Does the Bible Really Say That Patrick Madrid

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.When the rich young man asked Christ what he must do to go to heaven, he responded, “If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” Among those he listed was “You shall not commit adultery” (Matthew 19:16–19).And in Matthew 19:3–10, when the Pharisees tested Christ by asking, “Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?” Christ answered:Have you not read that he who made them from the beginning made them male and female, and said,“For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one”? So they are no longer two but one.What therefore God has joined together, let no man put asunder.They said to him, “Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?” He said to them, “For your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for unchastity, and marries another, commits adultery.”Some argue that the phrase “except for unchastity” constitutes an “exception clause” that allows for divorce and remarriage in cases where one or both spouses commits adultery.But this is a misreading of the text.The Greek word here for unchastity, porneia, refers to sexual unlawfulness in which two “spouses” are not validly married (John 4:17–18), though they live as if they were.In such cases, to separate and then marry someone else would not constitute adultery, since the two parties were not really married in God’s eyes (i.e.sacramentally) in the first place.A valid marriage, however, cannot be dissolved.As Christ said, “They are no longer two but one.What therefore God has joined together, let no man put asunder.”Saint Paul added, “[A] married woman is bound by law to her husband as long as he lives; but if her husband dies she is discharged from the law concerning the husband.Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive.But if her husband dies she is free from that law, and if she marries another man she is not an adulteress” (Romans 7:2–3).Anyone who imagines that divorce and remarriage is not serious in God’s eyes should ponder this warning: “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers,nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor robbers will inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:9–10).That passage might trouble someone who is divorced and remarried but never went through the annulment process, receiving from the Church a declaration of nullity (i.e., “an annulment”).If so, he or she should feel troubled.His conscience is warning that something is spiritually very wrong.If you are in this situation, contact a priest for sacramental confession and get advice on how to correct things—before it’s too late.Further Reading: Exodus 20:14; Leviticus 20:10; Deuteronomy 5:18; Proverbs 6:32; Malachi 3:5; Matthew 5:27–28; Mark 10:11–12; 17–19; Luke 18:19–20; Romans 2:22; 13:8–10; 1 Corinthians 7:10–11; Hebrews 13:4CCC, 1629–1651, 2384–2386CHAPTER 7Gossip, Slander and Judging People’s HeartsMark Twain once wrote, “It takes your enemy and your friend, working together, to hurt you: the one to slander you, and the other to get the news to you.”1 How right he was.There are few things in life more painful than being the target of mean-spirited comments.Most of us know from experience how devastating the weapon of an unbridled tongue can be.Whether one is on the giving end or the receiving end, we know how deeply gossip, slander and detraction can wound.Not only are these wounding words the opposite of what we would want others to do to us (Matthew 7:12), they are in a certain sense violations of the fifth commandment, “Thou shalt not kill.” When you let fly words of gossip, unwarranted criticism or slander, you can inflict grievous injury to another’s reputation (and, it goes without saying, to their feelings), even to the point of character assassination—murdering that person’s good name through your words.This is why the Bible warns us against these sins.Ponder these passages and ask yourself and the Lord if you don’t have some repair work to do for failing in charity towards your neighbor (or wife, husband, child, relative, coworker, friend or enemy).Ecclesiastes 7:21 “Do not give heed to all the things that men say, lest you hear your servant cursing you; your heart knows that many times you have yourself cursed others.”Sirach 5:11–14 “Be quick to hear, / and be deliberate in answering./ If you have understanding, answer your neighbor; / but if not, put your hand on your mouth./ Glory and dishonor come from speaking, / and a man’s tongue is his downfall./ Do not be called a slanderer, / and do not lie in ambush with your tongue; / for shame comes to the thief, / and severe condemnation to the double-tongued [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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