17 You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. (Exodus 20:17)
Jesus in Matthew 5:28: “everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” To covet another person’s husband or wife means to entertain impure thoughts about that man or woman. Even if one does not act on such thoughts but simply considers them for one’s private pleasure, that is a violation of the Ninth Commandment. If such thoughts come to you involuntarily and you try to put them out of your mind, however, that is not a sin.
The Ninth Commandment can be seen as an extension of the Sixth. Where the emphasis in the Sixth Commandment is on physical activity, the emphasis in the Ninth Commandment is on spiritual desire.
Pop-Up Catechesis: The Ninth Commandment (3:00)
Destructive Power: The 9th Commandment (10:25)
Here are the Catholic Ten Commandments:
- I am the LORD your God. You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve.
- You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
- Remember to keep holy the Sabbath day.
- Honor your father and your mother.
- You shall not kill.
- You shall not commit adultery.
- You shall not steal.
- You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
- You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife.
- You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods.
