A call to a holiness

June 10, Friday, 10th Week in Ordinary Time
Daily Readings: 1Kings 19:9a, 11-16; Gospel: Mathew 5: 27-32

Elijah comes to Mount Horeb, also known as the Mount of God. The word of God told him to go out and stand on the mount before the Lord. But at the sound of a low whisper, Elijah covered his face in his cloak and stood at the entrance of the cave. The Lord then directed him to anoint the kings of Syria and Israel and the Prophet Elisha in their place. In the gospel, Jesus says, "You shall not commit adultery," but anyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Why was Elijah running away from a situation when God would be there with him? We may think like Elijah, looking for a dark cave to hide from our problems so that others cannot find us. What is Jesus trying to tell us? In the gospel passage, Jesus addresses the critical issues of lust and divorce, which are so prevalent in our time. Jesus is saying that divorce is wrong, but lust is as well. As anger is to murder,  desire is to adultery. Jesus said so. This clarifies that it is not just a sinful action but also a thought. We can sin with our thoughts.

We are called to a life of holiness, and to do that, we should not just be following a list of rules. We must be careful about what we look at, as an indecent image can lead to lustful thoughts. We need to know that we have to give up something short-term to get something long-lasting.

So, what should I do to live a holy life? First and foremost, take action not to sin.  Live a life of holiness. Instead, we sin with our thoughts, then we sin with our actions, and finally, we sin in our relationship when we divorce. Even if someone did something sexually immoral, they should forgive and make things right.