The tenth commandment finishes the thought of the ninth commandment. The commandment looks at our heart condition of watching a neighbor bask in the glow of something we have decided we are entitled to or could make better use of. At the heart of this commandment is envy. We are sad or angry to see another with property, relationships, and perhaps even spiritual gifts from God that we would like to have. We begrudge a person their fortunate circumstances and spend time and energy scheming or even to go so far as to act on these desires and commit the sin of theft.
These last commandments remind us of our thought life and why Jesus told us in the Gospel that if you even look on a woman with desire, you have committed adultery. Our human minds can be so dangerous when we let the desires of our hearts fuel them. Jesus understood what the human being is capable of. Sin is born in the heart when our eyes capture something. Sin is brought forth when the mind has decided that it needs something that used to only be a desire. Desires can be dismissed, but a desire that is not dismissed will eventually lead to an actual sin.
Covetousness has led to the majority of human suffering. War begins by coveting more land and resources...families break up when a spouse covets another...stealing is from the desires of the heart. Jesus summed up the ten commandments in the Luke's Gospel with two commands. Love God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind...and love one another as yourself. If you follow these two commands, you cannot sin. Sometimes we do not think highly or love ourselves...but even in these moments, we always find a way to take care of #1. If everyone were as high of a priority as we are to ourselves, we are close to that beatific vision.
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