“The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.”
Psalm 24:1

I. Biblical Foundations: God as the Giver, Creation as a Common Gift

The Seventh Commandment, “You shall not steal” (Exodus 20:15; Deuteronomy 5:19), is far more than a prohibition against unlawful taking. It is a positive affirmation of the sacredness of every person’s right to sustenance, dignity, and community. At its root is a profound theological truth: all creation belongs first to God. The goods of the earth are entrusted to humanity not for hoarding, but for stewardship.

In the Old Testament, this commandment forms part of the covenantal ethics through which Israel was to become a holy nation. The prohibition against theft is integrally tied to God’s desire for a just society. The prophets railed against those who oppressed the poor by seizing their lands and livelihoods (cf. Micah 2:2; Amos 5:11). Isaiah rebukes unjust economic systems that “add house to house and join field to field till no space is left” (Isaiah 5:8). For the people of God, theft is not only an individual sin— it is also a structural sin.

The Sabbath laws and Jubilee instructions in Leviticus 25 offer further insight: God institutes rest, debt forgiveness, and the return of land as a way to prevent economic exploitation. Ownership, from a biblical standpoint, is never absolute; it is always relational, communal, and provisional.

Jesus deepens this commandment in the New Testament. In the Sermon on the Mount, He blesses the poor (Luke 6:20) and warns against greed (Luke 12:15). He tells the rich young man to sell his possessions and give to the poor if he wants to enter life (Matthew 19:21). In the parable of the sheep and goats (Matthew 25), He identifies Himself with the hungry, the naked, the imprisoned— the victims of a world where theft often goes unrecognized because it wears the mask of indifference or inequality.

To steal, therefore, is to act as if God is not the true Owner of all; it is to deny our shared humanity and our duty of care for others. This commandment teaches not merely the avoidance of sin, but the call to restorative justice.

II. A Vincentian Reflection: Theft as Indifference to the Poor

Saint Vincent de Paul lived this commandment not merely in words but in his entire being. He recognized that to steal from the poor is to rob Christ Himself. He continually pointed out that the poor are our portion… our masters, and that we must serve them with humility and devotion.

He understood that spiritual theft happens when the Church turns a blind eye to the cries of the suffering. For Vincentians, theft is not only an act of taking— it is the failure to give.

Vincent encouraged simplicity among his followers, urging them not to be attached to wealth or privilege. He lived in solidarity with those who had nothing, reminding his companions that true charity restores dignity.

His legacy continues in the Vincentian Family’s emphasis on systemic change. To work for justice is to prevent theft at its root: the structures that cause homelessness, hunger, exploitation, and hopelessness.

To keep the Seventh Commandment in the Vincentian spirit means:

• To see the poor as rightful heirs to God’s abundance.
• To question not only personal greed, but structural greed.
• To restore to the marginalized what they were always due: respect, love, and participation.

1. Deepening the Call: From Non-Stealing to Self-Giving

The true fulfillment of this commandment lies not in mere restraint but in radical generosity. As Christ gave Himself entirely, so too are we called to live not for possessions but for people.

Saint Paul tells us, “Let the thief no longer steal, but rather labor, doing honest work… so that he may have something to share with anyone in need” (Ephesians 4:28). The transition is from possession to communion.

For Vincentians, this means making our lives an offering. It means letting go of comfort, convenience, or even reputation, for the sake of the Gospel and the poor. Charity becomes restitution— restoring life, hope, and belonging.

2. The Commandment as Covenant and Mission

“You shall not steal” is not merely a legal prescription— it is a covenantal mission. It challenges us to reorder our desires, reevaluate our lives, and respond with justice and mercy.

In a world where inequality grows and consumerism blinds, this commandment invites us to live differently— to live Eucharistically. As Jesus gives Himself in the bread broken and shared, so too must we give ourselves in love.

To steal is to say, “It is mine.”
To love is to say, “It is ours.”
To live as Vincentians is to say, “It is God’s— and I give it freely.”

3. Modern Applications: The Many Faces of Theft

To understand the Seventh Commandment today, we must look beyond the traditional notion of someone stealing a wallet or breaking into a house. Theft in the modern world often hides under layers of legality, respectability, and systemic acceptance. Consider these examples:

• Unjust Wages: When workers are not paid fairly or are denied basic labor rights, theft occurs. This is not merely an economic issue but a moral violation of their dignity.
• Tax Evasion and Corruption: When the powerful divert resources away from the public good through manipulation or fraud, they steal from the common treasury and, ultimately, from the poor.
• Environmental Degradation: Polluting rivers, deforesting lands, or exploiting natural resources for short-term profit is a form of theft— from future generations and from the earth that belongs to God and all humanity.
• Consumerism and Hoarding: In a world of finite resources, excessive consumption by some deprives others of their basic needs. The surplus that fills our closets while others go unclothed is a subtle, yet serious, form of theft.
• Neglect of the Marginalized: To look the other way when the poor suffer from inadequate housing, education, or healthcare is to participate in structures of theft. Inaction, in this light, is complicity.

Pope Francis’s call to an “economy of inclusion” is, at heart, a call to live this commandment fully. It is a call to see that we are not owners, but stewards. That our surplus is not ours to keep, but to share. That the earth’s abundance is not a private inheritance, but a common heritage.

4. The Eucharist and the Commandment: A Theology of Sharing

At the heart of Christian life stands the Eucharist— the supreme act of divine self-giving. In the Eucharist, Christ does not take, but gives. He offers His Body and Blood not in domination, but in service. Every Eucharist is a challenge to theft, because it reorients the human heart from possession to communion.

To steal is to grasp, to control, to secure.
To receive the Eucharist is to open, to share, to trust.

The early Christian community, described in the Acts of the Apostles, lived this Eucharistic ethic. “No one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common” (Acts 4:32). They broke bread together, and “there was not a needy person among them” (Acts 4:34). It was radical charity, the overflow of divine love into social structures.

When we attend Mass and pray, “Give us this day our daily bread,” we must ask: Are we willing to become the bread for others? Are we willing to stop the theft of food, shelter, hope, and dignity?

5. A Vincentian Call to Restitution and Advocacy

Saint Vincent did not limit his love for the poor to almsgiving. He sought to restore what was lost. His approach included education, healthcare, economic empowerment, and systemic reform. For Vincent, true charity was always coupled with justice.

In today’s world, this Vincentian ethos must express itself through:

• Restitution: Giving back what has been taken— whether through service, resources, or influence. This includes reparation for historical injustices such as colonization, slavery, and economic exploitation.
• Advocacy: Speaking out against unjust structures that deprive people of land, work, or opportunity. This includes challenging policies that protect wealth while neglecting the vulnerable.
• Solidarity: Living simply so that others may simply live. This means choosing lifestyles that reflect care for the earth and concern for the poor.
• Formation: Educating the next generation in the values of stewardship, justice, and service. Vincentians are called not only to serve the poor, but to form hearts that see Christ in the poor.

The Seventh Commandment, then, becomes not merely a prohibition, but a program for life. It asks: How do I contribute to systems of theft? And how can I instead live systems of grace?

6. Interior Theft: Guarding the Heart

Saint Vincent knew that theft was not only an exterior act. There is a kind of spiritual theft that happens within: when we steal time from prayer, when we rob others of joy through bitterness, when we withhold love, mercy, or attention. There is a way to “steal” another’s dignity through gossip, manipulation, or judgment.

There is also the theft of God’s glory: when we act for praise rather than love, when we serve in order to be admired rather than to lift up Christ.

In The Imitation of Christ, we are warned: “Do not think yourself better than others, lest you rob God of what is His alone.” Pride is theft. Envy is theft. Selfishness is theft. The root of all stealing is the heart that forgets who it belongs to.

Vincentians are called to be “lovers of the poor and lovers of God”— and that means guarding against the interior thefts that corrupt our service.

III. Questions for Personal and Group Reflection

1. Where in my life am I holding on to more than I need?
2. Do I see the poor as my brothers and sisters with a right to share in the goods of the earth?
3. How does my way of consuming, spending, or investing contribute to justice— or to theft?
4. Am I willing to speak out against unjust systems, even when it is uncomfortable?
5. Do I experience the Eucharist as a call to give myself away?

IV. A Prayer for Conversion

Lord of Justice and Mercy,
You have given us all things.
The earth, our bodies, our time, our very breath—
All are Your gifts.

Forgive us for the ways we have stolen:
From You, through pride.
From others, through greed.
From the poor, through indifference.
From ourselves, through fear.

Teach us to live as stewards, not owners;
As givers, not hoarders;
As servants, not thieves.

Open our eyes to the invisible thefts—
The systems that deprive,
The policies that exclude,
The comforts that cost others dearly.

Give us Vincent’s heart—
Simple, just, and wholly Yours.
May we walk lightly on the earth,
And share all that we have with joy.
In Your Name we pray.

Amen.

V. From Theft to Eucharist

To live the Seventh Commandment is to enter into God’s economy— an economy not of scarcity but of grace. It is to trust that there is enough for everyone when we share, and that joy multiplies when it is given away.

Saint Vincent taught his followers to see Christ in the poor. But he also warned: if we ignore them, we steal from God. Every human life is a temple. Every hungry child is an altar. Every act of generosity is a sacrament.

So let us no longer steal.
Let us give.
Let us restore.
Let us love.

And in doing so, let us keep holy the sacred command: You shall not steal.