The Scope of Adultery

 Reflection on Today’s Readings, Friday of 10th Week in Ordinary Time, Year II,  June 10th, 2022

Texts: 1 Kings 19:9a. 11-16; Psalm27:7-9abc.13- 14; Matthew 5:27-32

The word, adultery, is used to describe the unfaithfulness of the people of God and that of a married person. Today’s readings centre on those two affairs. Today’s first reading speaks of man’s unfaithfulness to God. In the words of Elijah: “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and slain your prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.” The relationship between God and His people is often described in terms of marriage: “For as a young man marries a young woman, so shall your builder marry you, and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you” (Is. 62:5). The first reading seeks to assess our commitment to God. Am I still committed to God? Are you still faithful to God? If there is only one person remaining for God, am I sure that I would be the person? Are you sure that you would be the Elijah of our time, the only man standing with God? We learn from Elijah that we should always stand with God even others have abandoned Him. He reminds us not to follow crowd. The reading reveals that multitude could be wrong. Let us learn to seek the right path and follow it, not considering the number of people following it.

The second sense of adultery is unfaithfulness to one’s spouse. Jesus Christ, in today’s gospel reading, condemns it and extends the scope of adultery to lustful looking. In His words: “But I say to you that every one who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Lustful thinking is also an adultery. The actual adultery has its root in lust, lustful thinking and lustful looking. Whatever that leads us to sin is sinful. Jesus Christ asks us to avoid whatever that can lead us to sin. He puts it thus: “If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away; it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.” The scope of adultery is further extended to divorcing one’s spouse and getting married to a divorced person. Whoever divorces his wife or her husband is guilty of adultery and whoever marries a divorced person is also guilty of adultery.  

Lord our God, grant us the grace to give up lust, enkindle genuine love in the heart of people. Amen.  

Fr. Andrew Olowomuke