hearts; that
they should utter nothing injurious to the reputation of another, not even of
those by whom they know they have been injured and persecuted. For they should
always remember that between them and others there exists such a close social
bond that they are all members of the same body.
Inducements To Truthfulness
In order that the faithful may be more disposed to avoid
the vice of lying, the pastor should place before them the extreme lowness and
disgrace of this sin. In the Sacred Scriptures the devil is called the father
of lies; for as, he stood not in the truth, he is a liar and the father
thereof.
To banish so great a sin, (the pastor) should add the
mischievous consequences of lying; but since they are innumerable, he must be
content with pointing out the chief kinds of these evils and calamities.
In the first place, he should show how grievously lies
and deceit offend God and how deeply they are hated by God. This he should
prove from the words of Solomon: Six things there are which the Lord hateth,
and the seventh his soul detesteth: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that
shed innocent blood, a heart that deviseth wicked plots, feet that are swift to
run into mischief, a deceitful witness that uttereth lies, etc. Who, then, can
protect or save from severest chastisements the man who is thus the object of
God's special hate?
Again, what more wicked, what more base than, as St.
James says, with the same tongue, by which we bless God and the Father, to
curse men, who are made after the image and likeness of God, so that out of the
same fountain flows sweet and bitter water. The tongue, which was before
employed in giving praise and glory to God, afterwards, as far as it is able,
by lying treats Him with ignominy and dishonour. Hence liars are excluded from
a participation in the bliss of heaven. To David asking, Lord! who shall dwell
in thy tabernacle? the Holy Spirit answers: He that speaketh truth in his
heart, who hath not used deceit in his tongue.
Lying is also attended with this very great evil that it
is an almost incurable disease. For since the guilt of the calumniator cannot
be pardoned, unless satisfaction be made to the calumniated person, and since,
as we have already observed, this duty is difficult for those who are deterred
from its performance by false shame and a foolish idea of dignity, we cannot
doubt that he who continues in this sin is destined to the unending punishments
of hell. Let no one indulge the hope of obtaining the pardon of his calumnies
or detractions, until he has repaired the injury which they have inflicted on
the honour or fame of another, whether this was done in a court of justice, or
in private and familiar conversation.
But the evil consequences of lying are widespread and
extend to society at large. By duplicity and lying, good faith and truth, which
form the closest links of human society, are dissolved, confusion ensues, and
men seem to differ in nothing from demons.
How To Avoid Lying
The pastor should also teach that loquacity is to be
avoided. By avoiding loquacity other evils will be obviated, and a great
preventive opposed to lying, from which loquacious persons can scarcely
abstain.
Excuses for Lying Refuted
The Plea Of Prudence
There are those who seek to justify their duplicity
either by the unimportance of what they say, or by the example of the worldly
wise who, they claim, lie at the proper time. The pastor should correct such
erroneous ideas by answering what is most true, namely, that the wisdom of the
flesh is death. He should exhort his listeners in all their difficulties and
dangers to trust in God, not in the artifice of lying; for those who have
recourse to subterfuge, plainly show that they trust more to their own prudence
than to the providence of God.
The Plea Of Revenge
Those who lay the blame of their own falsehood on others,
who first deceived them by lies, are to be taught the unlawfulness of avenging
their own wrongs, and that evil is not to be rendered for evil, but rather that
evil is to be overcome by good. Even if it were lawful to return evil for evil,
it would not be to- our interest to harm ourselves in order to get revenge. The
man who seeks revenge by uttering falsehood inflicts very serious injury on
himself.
The Pleas Of Frailty, Habit, And Bad. Example
Those who plead human frailty are to be taught that it is
a duty of religion to implore the divine assistance, and not to yield to human
infirmity.
Those who excuse themselves by habit are to be admonished
to endeavour to acquire the contrary habit of speaking the truth; particularly
as those who sin habitually are more guilty than others.
There are some who adduce in their own justification the
example of others, who, they contend, constantly indulge in falsehood and
perjury. Such persons should be undeceived by reminding them that bad men are
not to be imitated, but reproved and corrected; and that, when we ourselves are
addicted to the same vice, our admonitions have less influence in reprehending
and correcting it in others.
The Pleas Of Convenience, Amusement, And Advantage
With regard to those who defend their conduct by saying
that to speak the truth is often attended with inconvenience, priests should
answer that (such an excuse) is an accusation, not a defence, since it is the
duty of a Christian to suffer any inconvenience rather than utter a falsehood.
There remain two other classes of persons who seek to
justify lying: those who say that they tell lies for the sake of amusement, and
those who plead motives of interest, claiming that without recourse to lies,
they can neither buy nor sell to advantage. The pastor should endeavour to
reform both these kinds of liars. He should correct the former by showing how
strong a habit of sinning is contracted by their practice, and by strongly
impressing upon them the truth that for every idle word they shall render an
account. As for the second class, he should upbraid them with greater severity,
because their very excuse is a most serious accusation against themselves,
since they show thereby that they yield no faith or confidence to these words
of God: Seek first the kingdom of God and his justice, and all these things
shall be added unto you.
THE NINTH AND TENTH COMMANDMENTS : "Thou shalt not
covet thy neighbour's house: neither shalt thou desire his wife, nor his
servant, nor his hand-maid, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is
his."
Importance Of Instruction On These Two Commandments
It is to be observed, in the first place, that these two
precepts, which were delivered last in order, furnish a general principle for
the observance of all the rest. What is commanded in these two amounts to this,
that if we wish to observe the preceding precepts of the law, we must be
particularly careful not to covet. For he who does not covet, being content
with what he has, will not desire what belongs to others, but will rejoice in their
prosperity, will give glory to the immortal God, will render Him boundless
thanks, and will observe the Sabbath, that is, will enjoy perpetual repose, and
will respect his superiors. In fine, he will injure no man in word or deed or
otherwise; for the root of all evil is concupiscence, which hurries its unhappy
victims into every species of crime and wickedness. Keeping these
considerations in mind, the pastor should be more diligent in explaining this
Commandment, and the faithful more ready to hear (his instruction).
Why These Two Commandments Are Explained Here Together
We have united these two Commandments because, since
their subject-matter is similar, they may be treated together. However, the
pastor may explain them either together or separately, according as he may deem
it more effective for his exhortations and admonitions. If, however, he has
undertaken the exposition of the Decalogue, he should point out in what these
two Commandments are dissimilar; how one covetousness differs from another -- a
difference noticed by St. Augustine, in his book of Questions on Exodus. The
one covetousness looks only to utility and interest, the other to unlawful
desire and criminal pleasure. He, for instance, who covets a field or house,
pursues profit rather than pleasure, while he who covets another man's wife
yields to a desire of pleasure, not of profit.
Necessity Of Promulgating These Two Commandments
The promulgation of these two Commandments was necessary
for two reasons. The first is to explain the sixth and seventh Commandments.
Reason alone shows that to prohibit adultery is also to prohibit the desire of
another man's wife, because, were the desire lawful, its indulgence must be so
too; nevertheless, many of the Jews, blinded by sin, could not be induced to
believe that such desires were prohibited by God. Nay, even after the Law had
been promulgated and become known, many who professed themselves its
interpreters, continued in the same error, as we learn from these words of our
Lord recorded in St. Matthew: You have heard that it was said to them of old:
"Thou shalt not commit adultery," but I say to you, etc.
The second reason (for the promulgation) of these two
Commandments is that they distinctly and in express terms prohibit some things
of which the sixth and seventh Commandments do not contain an explicit
prohibition. The seventh Commandment, for instance, forbids an unjust desire or
endeavour to take what belongs to another; but this Commandment further
prohibits even to covet it in any way, even though it could be acquired justly
and lawfully, if we foresee that by such acquisition our neighbour would suffer
some loss.
These Two Commandments Teach God's Love For Us And Our
Need Of Him
But before we come to the exposition of the Commandments,
the faithful are first to be informed that by this law we are taught not only
to restrain our inordinate desires, but also to know the boundless love of God
towards us.
By the preceding Commandments God had, as it were, fenced
us round with safeguards, securing us and ours against injury of every sort;
but by the addition of these two Commandments, He intended chiefly to provide
against the injuries which we might inflict on ourselves by the indulgence of
inordinate desires, as would easily happen were we at liberty to covet all
things indiscriminately. By this law then, which forbids to covet, God has
blunted in some degree the keenness of desire, which excites to every kind of
evil, so that by reason of His command these desires are to some extent
diminished, and we ourselves, freed from the annoying importunity of the
passions, are enabled to devote more time to the performance of the numerous
and important duties of piety and religion which we owe to God.
Nor is this the only lesson of instruction which we
derive from these Commandments. They also teach us that the divine law is to be
observed not only by the external performance of duties, but also by the
internal concurrence of the heart. Between divine and human laws, then, there
is this difference, that human laws are fulfilled by an external compliance
alone, whereas the laws of God, since He reads the heart, require purity of
heart, sincere and undefiled integrity of soul.
The law of God, therefore, is a sort of mirror, in which we
behold the corruption of our own nature; and hence these words of the Apostle:
I had not known concupiscence, if the law did not say: "Thou shalt not
covet." ' Concupiscence, which is the fuel of sin, and which originated in
sin, is always inherent in our fallen nature; from it we know that we are born
in sin, and, therefore, do we humbly fly for assistance to Him, who alone can
efface the stains of sin.
Two Parts Of These Commandments
In common with the other Commandments, however, these two
are partly mandatory, partly prohibitory.
Negative Part
"Thou Shalt Not Covet"
With regard to the prohibitory part, the pastor should
explain what sort of concupiscence is prohibited by this law, lest some may
think that which is not sinful to be sinful.
What Sort Of Concupiscence Is Not Forbidden
Such is the concupiscence of the spirit against the
flesh; Or that which David so earnestly desired, namely, to long after the
justifications of God at all times.
Concupiscence, then, is a certain commotion and impulse
of the soul, urging men to the desire of pleasures, which they do not actually
enjoy. As the other propensities of the soul are not always sinful, neither is
the impulse of concupiscence always vicious. It is not, for instance, sinful to
desire food and drink; when cold, to wish for warmth; when warm, to wish to
become cool. This lawful species of concupiscence was implanted in us by the
Author of nature; but in consequence of the sin of our first parents it passed
the limits prescribed by nature and became so depraved that it frequently
excites to the desire of those things which conflict with the spirit and
reason.
However, if well regulated, and kept within proper
bounds, it is often still the source of no slight advantage. In the first
place, it leads us to supplicate God continually, and humbly to beg of Him
those things which we most earnestly desire. Prayer is the interpreter of our
wishes; and if this lawful concupiscence did not exist within us, prayer would
be far less frequent in the Church of God. It also makes us esteem the gifts of
God more highly; for the more eagerly we desire anything, the dearer and more
pleasing will be its possession to us. Finally, the gratification which we
receive from the acquisition of the desired object increases the devotion of
our gratitude to God.
If then it is sometimes lawful to covet, it must be
conceded that not every species of concupiscence is forbidden. St. Paul, it is
true, says that concupiscence is sin; but his words are to be understood in the
same sense as those of Moses, whom he cites, as the Apostle himself declares
when, in his Epistle to the Galatians he calls it the concupiscence of the
flesh for he says: Walk in the -spirit, and you shall not fulfil the lusts of
the flesh.
Hence that natural, well-regulated concupiscence which
does not go beyond its proper limits, is not prohibited; still less do these
Commandments forbid that spiritual desire of the virtuous mind, which prompts
us to long for those things that war against the flesh, for the Sacred
Scriptures themselves exhort us to such a desire: Covet ye my words, Come over
to me all ye that desire me.
What Sort Of Concupiscence Is Here Prohibited
It is not, then, the mere power of desire, which can move
either to a good or a bad object that is prohibited by these Commandments; it
is the indulgence of evil desire, which is called the concupiscence of the
flesh, and the fuel of sin, and which when accompanied by the consent of the
will, is always sinful. Therefore only that covetousness is forbidden which the
Apostle calls the concupiscence of the flesh, that is to say, those motions of
desire which are contrary to the dictates of reason and outstep the limits
prescribed by God.
Two Kinds Of Sinful Concupiscence
This kind of covetousness is condemned, either because it
desires what is evil, such as adultery, drunkenness, murder, and such heinous
crimes, of which the Apostle says: Let us not covet evil things, as they also
coveted; or because, although the objects may not be bad in themselves, yet
there is some other reason which makes it wrong to desire them, as when, for
instance, God or His Church prohibit their possession; for it is not permitted
us to desire these things which it is altogether unlawful to possess. Such
were, in the Old Law, the gold and silver from which idols were made, and which
the Lord in Deuteronomy forbade anyone to covet
Another reason why this sort of vicious desire is
condemned is that it has for its object that which belongs to another, such as
a house, maid-servant, field, wife, ox, ass and many other things, all of which
the law of God forbids us to covet, simply because they belong to another. The
desire of such things, when consented to, is criminal, and is numbered among
the most grievous sins. For sin is committed the moment the soul, yielding to
the impulse of corrupt desires, is pleased with evil things, and either
consents to, or does not resist them, as St. James, pointing out the beginning
and progress of sin, teaches when he says: Every man is tempted by his own
concupiscence, being drawn away and allured; then, when concupiscence hath
conceived, it bringeth forth sin; but sin, when it is completed, begetteth
death.
When, therefore, the Law says: Thou shalt not covet, it
means that we are not to desire those things which belong to others. A thirst
for what belongs to others is intense and insatiable; for it is written: A
covetous man shall not be satisfied with money; and of such a one Isaias says:
Woe to you that join house to house, and lay field to field.
The Various Objects We Are Forbidden To Covet
But a distinct explanation of each of the words (in which
this Commandment is expressed) will make it easier to understand the deformity
and grievousness of this sin.
Thy Neighbour's House
The pastor, therefore, should teach that by the word
house is to be understood not only the habitation in which we dwell, but all
our property, as we know from the usage and custom of the sacred writers. Thus
when it is said in Exodus that the Lord built houses for the midwives, the
meaning is that He improved their condition and means.
From this interpretation, therefore, we perceive, that we
are forbidden to indulge an eager desire of riches, or to envy others their
wealth, or power, or rank; but, on the contrary, we are directed to be content
with our own condition, whether it be high or low. Furthermore, it is forbidden
to desire the glory of others since glory also is comprised under the word
house.
"Nor His Ox, Nor His Ass'
The words that follow, nor his ox, nor his ass, teach us
that not only is it unlawful to desire things of greater value, such as a
house, rank, glory, because they belong to others; but also things of little
value, whatever they may be, animate or inanimate.
"Nor His Servant
The words, nor his servant, come next, and include
captives as well as other slaves whom it is no more lawful to covet than the
other property of our neighbour. With regard to the free who serve voluntarily
either for wages, or out of affection or respect, it is unlawful, by words, or
hopes, or promises, or rewards to bribe or solicit them, under any pretext
whatever, to leave those to whose service they have freely engaged themselves;
nay more, if, before the period of their contract has expired, they leave their
employers, they are to be admonished, on the authority of this Commandment, to
return to them by all means.
"Thy Neighbour's"
The word neighbour is mentioned in this Commandment to
mark the wickedness of those who habitually covet the lands, houses and the
like, which lie in their immediate vicinity; for neighbourhood, which should
make for friendship, is transformed by covetousness from a source of love into
a cause of hatred.
Goods For Sale Not Included Under This Prohibition
But this Commandment is by no means transgressed by those
who desire to purchase or have actually purchased, at a fair price, from a
neighbour, the goods which he has for sale. Instead of doing him an injury,
they, on the contrary, very much assist their neighbour, because to him the
money will be much more convenient and useful than the goods he sells.
"His Wife"
The Commandment which forbids us to covet the goods of
our neighbour, is followed by another, which forbids us to covet our
neighbour's wife -- a law that prohibits not only the adulterer's criminal
desire of his neighbour's wife, but even the wish to marry her. For of old when
a bill of divorce was permitted, it might easily happen, that she who was put
away by one husband might be married to another. But the Lord forbade the
desire of another's wife lest husbands might be induced to abandon their wives,
or wives conduct themselves with such bad temper towards their husbands as to
make it necessary to send them away.
But now this sin is more grievous because the wife,
although separated from her husband, cannot be taken in marriage by another
until the husband's death. He, therefore, who covets another man's wife will
easily fall from this into another desire, for he will wish either the death of
the husband or the commission of adultery.
The same principle holds good with regard to women who
have been betrothed to another. To covet them is also unlawful; and whoever
strives to break their engagement violates one of the most holy of promises.
And if to covet the wedded wife of another is entirely
unlawful, it is on no account right to desire in- marriage the virgin who is
consecrated to religion and to the service of God. But should anyone desire in
marriage a married woman whom he thinks to be single, and whom he would not
wish to marry if he knew she had a husband living, certainly he does not
violate this Commandment. Pharaoh and Abimelech, as the Scripture informs us,
were betrayed into this error; they wished to marry Sarah, supposing her to be
unmarried, and to be the sister, not the wife of Abraham.
Positive Part
Detachment From Riches Enjoined
In order to make known the remedies calculated to
overcome the vice of covetousness, the pastor should explain the positive part
of the Commandment, which consists in this, that if riches abound, we set not
our hearts upon them, that we be prepared to sacrifice them for the sake of
piety and religion, that we contribute cheerfully towards the relief of the poor,
and that, if we ourselves are poor, we bear our poverty with patience and joy.
And, indeed, if we are generous with our own goods, we shall extinguish (in our
own hearts) the desire of what belongs to another.
Concerning the praises of poverty and the contempt of
riches, the pastor will find little difficulty in collecting abundant matter
for the instruction of the faithful from the Sacred Scriptures and the works of
the Fathers.
The Desire Of Heavenly And Spiritual Things Enjoined
Likewise this Commandment requires us to desire, with all
the ardour and all the earnestness of our souls, the consummation, not of our
own wishes, but of the holy will of God, as it is expressed in the Lord's
Prayer. Now it is His will that we be made eminent in holiness; that we
preserve our souls pure and undefiled; that we practice those duties of mind
and spirit which are opposed to sensuality; that we subdue our unruly
appetites, and enter, under the guidance of reason and of the spirit, upon a
virtuous course of life; and finally that we hold under restraint those senses
in particular which supply matter to the passions.
Thoughts which Help one to Keep these Commandments
In order to extinguish the fire of passion, it will be
found most efficacious to place before our eyes the evil consequences of its
indulgence.
Among those evils the first is that by obedience to the
impulse of passion, sin gains uncontrolled sway over the soul; hence the
Apostle warns us: Let not sin, therefore, reign in your mortal body, so as to
obey the lusts thereof. Just as resistance to the passions destroys the power
of sin, so indulgence of the passions expels God from His kingdom and
introduces sin in His place.
Again, concupiscence, as St. James teaches, is the source
from which flows very sin. Likewise
A third evil of sensuality is that it darkens the
understanding. Blinded by passion man comes to regard whatever he desires as
lawful and even laudable.
Finally, concupiscence stifles the seed of the divine
word, sown in our souls by God, the great husband man. Some, it is written in
St. Mark, are sown among thorns; these are they who hear the word, and the
cares of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lust after other
things, entering in, choke the word, and it is made fruitless.
Chief Ways in which These two Commandments are Violated
They who, more than others, are the slaves of
concupiscence, the pastor should exhort with greater earnestness to observe
this Commandment. Such are the following: those who are addicted to improper
amusements, or who are immoderately given to recreation; merchants, who wish
for scarcity, and who cannot bear that other buyers or sellers hinder them from
selling at a higher or buying at a lower rate; those who wish to see their
neighbour reduced to want in order that they themselves may profit in buying or
selling; soldiers who thirst for war, in order to enrich themselves with
plunder; physicians, who wish for the spread of disease; lawyers, who are
anxious for a great number of-cases and litigations; and artisans who, through
greed for gain, wish for a scarcity of the necessaries of life in order that
they may increase their profits.
They too, sin gravely against this Commandment, who,
because they are envious of the praise and glory won by others, strive to
tarnish in some degree their fame, particularly if they themselves are idle and
worthless characters; for fame and glory are the reward of virtue and industry,
not of indolence and laziness.