The 9th and 10th commandments forbid us from coveting another’s spouse, or the property of another. A common fault which leads to this sin is envy of another’s good or jealousy of our own. These disordered passions can lead us to become sad or angry and can give rise to hatred of individuals and division within a community.

These faults, like all sin and evil, are irrational. They stem from a desire for what will in fact do us harm spiritually and often materially, and from a failure to cherish the gifts that the Father has given to each of us, and the grace that He has won for us by the redeeming death of His Son.

The remedy for such faults is to give thanks for all the blessings that God has given to us and to those that we know. In the Mass, we offer thanksgiving to the Father through Christ Our Lord and recognise that it is right and just to do so.

A good example may be found in the great saints of 16th century Europe who knew each other and rejoiced in the rich variety of different blessings that God gave through them to the Church as priests, religious, missionaries, experts in prayer and leaven in society.