"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."
REFLECTION
It is better for you to lose one of your members
than to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna
"In the evening of life, we shall be judged on love." (St John of the Cross) We will be judged by how much we loved and also by Love (God). (1)
How did I treat you? What I did for the least of His children I did to Him.
Jesus is our treasure of mysterious love. He seeks us first, puts the desire for us to find Him, beckons us into His inner sanctum and asks us to let Him enter our souls.
We all search for love. Are we satisfied with material things, loving one another, loving God? Imagine showing up with all our trinkets on the day of judgment. Will they all fit through the pearly gates or will our heart hold the password to open those gates for us?
Remember our own personal journey for that one true love that is everlasting, faithful and sacrificial? What we want for ourselves reflects our love for and how we treat another.
Loving another can at times not be easy. It can be a bitter, sad experience ending in divorce and sometimes settling for second best. Yet, we continue searching, looking , praying and pleading with God for that love that takes hold, demands sacrifice, is merciful and full of hope with special times spent together.
Do we give up? Not if we want love with trust. We work at it.
Love of God is not hard because there are never false feelings, deceit, or betrayal from our lover. His graces are forever nourishing our souls. His loving promises never change. Unfortunately, we wobble, become cynical, sinful and settle for serving other gods. Yet His perfect Love is continuously seeking us out and when we return to Him in repentance, He welcomes us with open arms.
Avoiding Gehenna is a lifetime's work. Never give up- allow our Lord to take over your heart and trust that He will never leave you. Await your reward.
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