Sermon Archive

No Stealing

Fr. Mead | Festal Evensong
Sunday, April 07, 2013 @ 04:00 pm
The Second Sunday Of Easter

The Second Sunday Of Easter


Almighty and everlasting God, who in the Paschal mystery hast established the new covenant of reconciliation: Grant that all who have been reborn into the fellowship of Christ's Body may show forth in their lives what they profess by their faith; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

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Scripture citation(s): Exodus 20:15; Deuteronomy 5:19

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In the Name of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost. Amen.

Thou shalt not steal, says the Eighth Commandment. Let’s begin with a graphic description from the old 1928 Book of Common Prayer. In the Offices of Instruction as well as in the Catechism of that book, we are told that high among my duties towards my neighbor is “to keep my hands from picking and stealing”; and then, more positively, “to be true and just in all my dealings.”[1]

In the current Prayer Book of 1979, the Catechism says the Eighth Commandment means “to be honest and fair in all our dealings; to seek justice, freedom and the necessities of life for all people; and to use our talents and possessions as ones who must answer for them to God.”[2] This imperative to do justice is deeply biblical, based on the prophets of ancient Israel. There are too many passages to cite, but let this word from Saint Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians suffice for us. “Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.” (Ephesians 4:28)

The Eighth Commandment is a Word of Life about our relationship to the goods of this world. In creation God entrusts the whole earth and its resources to man’s care and stewardship. The human race is to live off, but not to waste or abuse, the abundance of the earth. The Commandment also implies rights and responsibilities regarding personal or private property acquired by work or received in an exchange or as a gift or inheritance. The earth is divided up in this subordinate way, subject to the laws of communities and states, to assure security from violence and poverty. Communities and laws are involved to support and honor contracts and associated laws of property. The virtues of justice and temperance – moderation or right proportion – have to do with these matters.

There are many forms of stealing: the unjust seizure of others’ property or goods; the deliberate retention of goods lent or objects lost by others; business fraud, as in paying unjust wages, charging usurious interest rates, or price-gouging by taking advantage of hardship or ignorance. Our recent Great Recession brought to light stealing in high institutional style: manipulative speculation and corrupt influencing of business or financial decisions. But theft can occur all down the line: work poorly done, cheating on company time, tax evasion, appropriation of public or corporate goods for private use, forgery of checks or invoices, excessive expense and waste, vandalism and willful damage to property, neglect of debts or other financial obligations.

Jesus commended the rich tax collector Zacchaeus in the Gospel when he restored fourfold any he had defrauded. Zacchaeus made reparations, to which Jesus responded, “Salvation has come to this house, for he too is a son of Abraham.” (Lk 19:1-10)

Gambling can be a form of theft, for such risk by the head of a family may rob dependents of security. Cheating at games steals fair play. Baseball players have ruined their reputations by gambling and cheating, from the Black Sox Scandal of a century ago to the steroid scandals which never seem to end. But cheating may start at a card game, a backyard croquet match or on the golf course.

Rape of the environment is a violation of the sacred trust given by God to man in creation and the gift to all of the public domain of natural wonders, from the mountains to the oceans to the kingdom of wild animals. It is not only theft but contrary to human dignity to destroy the environment or to cause needless suffering or death to animals. Endangered species are killed, and mankind is robbed of the earth with its store of wonders untold.

Economic and political ideologies which subjugate human dignity to “profits” or to “collective organization of production” constitute grand theft stemming from the idolatry of money, goods and power. Neither the communistic state nor the marketplace can replace God, and when they are made to be almighty, they become devouring idols, actually apocalyptic monsters, which destroy the image of God in human beings. Work is for man, not man for work.[3]

Covetousness is at the root of much stealing – the root of greed in our hearts. Our Lord regards covetousness as one of the biggest disturbers of human peace with God and with our fellow man. “Beware of all covetousness,” said Jesus. The love of money is the root of many if not all evils. Generosity is the tonic, the antidote and medicine, for greed. Alms-giving is a splendid habit for all to develop, especially those of us tempted to greediness who need to keep our hands from picking and stealing. An open hand to the poor, rather than a tight fist for myself, is what the Lord wants from us.

Someone asked Jesus to divide an inheritance between him and his brother. The Lord refused, saying, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” And he told this parable.

“The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich towards God.” (Lk 12:13-21)

The Commandment and the Parable are Words of Life. Let the greedy bless the Lord! Let them open their hands and give to the poor. Let the grabby or the stingy do justice, love mercy and kindness, and walk humbly with the living God.

In the Name of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost. Amen.

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[1]Catechism and Offices of Instruction, The Book of Common Prayer, 1928, p. 580, p. 289.

[2] Catechism, The Book of Common Prayer, 1979, p. 848.

[3] The Catechism of the Catholic Church. pp. 577-589, inspired this and the previous five paragraphs.