THE SIN OF ADULTERY. (Homily for June 10, 2016. Friday of the 10th week in Ordinary Time.)


Bible Study:  1st Kings 19, 11 to 16 and Matthew 5, 27 to 32.


For some days now, we have been reading from the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 5 which happens to be a sermon given by Jesus Christ. He began with the beatitudes and then he went on to explain what the Christian life is all about. Two days ago, Jesus said he has not come to abolish the law and the prophets but to fulfil them. As such, even though it may seem as if Jesus is raising the standards set by Old Testament, he is actually revealing the hidden meaning behind them.

It is not enough to say, “Thou shall not kill.” We must realize that killing begins with anger against a person, which then graduates into hatred, and then heightens up till one day, one is driven to kill. So yesterday Jesus says, whoever even dares to insult a brother is already committing sin liable to hell fire. We cannot afford to bear grudges in our heart at all and it is not we snuff out life from a person that we have sinned. We start to sin the moment we become angry.

Today, Jesus comes into an aspect of life that is quite delicate in that it is responsible for the fulfilment of the Divine mandate at creation; “Be fruitful and multiply…” When it comes to human sexuality, adultery was considered as the ultimate sin ranking on the same level as killing but then, Jesus explains that adultery does not only happen when a man sleeps with a woman, adultery has already taken place when a man looks at a woman lustfully.

Just as we cannot afford to store anger in our heart, Jesus says we should not even dare to allow lust a room in our heart. It all begins with the heart or mind so to say. The human mind is the most powerful machine on this planet. It is capable of creating anything. Hence Jesus would say, “Blessed are the pure in heart…” Matthew 5, 8. Later on, Jesus would say, it is not what we eat that defiles us, but what we keep in our mind. “For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander.” Matthew 15, 19.

Are you having trouble controlling your sexual appetite? Do you find yourself falling into the sin of adultery by thoughts, words or actions? Are you struggling with fornication, masturbation and unchastity in one form or another? Jesus has the solution for you. He says: “If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away.” What does this mean, that the cause of sin is right within your body and that you have the power to cure yourself!

Jesus did not say, “if the devil causes you to sin…” The reason why we struggle so much in this aspect without success is that we assume we do not have the power within ourselves. We easily shift the blame to the devil or to our fellow human beings accusing them of causing to sin. By so doing, we tell ourselves, we are powerless and we actually remain powerless forever. We continue to fall because we lack what it takes to stand.

Dear friends, take it from me today that you alone can decide to overcome the sin if you stop blaming the devil. How do you pluck out your eye? Or your hand? By deliberately controlling the contents of your heart. Sexuality is a thing of the mind! The battle is right there in your mind. You must start by avoiding lust. How? Each time you look at a person, what do you see? Do you see God in the person? Do you see a copy of God’s craftsmanship, does the person’s beauty remind you of God’s beauty and majesty? Or do you begin to desire the person’s flesh. If you can win the battle in your mind, it doesn’t matter how the person dresses, or where you meet him or her, you will not fall into sin.

Lastly from this same passage of scripture, we can see that Jesus Christ does not support divorce. In fact, he ranks it as a sin equal to adultery itself. No matter the height of difficulties one may encounter in marriage, they can be resolved. Divorce is not a solution, it is a sin.

Let us Pray:
Lord Jesus, give me the power to keep my body pure and fitting as your temple. Amen.


Good morning. Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you.

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