10TH FRIDAY HOMILY IN ORDINARY TIME — YEAR A
HOMILY THEME: “You shall not commit adultery”
BY: Fr. Mike Lagrimas
2 Corinthians 4:7-15, Ps. 116:10-11,15-18, Matthew 5:27-32
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body go into Gehenna.”
“It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife must give her a bill of divorce.’ But I say to you, whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful) causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
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We continue reflecting on the several Old Testament provisions that need to be understood properly according to the true spirit of the law. Today Jesus takes two more texts, namely, on adultery and divorce.
The sixth Commandment says: “You shall not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14). Adultery is commonly understood as a sexual relationship between two people at least one of whom is already married to someone else. But Jesus points out the spirit behind this commandment. For a man even to look at another woman with lust is already a violation of this commandment.
There is nothing wrong with admiring the physical beauty of a person, woman and man alike. But when it is already tainted with lustful desire, or when one looks at the other person as an object of sexual gratification, then this is what is sinful. Again, the bottom line here is the intention of the heart. All sins begin from the inside of a person, from the heart. Sin takes place not only in action but in thoughts and words as well. It may not yet be an actual sexual act, but for a person with a lustful mind and heart, the sin has already been committed, at least virtually.
With the internet technology nowadays, people are familiar with this concept. Anybody can have personal interaction and activities with other people via online. There is no actual physical contact, but the outcome is just the same. Such is the case with cybersex or pornography on the internet: only virtual, not physical – yet adultery or fornication nonetheless.
On a deeper level, this commandment does not apply solely to sexual acts. Rather, it has something to do with the inviolable dignity of every person. Using someone as a mere sexual object simply shows lack of respect of his/her dignity, and totally demeans the person.
Jesus is aware of how truly difficult it is to resist temptations concerning sexual matters. That is why to emphasize the seriousness of this issue, He used a hyperbolical illustration that, although should not be understood literally, serves as a strong and effective warning. He said that it is better for a person to physically maim himself rather than fall into this sin and endanger his eternal salvation.
The second matter discussed by Jesus in the Gospel today is divorce. This is stipulated in the Book of Deuteronomy (24:1-4). According to the Mosaic Law, a husband can unilaterally decide to divorce his wife on the basis of any trivial or unsubstantiated ground: ‘Whoever divorces his wife must give her a bill of divorce.’
Jesus repudiates this provision. In the first place, injustice is being done against women because there is double standard at work here. It is the man alone who can initiate divorce. The woman has no right or power to do that. And if a woman is dismissed by the husband, and she marries another man, and this second husband later dismisses her also or if he dies, she is considered defiled, and she cannot go back to her first husband. The man is not affected at all by this precept.
But aside from the injustice against women, Jesus rejected divorce because it is not according to the original plan of God from the beginning of creation (Mt 19:4-6). : “What God has joined together, no human being must separate” (Mk 10:9; Mt 19:6). Divorce is against the Law of God. Actually, the reason why Moses permitted divorce is simply because of the people’s stubbornness and hardness of hearts (Mk 10:5; Mt 19:8). Despite God’s prohibition, they continue to practice divorce and remarriage, but without any law governing its conduct. So, Moses permitted the writing of the decree of divorce to, at least, regulate this practice and somehow preserve order in the community.
By rejecting divorce, then, Jesus puts men and women on equal level. The marriage covenant is established by both parties, and everything should be mutual, not unilateral. He categorically declares: “I say to you, whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful) and marries another commits adultery” (Mt 19:9).
The laws of God are immutable. They do not change and cannot be changed by any civil legislation or human authority and consensus. Adultery remains gravely sinful, even if many people are already doing it. Divorce is wrong and sinful even if all countries in the world –except the Vatican State and the Philippines (for now) – have already legalized it.
St. Augustine gives us this timely reminder: “Right is right even if no one is doing it; wrong is wrong even if everyone is doing it.”
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