COMMANDMENTSSEVENEIGHT&TEN

• The Seventh Commandment – You shall not steal

• This commandment forbids taking something that rightfully belongs to another

• Respect for a person includes respecting their possessions

• The seventh commandment also tells us to:

- Keep promises- Honor contracts- Pay fair wages- Not damage property- Make restitution (repair what you damage)- Do a good job in your work- Not cheat - Not plagiarize (stealing intellectual property)

• Political authorities have a responsibility to promote the common good

• Respect for the poor - Jesus instructed His followers in the Works of Mercy. These are charitable actions by which we come to the aid of our neighbors

• The Works of Mercy allow us to love God’s people through our actions, giving of ourselves instead of always taking

• The Corporal Works of Mercy – help with physical needs:

- Feed the hungry and drink to the thirsty- Shelter the homeless- Clothe the naked- Visit the sick and imprisoned- Give alms (donations) to the poor- Bury the dead with dignity

• The Spiritual Works of Mercy allow us to help others with emotional and spiritual needs:

- Admonish (warn) sinner- Counsel the doubtful- Comfort the sorrowful- Forgive all injuries- Bear wrongs patiently- Pray for the living and the dead

• The Tenth Commandment: You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods

• The tenth commandment expands on the lessons of the seventh

• The tenth commandment forbids greed and the desire to amass earthly goods without limit

• This commandment requires us to banish envy from our hearts

• The Eighth Commandment: You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor

• Sins against the eighth commandment include:

- outright lying- “stretching” or twisting the truth- detraction – making comments that damage a person’s reputation- slander – accusing an innocent person of wrongdoing- rash judgment – making a judgment about a person’s character before you know all the facts

- disparaging comments – putting a person down, as though they are beneath human dignity

- hypocrisy- “phony” behavior; showing yourself to be of moral character, but behaving in a way that goes against these traits

- duplicity – dishonest behavior that is meant to trick another person

- gossip – discussing someone else’s business

- concealing the truth when doing so will cause harm

• The eighth commandment requires respect for the truth

- There are times we must respect the privacy of others

- information that is confidential must be kept

- However, when there is danger to the safety of another, or for the good of the community, we may be obliged to reveal the truth to proper authorities

• The Seal of Confession is the absolute duty of priests not to disclose anything they learn from a person during the sacrament of Reconciliation

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