508. What is forbidden by the seventh commandment? (part 3 continuation)
(Comp 508 repetition) Above all, the seventh commandment forbids theft, which is the taking or
using of another’s property against the reasonable will of the owner. This can
be done also by paying unjust wages; by speculation on the value of goods in
order to gain an advantage to the detriment of others; or by the forgery of
checks or invoices. Also forbidden is tax evasion or business fraud; willfully
damaging private or public property; usury; corruption; the private abuse of
common goods; work deliberately done poorly; and waste.
“In brief”
(CCC 2455) The moral law forbids acts which, for commercial
or totalitarian purposes, lead to the enslavement of human beings, or to their
being bought, sold or exchanged like merchandise
To deepen and
explain
(CCC 2412) In virtue of commutative justice, reparation for injustice committed
requires the restitution of stolen goods to their owner: Jesus blesses
Zacchaeus for his pledge: "If I have defrauded anyone of anything, I
restore it fourfold" (Lk 19:8). Those who, directly or indirectly, have
taken possession of the goods of another, are obliged to make restitution of
them, or to return the equivalent in kind or in money, if the goods have
disappeared, as well as the profit or advantages their owner would have
legitimately obtained from them. Likewise, all who in some manner have taken
part in a theft or who have knowingly benefited from it - for example, those
who ordered it, assisted in it, or received the stolen goods - are obliged to
make restitution in proportion to their responsibility and to their share of
what was stolen.
Reflection
(CCC 2413) Games of
chance (card games, etc.) or wagers
are not in themselves contrary to justice. They become morally unacceptable
when they deprive someone of what is necessary to provide for his needs and
those of others. The passion for gambling risks becoming an enslavement. Unfair
wagers and cheating at games constitute grave matter, unless the damage
inflicted is so slight that the one who suffers it cannot reasonably consider
it significant. [END]
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