Video Transcript
Edmund: The youngest age children show signs of understanding the concept of “sharing” is around three years old. But sharing can be hard for kids of all ages.
Emily: Yeah, I feel like we’ve all heard a kid or two yell “mine!” when they are interacting with other children or adults and declaring ownership of something. It’s only natural, after all, for us to want to keep what is ours. But sometimes we don’t always do this very well. And maybe at a young age, you learned about the Seventh Commandment, “You shall not steal.” It’s one of those Commandments that’s also reflected in our civil law.
Edmund: But this concept of ownership is actually rather complicated. The world is full of gifts created by God for us to enjoy, and as we grow and develop we learn that they’re not just there for the taking. Preschoolers tend to take things they like if they don’t think anyone is looking, but beginning around age 6 or 7, children begin understanding that there are certain rules that should govern behavior even when no one is around.
Emily: This idea of ownership requires us to trust, respect, and extend charity toward others. God reveals in the Seventh Commandment that this mutual agreement to respect the right to own property – God’s created goods – is required if we are to live in relationship with one another.
Edmund: Well, really God is the one who owns everything He created…
Emily: Exactly. God created us, and He created the world and everything in it as a gift to all humankind. All of us have a right to use the gifts of God’s creation in order to have our legitimate needs met.
Edmund: It’s important to keep this ultimate purpose, or destination, of creation in mind as we think about this Commandment and how we relate to people and things. The Catechism says in paragraph 2451 “The Seventh Commandment enjoins the practice of justice and charity in the administration of earthly goods and the fruits of men’s labor.”
Emily: Answering Jesus’ call to love one another as He has loved us is NOT easy. Even if you’ve never been tempted to steal something outright, God reveals in the Seventh Commandment and the Tenth Commandment how we can live out this call to respect creation and God’s purpose for it.
Edmund: The Seventh commandment forbids theft. And in the Tenth Commandment, God speaks about our heart’s disposition toward creation and others’ property. The Tenth Commandment might be lesser known and understood. God says “You shall not covet.”
Emily: We’re created with a desire to enjoy and appreciate God’s creation. But this desire can be corrupted by sin. When our desire for goods becomes disordered, we can become greedy, envious, and tempted to misuse the goods of creation or of our neighbor out of selfishness.
Edmund: Jesus spoke about dependence on God in a very powerful way. He said to His disciples “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life and what you will eat, or about your body and what you will wear. For life is more than food and the body more than clothing.” He went on to say, “All the nations of the world seek for these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek his kingdom, and these other things will be given you besides.” And Jesus went on to emphasize that, “For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.”
Emily: We shouldn’t become so focused on creation that we forget the Creator. When we don’t honor the true purpose of goods as a common gift from God meant for all people to use to meet their needs, we’re putting things above God.
Edmund: We are called to pursue God with the freedom of an undivided heart. Remember that the first three Commandments require us to put God above all things. This means also that we need to remember OUR purpose. We are created to share in God’s life and love for all eternity in heaven.
Emily: The Seventh and Tenth commandments call us to respect creation as a common good. And Jesus invites us to grow in poverty of heart with the help of His grace.
Edmund: This attitude of our heart is a detachment from riches, and Jesus speaks strongly about the importance of this attitude in order to enter the kingdom of heaven. This also means we are called to trust that God will provide for our needs.
Emily: Jesus wants us to see creation as a gift that brings us closer to God. The things or money we possess shouldn’t take our focus away from God and away from the charity, justice, and generosity we’re called to show our neighbors. Creation is not an end in itself but is meant to orient us toward God and give us opportunities to practice charity toward our neighbors.
Edmund: We are called to love one another as Jesus has loved us. This means that we trust each other to use God’s creation for the good intended by God. This also means that we should have an undivided heart, not giving in to envy or greed, and respecting the rights of others to use God’s creation for their needs. We should treat created things as a gift from God and respect with a pure heart how God distributes His gifts.
