Published in the bulletin of Holy Ghost Catholic Church in Knoxville, TN, on the 2nd Sunday of Ordinary Time.
My dear Parishioners,
Peace! There are nine (9) “In Brief” articles in the Catechism of the Catholic Church addressing the Sixth Commandment of the Decalogue, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ The following is a reflection on CCC 2392.
The Sixth Commandment “You shall not commit adultery” addresses not only sexual morality, but even the depths of our very being. As Saint John Paul II put it in Familiaris Consortio, 11: “Love is the fundamental and innate vocation of every human being” (22 November, 1981). The Spanish catechetical tradition seems to be more clear and more comprehensive than the English when addressing the Sixth Commandment: Do not do impure acts.
We should always recall that we are made in the image of God who is love (Genesis 1:27; 1 John 4:7). The vice of lust has plagued us ever since the Fall or Original Sin. Many seem content to have a truncated understanding of love to mere sexual expression and gratification. Some would limit love to an intense feeling or romantic attachment only. Here, Sacred Scripture helps keep us honest by reminding us that the greatest act of love was Christ’s sacrificial death on Calvary’s Cross for our redemption (cf. John 15:13).
The Greek words eros, phileo and agapao all translate into English as the one word “love.” Eros refers to the sexual aspect of human love. Phileo refers to brotherly love (as in “Philadelphia” the city of brotherly love). Agape being the supernatural love of God for us and our love for God and each other because of God. Benedict XVI addressed these different aspects of love in his encyclical Deus Caritas Est (29 June, 2009). C.S. Lewis, wrote similarly in his The Four Loves (1958).
For love to be the fundamental vocation means that love is the foundation of all vocations. Whether one is a husband or wife, a monk or nun, priest, brother, sister, single lay person, love is the basis of it all. Love is another Name for God, the origin and end of our being. Singers and song writers have written about love throughout the ages, not all to the same effect. Apologies to Tina Turner (1984), but love is not “a second hand emotion” or “a sweet old fashioned notion.” The Beatles (1964) and Bonnie Raitt (1991) respectively got it right when they point out that “money can’t buy me love” and “I can’t make you love me.”
For love to be the innate vocation means that we are “hard wired” to love. Sacred Scripture reminds us how we are to love the Lord our God, our neighbor and self (cf. Matthew 22:27–40; Mark 12:30–34; Luke 10:27). The Commandments of God call us to holiness and wholeness. The virtue of chastity is one aspect of holiness. The Sixth Commandment calls us to reject lustful activity. We should not see Saint Augustine’s maxim “Love, and do what you will” as a license to sin (7th Sermon on 1 John).
God bless you!
Father John Arthur Orr