Chapter
21

#7: You Shall Not Steal

In This Chapter

Exploring everything from material stealing to economic justice

How the care of creation fits into this commandment

Working toward just wages for all

Understanding commitment to the poor

Here we are at the seventh commandment, the one against stealing. As you will soon see in this chapter, the prohibitions spelled out in this commandment go way beyond stealing. This commandment isn’t simply about not doing bad things, it’s about actively doing good things, too.

In the coming pages, we are going to explore how the seventh commandment, while it does directly forbid taking material things that aren’t yours, is just as much a call to justice and charity. (2401)

In the New Testament, we hear the story of Zacchaeus, the wealthy tax collector who seeks out Jesus. People are astounded when Jesus asks to stay at Zacchaeus’ house. Remember, tax collectors were considered corrupt extortionists and collaborators with the Roman occupiers, and were therefore a universally hated group. But Zacchaeus, we are told, said to Jesus:

“Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over. And Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house because this man, too, is a descendant of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost.’” (Luke 19:8–10)

Here we see that not stealing is simply not enough. Amends must be made for wrongs committed, and generosity and justice must become the heart of this law.

Private Property, Public Promises

You shall not steal. (Exodus 20:15)

We begin our discussion of this commandment with a basic understanding of Church teaching on “common stewardship” of the earth. Remember, in the beginning, God created the earth and its resources for the good of humankind, and entrusted humans to care for his creation and to share it among themselves. After the fall from grace, the division of property and goods was seen as not only predictable but even necessary to ensure the freedom and dignity of all people. (2402)

Church Speak

Stewardship in the biblical or Church sense means to care for and preserve what you have been given. For Christians, that means caring for the earth’s resources, for their neighbors, and for their communities, including their Church. In their parishes, Catholics often hear stewardship broken down into three methods of giving: time, talent, and treasure. This means they not only give monetary donations (treasure) but also serve the Church as a volunteer (time) and share their God-given gifts and abilities (talent).

People have a right to own private property as long as it has been “acquired or received in a just way.” However, the rights of all people to have life’s basic needs met—food, clothing, shelter, medical care—must always come first, sometimes trumping the right to private property. The Church teaches that God created the earth and its resources for all people, so all people must have access to the things that give life basic dignity. This principle is known as the “universal destination of goods.” (2403)

The seventh commandment brings us back to a couple of key virtues explained in the Catechism. Temperance in economic matters is crucial in the quest for human dignity. This means you can’t be too attached to your material possessions. Justice is necessary to ensure that your neighbor has his needs met and gets “his due,” and solidarity needs to be practiced, because by treating others as we want to be treated, we come to understand, respect, and love those who have less than us and who need not only our material assistance but our spiritual companionship. (2407)

Okay, so we’ve been talking a lot about rights and justice and charity, but what about stealing? Isn’t that what this commandment is about? The answer is yes. The seventh commandment absolutely says that you cannot take anything that does not belong to you. Not only that, but you can’t keep things you’ve borrowed, pay unjust wages to your workers, defraud your place of business, or take advantage of another person who might be willing to drastically overpay for something out of ignorance or desperation. (2409)

The Catechism makes it clear that any promises you make, you must keep, and any contracts you sign, you must fulfill, as long as there’s nothing immoral going on. If you take something that isn’t yours, you need to make restitution. Remember Zacchaeus from earlier in this chapter? He said he would pay back fourfold anything he took unjustly. (2410–2412)

The seventh commandment isn’t just about taking things unjustly but also about taking or using people unjustly. That means any action that leads to a kind of enslavement is “a sin against the dignity of persons.” (2414)

Teachable Moment

The Church teaches that games of chance are not “contrary to justice” in and of themselves. Moral issues arise, however, when someone reaches a point where he starts using money needed for his basic needs or the needs of his family to pay for a gambling habit. The Catechism says that a “passion for gambling” can become “enslavement.” (2413)

Care for Creation

It may come as a surprise that this commandment also covers environmental issues and caring for the natural world. It goes back to God’s entrusting us as stewards of his creation. That means we are not only obliged to treat others and their belongings with respect, but we are also called to treat animals and all of creation with respect and dignity. “Use of the mineral, vegetable, and animal resources of the universe cannot be divorced from respect for moral imperatives,” the Catechism explains. This means that while we are stewards of creation, we are not absolute masters—that’s God’s domain. It’s our job to make sure we protect and preserve God’s creation not only for ourselves and our neighbors but for our children and their children. (2415)

Animals are especially deserving of respect and kindness because they are “God’s creatures” and are surrounded by his “providential care.” The Catechism explains that because God gave animals to humankind, it is “legitimate” to use them for food, clothing, work, and as domesticated pets. It is even acceptable to use them for medical or scientific research if it “contributes to caring for or saving human lives.” (2416–2417)

It is not acceptable, however, to cause animals to suffer or to “die needlessly.” It’s also not okay to spend exorbitant amounts of money on your animals when that money could be better spent to alleviate human suffering. “One can love animals; one should not direct to them the affection due only to persons,” the Catechism says. (2418)

Teachable Moment

St. Francis of Assisi is well known for his love of animals and all of God’s creation. Born into a wealthy family around 1181 in Assisi, Italy, Francis gave up all of his worldly belongings to follow Christ, preach the Gospel, and care for others. He founded the Franciscan Order and died in Assisi on Oct. 3, 1226. His feast day is celebrated on Oct. 4, a day on which many Catholic parishes hold a “blessing of the animals.”

Economic Justice

The Church’s “social doctrine,” or its teaching on human dignity as it is affected by economic and social issues, is rooted in the Gospel. When the Church makes a statement about economic and social matters—such as in the papal encyclicals Rerum Novarum (Condition of Labour) and Centesimus Annus (marking the one hundredth anniversary of Rerum Novarum)—it does so based on its understanding of justice as it has been revealed in Jesus Christ. The Church does not cater to or base its teachings on whatever the most popular political philosophies of the day may be. For example, modern-day popes have been known to speak out against both the evils of communism and excesses of capitalism.

Any political system that puts economic factors above human beings is opposed to the Church’s social doctrine. The Church rejects totalitarian and atheistic ideologies as well as the communist or socialist regimes that result from those ideologies. The Church also does not give blanket approval to capitalism, saying that “individualism and the absolute primacy of the law of the marketplace over human labor” puts profit before people and leaves many human needs unmet and not addressed by the “marketplace.” (2425)

Right to Work

Although many of us look at work as something to avoid or, at the very least, tolerate, the Church tells us something else. For people called by God to be stewards of creation, work is a right and a “duty,” something that enables us to contribute to the work of creation and to honor our creator.

“Everyone should be able to draw from work the means of providing for his life and that of his family, and of serving the human community,” the Catechism explains. (2428)

All people also have the “right of economic initiative,” meaning we have a right to earn a living and use our talents to contribute to the common good. The Church also teaches that all people must have “access to employment” without discrimination based on gender, race, or disabilities. Society, the Catechism says, should help people find employment. (2429–2433)

Teachable Moment

The Church teaches that the state has a responsibility to provide a secure environment with a stable currency and adequate public services so that workers can enjoy the “fruits of their labors.” It is also up to the state—following the initiative of individuals and the groups and association that make up society—to ensure that human rights within the workplace are upheld.

Just Wage

According to Church teaching, it is a “grave injustice” to refuse a just wage to a worker. Gadium et Spes states that a just wage should enable a worker to provide a “dignified livelihood for herself and her family on the material, social, cultural, and spiritual level, taking into account the role and productivity of each, the state of the business, and the common good.” Just because a worker agrees to accept a low wage does not make it morally justifiable. (2434)

Although management might not want to hear it, the Church teaches that the right of workers to strike is “morally legitimate” when it is absolutely necessary to achieve “proportionate benefit.” Striking that includes violence or an effort to gain benefits unrelated to working conditions, however, is not acceptable. (2435)

Finally, the Church calls unemployment a condition that “wounds” the dignity of a person and “threatens the equilibrium of his life” and that of his family. (2436)

Worldwide Solidarity

Now we take this concept of economic justice to an international level, where it is obvious that tremendous gaps exist in the economic conditions of various populations. Remembering the spirit of the seventh commandment, the Church teaches that there “must be solidarity among nations” in an effort to bring resources to struggling nations and to help balance the global economic scales. (2437–2438)

“Rich nations have a grave moral responsibility toward those which are unable to ensure the means of their development by themselves or have been prevented from doing so by tragic historical events,” the Catechism explains. (2439)

While it is “appropriate” for wealthy countries to provide “direct aid” in cases of natural disasters, epidemics, or other catastrophic events, that is not enough to “provide a lasting solution.” Efforts to reform international economic policies and institutions are needed for long-term improvement in struggling nations. (2440)

As it turns out, money and reform are not enough. You’ve got to have God in order to have the “full development of human society,” the Catechism explains. When people have an increased sense of God and an increased sense of themselves, they are more likely to help others, work to reduce poverty, and respect others, regardless of cultural background. (2441)

All lay Christians are called to work on “concrete” efforts to improve the common good, relying on the Gospel and Church teaching to animate life in this world with Christian commitment, and in this, to show themselves to be agents of peace and justice. (2442)

Loving the Poor

Jesus, who was born in poverty, preached about the need to love the poor and provide for the poor. Viewed in light of the Gospel, the seventh commandment challenges believers to care for those who are hungry, naked, and lonely in real and practical ways. The Church even goes so far as to say that one of the “motives” for the right and duty to work is so that those who work can give to those who are in need. (2443–2444)

The Church lays out the works of mercy to guide the faithful in caring for their suffering brothers and sisters. The spiritual works of mercy include instructing, advising, consoling, comforting, forgiving, and bearing wrongs patiently. The corporal works of mercy include feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned, and burying the dead. Above all of these, however, the Church lists giving donations to the poor as one of the “chief witnesses” of charity and justice. (2447)

Church Speak

Preferential love for the poor (sometimes called preferential option for the poor) refers to the Church’s unceasing efforts, “since her origin and in spite of the failings of many of her members,” to serve the poor through various charitable programs. This work has its foundation in the teachings of Jesus Christ, who identified with the poorest of the poor. (2448)

The Least You Need to Know

The seventh commandment prohibits stealing, cheating, fraud, enslavement of others, unjust business practices, and taking advantage of the hardships of others.

Justice and charity—actively doing good—are also components of the seventh commandment.

As stewards of God’s earth, humans are called to show respect to all of creation, particularly animals.

Every person has a right and duty to work and deserves access to employment with a just wage and without discrimination.

Rich nations have an obligation to assist poorer nations with direct aid during catastrophic events and through international economic reforms for long-term improvement.

Christians are called to love the poor as Jesus did, assisting them through the spiritual and corporal works of mercy, but above all, giving donations as a sign of charity and justice.