Breaking the Chain Letter

"I am The Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall not have other gods beside me." 1.
In days past, I remember my mother receiving them in the mail, and became perplexed as what to do.
These days, I see them on social media and emails. A chain letter is sent to you.
No matter the content, they always read, that you need to send it to a certain amount of people, and you will be granted a wish, or you will receive a very large sum of money, you might even be given good fortune. I received one stating that if you will pass it on, a miracle will happen.
Now in consequence, if you break the chain, something bad will happen.
I have observed quite a few chain letters that have religous content in prayer to a particular saint.
Does God really want us to respond to chain letters? Let's examine the thought behind a chain letter.

The first thing worth noting, and I believe one of the most important thoughts, is the consequence. If you break the chain, something catastrophe will happen. My question is, by whose power? I never encountered a chain letter in the Holy Bible. I never heard that the Catholic Church supports chain letters. Indeed if someone were to feel compelled not to break the chain, to whom is he giving his fear to?
Therefore, fear is the driving force behind a chain letter. Something terrible will happen. For some people, that fear is just as threatening as someone holding a gun.
You just became a victim of fear, and superstition.

I contend that responding to a chain letter breaks the First Commandment. I contend that responding to a chain letter might even be considered a form a sorcery.
In the recent chain letter I saw on social media, there was the promise of a miracle. My question to the initiator of the letter is, who gave you the power to ensure a miracle to anyone abiding by your request? Miracles, as far as I believe, come only from the pleasure of God; even if through the intercession of any particular saint. By stating you will receive a miracle, money, good fortune, the initiator of the chain letter is clearly stating that a human being can call down that which was promised by following the instructions of the chain letter.
God does not work that way. No human being has the power to call down a miracle in the manner above. "...We hold this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us..."2.
It's funny that the initiator of the chain letter never reveals himself.

God has revealed truth in the Bible and in His Church.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church speaks to superstition. CCC 2111 states, "Superstition is the deviation of Religous feeling and of the practices this feeling imposes. It can even affect the worship we offer the true God..." CCC 2116 regarding divination and magic states, "... All forms of divination are to be rejected ..."
By responding to the instructions of a chain letter, you then give yourself to the power represented to that letter. Something bad will happen to you if you break the chain. Also by not responding to the instructions of sending it on, you also are victimized by not getting your reward. There is an inferred penalty by not responding, and the penalty of breaking the chain.
Therefore there exist the condition of doing harm to you. The Church condemns practices of doing harm to others. CCC 2117 states, "All practices of magic or sorcery, by which one attempts to tame occult powers, so as to place them at one's service and have a supernatural power over others--even if this were for the sake of restoring their health--are gravely contrary to the virtue of religion. These practices are even more to be condemned when accompanied by the intention of harming someone, or when they have recourse to the intervention of demons..."
If the chain letter states that if you break the chain, you will suffer something, or if by failing to follow the instructions of the chain letter you will not acquire some good offered, you then are harmed by either breaking the chain, or by not acquiring that which was offered by complying to the instructions.
All we can do is have faith, hope, and practice charity. We can pray. We seek to know and love God, and seek the salvation of our souls.

We don't have the power to bring down a miracle--to think otherwise would be like committing the sin of Pride. There are some things we can attempt to control, but there are things we as humans simply cannot control. We cannot control God. We can control our temperament, the way we drive a car, the actions we do. We cannot control outside forces, nature, sickness in some cases, other people's actions like those bent on hurting people, the behavior of others although we can react after the fact, or somehow anticipate a bad behavior by appealing to them.

Chain letters then ask you to give up your spirit to their request. They promise you something good if you do, and something bad if you don't. The initiator of a chain letter does not have that kind power to do either. To give in to them then is, in my opinion, breaking the First Commandment, committing sorcery, and committing the sin of Pride.
Pride because if one is determined to do their will over that God's will, is stating they know better than God. Even Jesus Christ said he would do the will of God; "For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me;..."3

CCC 2110 states,"The first commandment forbids honoring gods other than the one Lord who has revealed himself to his people. It proscribes superstition and irreligion. Superstition in some sense represents a perverse excess of religion; irreligion is the vice contrary by defect to the virtue of religion."
Attend Holy Mass, receive Holy Communion, say the rosary, practice faith, hope, and charity. Jesus did say that all you need is His Grace.
By the way, you are not compelled to pass this on. I would simply ask, if you would like to. God bless.

1. Exodus 20:2,3, New American Bible, St. Joseph Edition, Revised Edition
2. 2 Cor 4:7
3. John 6:38
Resource: Catechism of the Catholic Church