In one of my first moral theology classes, our professor asked us if a married man, who was on his way to a rendezvous with another woman (not his wife), was still guilty of adultery if he became tangled up in an accident on the way, and never made it to the meeting place. If after the accident was cleared, he regretted his initial decision, so he never followed through with the affair, was he still guilty of sin? To our surprise, the answer was, yes! Why? –Because he had made the decision to betray his wife. His thoughts and intentions had already made the turn away from his marriage oath. Years ago, it was this same idea of leaning into an inclination to sin that garnered Jimmy Carter plenty of teasing when he admitted, publicly, that he had sinned because he had looked at a woman “with lust.” Many may have thought him silly, but regardless of whether you liked his politics, or not, President Carter was on to something…
Some of the first things we learn, growing up in a Christian household, are the concepts of “right” and “wrong.” This Sunday’s readings affirm that God provides his people with a moral code to follow. In our First Reading from Sirach, for example, we hear that we have the freedom of choice, but that those choices come with consequences: “Before man are life and death, good and evil, whichever he chooses shall be given him.” Further, our Psalm says, “Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!” The straightforward, and simplistic “obey, or don’t,” type of moral code is good, but what changes as one grows in spiritual maturity, is an understanding of the deeper complexities of life. Jesus calls us to this type of maturity.
I think we all know that our thoughts shape our intentions, and those intentions provide huge implications for our moral decision making and any corresponding actions. Jesus knew it too! In Sunday’s gospel (Mt 5:17-37), for example, Jesus asks his followers to root out problems before they begin. For Jesus, the expectation shifts from “you shall not kill,” to the directive to end the anger that is directed toward “a brother.” He knows. If you get rid of the anger, you’d never get to the point of murder. In the next example, for Jesus, it isn’t just the act of adultery that is an issue, it is the orientation of our thoughts and intentions within marriage. He says, “Everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” He knows that before we even act, the first thing to turn is our heart. If we stay true to our partner in how we think of them, and strive for chastity in all of our thoughts, we wouldn’t even consider adultery. In the final example, Jesus moves the focus to the very beginning of a relationship. His expectation to “not take a false oath” demands us to be honest with ourselves and only take on those things that we pledge to fulfill from the start.
Life will throw us curve balls, and will give us opportunities to expect the best from ourselves. Others aren’t going to see the thoughts within our heads, and we may never share them with anyone, but we can all ask ourselves, “How do my thoughts and intentions align with God’s law?”
