Reading: Kings 19:9.11-16; Ps. 27; Matt.

5:27-32

Rev.  Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia

UNDERSTANDING HUMAN SEXUALITY IN THE LIGHT OF THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT

There is no doubt that humanity has lost the dignity of the gift of human sexuality as a result of our sexual irresponsibility at different stages of human development. Human sexuality as we know encompasses all the physical and integral attributes of our sexual identity as male or female. It includes all our thinking, feeling, acting and interaction that emanate from our maleness and femaleness.

It is a very important aspect of humanity that must not be neglected. Because it enriches human relationships in ways that are basic to God’s nature and plans as it offers humanity the grace to participate in the works of creation in partnership with God. Little wonder, sexuality is one of the first human attributes to be identified when scriptures say in Gen.1:27: God created man in his image… Male and female God created them.

So as a result of this great privilege in relation to human sexuality and procreation, humanity is to be truly responsible with the gift of their sexuality. This responsibility is guided by two fundamental principles that is, love and covenant. Hence, any intimate expression of sexuality especially in form of sexual intercourse, which is the most bonding of all human relationships, must be guided by these two fundamental principles of love and covenant in a marital act.

Therefore to emphasize the importance of this sexual responsibility, the sixth commandment of God states that thou shall not commit adultery. This reveals to us that God wants us to live chastely, justly and charitable in our relationships with one another and this is exactly what Jesus is addressing in our Gospel passage today.

Here, Jesus emphasized that this sixth commandment forbids not only the acts of adultery and fornication but all appetites to them, all lusting after sexual objects, for this is the beginning of the sin. The lust of conceiving it is a bad step towards the sin, for as far as the heart can do it, there is nothing but a convenient opportunity for the sin itself to be carried out.

So all approaches toward the gratification of this sexual appetite such as: touching and feeding the eye with the sight of it where further satisfaction can be obtained are forbidden. Because such looks and behaviour are very dangerous and destructive to the soul Jesus said that it is better to lose the eye or the hand than to give way to this sin and perish eternally for it.

Dear friends, today there are so many things that are leading us into this sin and we are so much attached to them because the world has sexualized almost everything around us. The television, the social media, the internet, the music, movies, cartoons, and even our social and religious activities are corrupted by these sexualization motives which drive or tempt us to commit the sins of adultery, fornication, homosexuality, lesbianism and masturbation. Because we have lost control of our responsibility towards our sexuality, which of course is the cause of the increase in rape, incest, divorce and all forms of gender transformation going on in our society today.

The main point here is for us not to indulge in sins that will ruin our souls. Rather we should strive for perfection, by living a life of mortification and keeping a constant watch over our hearts against the rising of lust and corruption in and out of our conscience, by avoiding the occasions of sin as much as we can, by resisting it from the beginning and reject the company of those and things that expose us to this sin. Anything at all that leads us to this sin must be cut off in our lives and environment, if not we will keep on falling into it. It is a radical decision we must make today no matter who is involved and the cost or sacrifice that may be required.

LET US PRAY: Almighty God, our human sexuality is your great gift to humanity, give us the grace to be responsible with our sexuality, especially in this time when the world has lost the true meaning and value of human sexuality, and as a result so many lives and families are being destroyed, we ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. God bless you.