FRIDAY- 10^TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME -B

I Reading: 1 Kings 19:9.11-19: Stand on the mountain before the Lord.

Gospel: Matthew 5:27-32: If a man looks at woman lustfully, he has already committed adultery.

The Real Meaning of Adultery, 5: 27-30

Immorality and adultery cause great destruction and hurt and pain-both within and without a person. There are at least three reasons why a person commits immoral acts.

a.     The ego: the sense of conquering and controlling

b.    The inner need for attention and inflated

c.      The raw lust of the sinful nature or flesh

People have always tended to glorify the body and the sinful nature or flesh. Christ insists on radical surgery rather than allowing to sin. An immoral life will lead to eternal hell. Jesus came into this world to save us from sin and death, so let us believe in Him and do his Will.

1.     The law (v.27): against immorality is the seventh commandment (Ex 20:14; Dt 5:18).

2.     The real meaning (v.28)

a.     A deliberate look

b.    A desire: lust, passion

c.      An act of adultery

3.     The two guilty culprits: the eyes and hands (v.29)

4.     The danger (v.29)

a.     Sinning or stumbling

b.    Being condemned to hell

5.     The answer (v.29-30)

a.     Surgery: cut out the sinful body member

b.    Death: let the sinful body member perish

c.      Repentance: turn from being cast into hell

Thought: A person must repent for his/her sins and must turn to God ( Mt 4:17). "Live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature" (Gal 5:16).

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