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The Ninth Commandment
You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife.
the ninth and tenth commandments focus on our thoughts rather than just
concrete actions. They are all about the disposition of the heart.
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the beauty of a woman or man. When that admiration turns to wrongful
desire, you have broken the commandment.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church, in its sections on the ninth and
tenth commandments, speaks of concupiscence, which is synonymous
with lust. The ninth commandment deals with carnal concupiscence, or
In a beautiful section titled “The Battle for Purity,” the Catechism says,
“the baptized must continue to struggle against concupiscence of the
virtue and gift of chastity; by purity of intention; by purity of vision; and
by prayer.” (CCC 2520)
Finally, the Catechism speaks of modesty. “Modesty guides how one
looks at others and behaves toward them in conformity with the dignity
of persons and their solidarity. It protests, for example, against the voyeuristic
explorations of the human body in certain advertisements, or
against the solicitations of certain media that go too far in the exhibition
of intimate things. Teaching modesty to children and adolescents means
awakening in them respect for the human person.” (CCC 2521-2524)
For further study:
CCC 2514-2533
Matthew 5:28