Published in the bulletin of Holy Ghost Catholic Church in Knoxville, TN, on the 5th 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 2395.
By the Sixth Commandment of God, ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ God calls us to be chaste. Chastity is a natural virtue, even if we have supernatural motives (love for God, longing for Heaven…) and means (grace, especially given through the Sacraments…) to seek and exercise this virtue. When considering the virtue of chastity, Mother Church reminds us of the importance of “integration of sexuality in the person.” While historically the American South has had trouble with “integration”, ever since the Fall or Original sin the entire human race has had difficulty with sexual integration in the person. As followers of Jesus Christ, the way, the truth and the life, we are not relativists. Sexual integration does not mean that promiscuity is good or bad. Promiscuity is always sinful. By callings us to sexual integration we are reminded by Mother Church to not compartmentalize our physicality (our body), our desires or our deeds. When these are all in harmony and in harmony with the Commandments of God, then we are on the way and walking with the Lord.
The Sixth Commandment of God, ‘You shall not commit adultery’ calls us to learn “personal mastery.” Personal mastery is just another way to say “virtue.” When we act in a virtuous manner we are not slaves to our whims, desires, or the fashions of the day. We are masters of our domains under the Divine Master, Jesus Christ. How is it, though, that we learn personal mastery? The classic couplet runs: sow an act reap a habit, sow a habit reap a virtue, sow a virtue reap a destiny. This is true not only for the virtue of chastity to which the Sixth Commandment of God calls us, but to all the virtues. If we are in the evil habit of doing lustful things we will reap the vice of lust which, if not repented, has a very unpleasant destiny (not Heaven). Yet, even in this life vicious living has its consequences. While some promiscuous people may claim that they are happy with their “care free life” how many others find themselves with self-hatred for the evil they have done? How many children conceived in promiscuous encounters are then subsequently put to death before birth, again causing remorse? How many sexually transmitted diseases (such as genital herpes, genital warts, hepatitis b, chlamydia, syphilis, gonorrhea, hiv/aids…) are contracted as a temporal consequence of promiscuity?
The Commandments of God are a revealed expression of the Natural Law which we can know even without the grace of faith or revelation. Blessed are we whom God loves so much, revealing His Commandments, giving us His grace to recognize and keep them for our good, in the here and now and hereafter.
God bless you!
Father John Arthur Orr