Teaching about Adultery and Divorce

 Today's Reflections

                                                  

 

     

Teaching about Adultery and Divorce 

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Mt 5:27-32

[Jesus said to his disciples,] ²⁷“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ ²⁸But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. ²⁹If 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. ³⁰And 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.

³¹“It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife must give her a bill of divorce.’ ³²But 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.”

Reflection:

Tear it out and throw it away. When Jesus speaks of tearing out an eye or cutting off a hand if it causes one to sin, he teaches us the supreme necessity of being upright of heart. Better for us to lose everything rather than be separated from God. St. Louis IX of France told his son that he would rather see him dead than witness his son commit mortal sin. St. Dominic Savio, a young saint, said, “Better death than sin.”

In practice, we must find out if there is any relationship or activity or group that causes us to sin and separates us from God. If there is, let us cut it off from our life. If we feel we cannot cut it off, let us ask God for the grace to cut it off. He will give us that grace as he has given it to countless others, like St. Augustine.

To overcome temptation,

you need both to cultivate virtue and to avoid sin.