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Friday, February 1, 2008

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2 Samuel 11:1-4, 5-10, 13-17
Psalm 51
Mark 4:26-34

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the evil eye

"From the roof he saw a woman bathing, who was very beautiful." —2 Samuel 11:2

David's lustful look at Bathsheba resulted in adultery, the murder of Bathsheba's husband Uriah, and the death of the baby conceived in this adulterous union. David's adultery also furthered the deterioration and division of his family. It would have ended in David's eternal damnation had he not repented, and it all began with one lustful look.

We can see why Jesus commanded us to gouge out our eyes or cut off our hands to resist the temptation to look at someone lustfully (Mt 5:28ff). The Lord commands us: "Gaze not about the lanes of the city and wander not through its squares; avert your eyes from a comely woman; gaze not upon the beauty of another's wife" (Sir 9:7-8; see also 41:21).

"The eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyesight is sound, your whole body is lighted up, but when your eyesight is bad, your body is in darkness" (Lk 11:34). Jesus' "sex education" emphasizes avoiding looking lustfully at others because He focuses not on sex but on chastity. Chastity is protected by guarding our eyes from sexual temptations and fixing our eyes on Jesus (Heb 12:2).

Prayer:  Father, give me pure eyes so I can have a pure body.

Promise:  God's kingdom "is like mustard seed which, when planted in the soil, is the smallest of all the earth's seeds, yet once it is sown, springs up to become the largest of shrubs." —Mk 4:31-32

Praise:  Richard, a young man, continually prays for a rebirth of chastity, especially among the youth.

Reference:  (For related teaching, order our tape Sex, Speech, and the Risen Life on audio AV 4B-3 or video V-4B.)

Rescript:  †Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Vicar General Archdiocese of Cincinnati, August 14, 2007

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