Memorial of Saint Anthony of Padua, Priest and Doctor of the Church

Matthew 5:27-32 

Jesus said to his disciples: “You have heard that it was said, You shall not commit adultery. But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body go into Gehenna.

“It was also said, Whoever divorces his wife must give her a bill of divorce. But I say to you, whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful) causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.”

Reflections

In the teachings of the “Sermon on the Mount”, Jesus not only emphasized that the people of the Kingdom of God should live with an ethical standard that surpasses the law, but also elevated the status of women. His teachings greatly enhanced women's rights by discouraging men from inappropriate thoughts or violations against women. The Pharisees’ understanding of “you shall not commit adultery” was the same as “you shall not kill”, believing that as long as no crime was committed, it would not be considered a sin. However, Jesus clearly stated, "Everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart." He not only cared about external behavior but placed even greater importance on the purity of one's inner motives. Never think that committing a small sin in your heart is no big deal—when the devil tempts us, it always starts with a thought.

King David committed the adultery also began when he unintentionally “saw” a beautiful woman bathing, but eventually, he committed a grave sin because he continued “gazing” and “peeping”. Therefore, when we come across something we shouldn’t be looking at, we must turn away and avoid continuing to stare. Let us pray to the Holy Spirit to help us overcome temptation and have holiness in our life. When I hear confession, it is common to hear some Catholics say they have committed a serious sin just because they accidentally saw a beautiful woman on the street. Here, it’s important to clarify that there is a significant difference between “seeing” and “gazing”. In your daily life, it is unavoidable to “see” women. If you see a beautiful woman, give thanks to God—praise Him for creating such a beautiful creature. At the same time, ask God to help you respect her and protect her. However, “gazing” is very different. When we “see” a woman and then continue to “stare” at her and let our imagination run wild, that is a sin.

Jesus strongly emphasized that it must be overcome sins at all costs. He himself bore our sins in his body upon the cross, and therefore, we must not allow any sin to remain in our hearts, because this place belongs to God alone. Pray that God would renew us daily with His Words, giving us the courage to say “no” to these sins of lust.

Practice

Jesus suggested a radical approach to eliminating temptation—for example, tear out the eyes or cut off the hands that causes us to sin. Of course, Jesus was not literally asking us to do these things, or else we would all be crippled. What He meant is that through repentance and the sacraments—especially the Sacrament of Reconciliation—we must perform “surgery” on our sinful flesh and desires, cutting off anything that leads us into sin. In fact, elsewhere in the Bible, Jesus also encourages us to stay away from corruption. A great example from the Old Testament is Joseph, who avoided being alone with Potiphar’s wife and chose to flee when she tried to seduce him. As the Book of Proverbs teaches, since we cannot always resist temptation, the wisest approach is to avoid it altogether. After all, fleeing from temptation is far more prudent than trying to confront it head-on.

Today’s Bible verses

“For we who live are constantly being given up to death for the sake of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh.” (2 Corinthians 4:11)