From: Matthew 5:27-32
Jesus and His Teaching, the Fulfillment of the Law (Continuation)
[31] “It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of
divorce.’ [32] But I say to you that every one who divorces his wife, except on the
ground of unchastity, makes her an adulteress; and whoever marries a divorced
woman commits adultery.”
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Commentary:
27-30. This refers to a sinful glance at any woman, be she married or not. Our
Lord fills out the precepts of the Old Law, where only adultery and the coveting
of one’s neighbor’s wife were considered sinful.
“Lustfully”: feeling is one thing, consenting another. Consent presupposes that
one realizes the evil of these actions (looking, imagining, having impure thoughts)
and freely engages in them.
Prohibition of vices always implies a positive aspect — the contrary virtue. Holy pu-
rity, like every other virtue, is something eminently positive; it derives from the First
Commandment and is also directed to it: “You shall love the Lord your God with all
your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37). “Purity is a
consequence of the love that prompts us to commit to Christ our soul and body,
our faculties and senses. It is not something negative; it is a joyful affirmation” (St.
J. Escriva, “Christ Is Passing By”, 5). This virtue demands that we use all the re-
sources available to us, to the point of heroism if necessary.
“Right eye”, “right hand”, refers to whatever we value most. Our Lord lays it on the
line and it not exaggerating. He obviously does not mean that we should physically
mutilate ourselves, but that we should fight hard without making any concessions,
being ready to sacrifice anything which clearly could put us in the way of offending
God. Jesus’ graphic words particularly warn us about one of the most common oc-
casions of sin, reminding us of how careful we need to be guarding our sight. King
David, by indulging his curiosity, went on to commit adultery and crime. He later
wept over his sins and led a holy life in the presence of God (cf. 2 Samuel 11 and
12).
“The eyes! Through them many iniquities enter the soul. So many experiences
like David’s! — If you guard your sight you will have assured the guard of your
heart: (St. J. Escriva, “The Way”, 183).
Among the ascetical methods of protecting the virtue of holy purity are: frequent
Confession and Communion; devotion to our Lady; a spirit of prayer and mortifica-
tion; guarding of the senses; flight from occasions of sin; and striving to avoid idle-
ness by always being engaged in doing useful things. There are two further
\means which are particularly relevant today: “Decorum and modesty are younger
brothers of purity” (St. J. Escriva, “The Way”, 128). Decorum and modesty are a
sign of good taste, of respect for others and of human and Christian dignity. To
act in accord with this teaching of our Lord, the Christian has to row against the
current in a paganized environment and bring his influence for good to bear on it.
“There is need for a crusade of manliness and purity to counteract and undo the
savage work of those who think that man is a beast. And that crusade is a mat-
ter for you” (St. J. Escriva, “The Way”, 121).
31-32. The Law of Moses (Deuteronomy 24:1), which was laid down in ancient
times, had tolerated divorce due to the hardness of heart of the early Hebrews.
But it had not specified clearly the grounds on which divorce might be obtained.
The rabbis worked out different sorts of interpretations, depending on which
school they belonged to — solutions ranging from very lax to quite rigid. In all cases,
only husband could repudiate wife, not vice-versa. A woman’s inferior position was
eased somewhat by the device of a written document whereby the husband freed
the repudiated woman to marry again if she wished. Against these rabbinical inter-
pretations, Jesus re-establishes the original indissolubility of marriage as God in-
stituted it (Genesis 1:27; 2:24; cf. Matthew 19:4-6; Ephesians 1:31; 1 Corinthians
7:10).
[The RSVCE carries a note which reads: “unchastity”: The Greek word used here
appears to refer to marriages which were not legally marriages, because they were
within the forbidden degrees of consanguinity (Leviticus 18:6-16) or contracted
with a Gentile. The phrase “except on the ground of unchastity” does not occur in
the parallel passage in Luke 16:18. See also Matthew 19:9 (Mark 10:11-12), and
especially 1 Corinthians 7:10-11, which shows that the prohibition is unconditional.]
The phrase “except on the ground of unchastity” should not be taken as indicating
an exception to the principle of absolute indissolubility of marriage which Jesus
has just re-established. It is almost certain that the phrase refers to unions accep-
ted as marriage among some pagan people, but prohibited as incestuous in the
Mosaic Law (cf. Leviticus 18) and in rabbinical tradition. The reference, then, is to
unions radically invalid because of some impediment. When persons in this posi-
tion were converted to the True Faith, it was not that their union could be dissolved;
it was declared that they had never in fact been joined in true marriage. Therefore,
this phrase does not do against the indissolubility of marriage, but rather reaffirms
it.
On the basis of Jesus’ teaching and guided by the Holy Spirit, the Church has
ruled that in the specially grave case of adultery it is permissible for a married cou-
ple to separate, but without the marriage bond being dissolved; therefore, neither
party may contract a new marriage.
The indissolubility of marriage was unhesitatingly taught by the Church from the
very beginning; she demanded practical and legal recognition of this doctrine, ex-
pounded with full authority by Jesus (Matthew 19:3-9; Mark 10:1-12; Luke 16:18)
and by the Apostles (1 Corinthians 6:16; 7:10-11; 39; Romans 7:2-3; Ephe\sians
5:31f). Here, for example, are just a few texts from the Magisterium on this sub-
ject:
“Three blessings are ascribed to matrimony [...]. The third is the indissolubility of
matrimony — indissoluble because it signifies the indivisible union of Christ with
the Church. Although a separation from bed may be permitted by reason of marital
infidelity, nevertheless it is not permitted to contract another matrimony since the
bond of a marriage lawfully contracted is perpetual” (Council of Florence, “Pro Ar-
meniis”).
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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.
Liturgical Colour: Green.
| First reading |
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| 1 Kings 19:9,11-16 © |
| The Lord was not in the wind, or the earthquake, or the fire |
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| Responsorial Psalm |
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| Psalm 26(27):7-9,13-14 © |
| Gospel Acclamation | Jn10:27 |
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| Or: | Ph2:15-16 |
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| Gospel | Matthew 5:27-32 © |
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| If your right eye should cause you to sin, tear it out |
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