Don’t Look, Don’t touch! – Friday, 10th week in ordinary time – Mt 5:27-32
The gospel passage of today will take up the second and third hyper-theses in the Sermon on the Mount. (Refer to http://www.pottypadre.com/heart-of-the-matter/) These are linked to the ninth commandment which deals with the aspect of adultery and divorce.
The mission of Jesus was to bring about a kingdom of righteousness and justice and that is why He wants His disciple’s righteousness to exceed that of the self-righteousness of the Pharisees and scribes. That Jesus has exposed the self-serving interpretation of the Jewish leaders, has been reason enough for them to want to poison the minds of the people and even more to kill Him.
These hyper-theses of Jesus are really the fleshing out of His mandate for the disciples, in the context of living out the law in the kingdom. Jesus wants more from the disciples, more from us. He is not asking; He is demanding it from those who chose freely to be His disciples. Remember He says, “If you wish to be my disciple.”
Jesus wants His disciples to think beyond the ninth commandment. He wants them to understand that lust kills love. But hang on, lust gets to all of us at some stage in our life and the question you might ask yourself is ‘will I therefore go to hell?’
Jesus’ words here are to be taken strictly in the context of adultery; they do not condemn any and all thinking about ‘sexual matters’ (JBC). A ‘glance’ at a beautiful man or woman does not warrant the severe punishment of hell. However, Jesus does not use the word ‘glance’, but He uses the word ‘look’. Look is a present active participle and is really a lingering look, and here in lies the problem.
Thank you Fr. Warner. I never saw the connection with the fall of our first parents before. Indeed, all the sins we commit somehow connect to the fall, with disobedience at the core.
The “look don’t touch” can probably go one step further with the sexual revolution today. The marital act has a purpose (be fruitful and multiply) and a place. Just like “look don’t touch”, today’s culture seems to promote, “pleasure with no consequences”, leading to abortion being mainstream, artificial birth control being used even by practicing Catholics, because children are seen as a burden instead of a blessing.
Yet this is a repeat of history. During the Pax Romana, when the state provided for its citizens, people saw no point in having children. Many babies (especially girls) would be discarded in gutters after birth. They hated babies but showed all their love to pets (sounds familiar doesn’t it). It is the Catholic church who rescued these babies. [1]
Jesus rescued the culture through his church then, we have have to pray he does again. Pope Paul VIs predictions are all coming true today.
1. Seven Revolutions: How Christianity Changed the World and Can Change It Again – Mike Aquilina