A New World Economy

Greetings, Sisters, Brothers, and Friends of the Community,

I pray that this note finds you all well,

Sunday’s lectionary reading included a review of the Ten Commandments. (Exodus 20:1-17). These statues from God were intended to begin to put into words the love and compassion that would ultimately be fulfilled in the life of Christ. They have produced volumes of commentary over the years, and one could easily spend a lifetime of discussion on them. My thought today, however, is shorter than that, and focuses on verse 17: “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or male or female servant, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

Anyone looking for a reason why we are in the middle of a global financial meltdown? This may be the root cause.

I found this reflection written by William Law, an Anglican priest, in the early 1700s:

“If you should see a man that had a large pond of water, yet living in continual thirst, not allowing himself to even drink half a cup for fear of lessening this pond, if you should see him wasting his time and strength in fetching more water to his hand, watching early and late to catch the drops of rain, gaping after every cloud and running greedily into every mire and mud in hopes of finding water and always studying how to make every ditch empty itself into his pond; if you should see him grow gray and old in this anxious labors and at last end a careful, thirsty life by falling into his own pond, would you not say that such a one was not only the author of all his own disquiets, but was foolish enough to be reckoned among idiots and madmen? But yet foolish and absurd as this character is, it does not represent half the follies and absurd disquiets of the covetous person.”

The commandments not to covet are designed to protect us as much as they are to protect our neighbor. Covetousness is a product of a dysfunctional ego. It is based on fear. It goes against the economic equity principles of Christ: If you have two coats, give one to him who has none. This may be a good principle for a new world economy.

Walk with God this coming week!

Br. Daniel-Joseph, CTG