Homily for Friday of the 10th Week in Ordinary Time Cycle II
Theme: SNIP OFF EVIL THOUGHTS, IMBIBE PURITY
By: Rev. Fr. Jacob Aondover ATSU
Homily for Friday June 12 2020
READINGS: 1KINGS 19.11-16, PSALM 27, MATTHEW 5:27-32
Jesus continues his teaching on the ‘New Way’ today and he draws our attention to a cancerworm that is damaging the beauty of family life – adultery. Once someone told me; ‘If my spouse poisons me, I may forgive; adultery, however, is inexcusably unforgivable!’ Many a family today suffer splits, disharmonies and chaos because of adultery. Exodus 20:14 states: ‘Thou shall not commit adultery’, for the Jews, adultery was punishable only by death (Lev. 20:10); Jesus on his part forbids both the action and the thought – lusting is itself adultery (Matt. 5:27-28).
Beloved friends, we must take care not to think that Jesus condemned the natural, normal desire which is part of human instinct and nature. The man or woman who is condemned is he/she that deliberately uses his eyes and sensuality to awaken his lust and as such, consciously stimulates his passion and deliberately spurs desire. HOW MANY OF US ARE NOT GUILTY OF PLANNED ‘LUSTING’? Jesus was quite aware of the rabbinic sayings: ‘The eyes and the hands are the two brokers of sin’. ‘The eye and the heart are two handmaids of sin’. ‘Passions lodge only in him who sees’. ‘Woe to him who goes after his eyes for they are adulterous!’ This explains why he condemned also, the very thought of adultery.
Ours is a world where many articles are specifically designed to to excite desire. Ours is indeed a very tempting world where books, pictures, drama, advertisements, web pages and even human beings purposefully induce wrong desire from onlookers. HE/SHE IS CONDEMNED WHO ON SEEING THE AFOREMENTIONED IS NOT DISGUSTED BUT DELIGHTED. Remember, to the pure all things are pure; to the corrupt of heart however, even the most ordinary scene could be used to titillate and excite wrong desire – these are the kind condemned by Christ. We may do well to examine our consciences and change when and where necessary.
Jesus further proposes a SURGICAL DEMAND or cure to all who have forbidden thoughts: that we cut off from such constitutive elements. We can either do this by GOOD ACTION – engaging in meaningful Christian works, those aimed at bettering the lives of men, prayer, charitable works etc and by filling our minds with GOOD THOUGHTS. These thoughts can only come from God, through conscious prayer, bible study, lives of Saints and so on. Only the grace of God can help us achieve this given that our world is replete with foul and suggestive materials.
We must note; only those who are still and attentive enough to listen to and behold God’s presence like Elijah did can excise from their hearts all foul or forbidden thoughts. Only those who seek the face of God can ‘amputate’ bad desire, erroneous thought and the likes which lead necessarily to sin from their hearts hence stay pure. Amen.
HELP SOMEONE TODAY