The consequences of adultery were disastrous already for Jews because adultery, murder and idolatry were considered Chillul Hashem – the acts of desecrating the name of God. By committing adultery a human being falls under the influence of an evil spirit because it is a mockery of God’s law – said Father Augustyn Pelanowski in his interview for PCh24.pl.
What does the Holy Bible say about divorce?
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The New Testament is very precise and firm. It also leaves no room for interpretations, even such as in Amoris Laetitia. In the Gospel According to Matthew Jesus says: “Whosoever shall put away his wife and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and he that marrieth her when she is put away committeth adultery.” (Matthew 19:9). There is nothing that could be manipulated or taken out from this sentence. In his gloss the last editor of St. Matthew added the words “except for fornication”. But this means that if someone “is shacking up”, colloquially speaking, which means living without a sacramental bond as understood by the Church, he or she can obviously split up. But if it is a legal matrimony, the sacrament, there’s no “way out”. Nothing can be done.
And even though The Superior General of the Society of Jesus, Father Arturo Sosa Abascal, says that there were no recording devices at that time, I dare to remind him that in those times writing down such texts, including a prophecy, was strictly controlled by a sopher and nothing could be added or deleted. Besides, The Book of Revelation tells us that “if any man shall add unto them, God shall add unto him the plagues” (The Book of Revelation 22, 18-19). Therefore, taking the ancient’s fear to change anything in these texts, into consideration, it turns out that this is an impossible situation. Therefore, The Superior General of the Society of Jesus is very much mistaken. He can record his speeches, of course, and check if he said something correctly or not, but the Gospel According to Matthew (chapter 19, row 9) spells it out: “anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery”.
What are the consequences of adultery? It is often forgotten that not without a reason it is a very serious sin.
The consequences of adultery were disastrous already for Jews because adultery, murder and idolatry were Chillul Hashem, meaning the acts of desecrating the name of God. Looking at it from the psychological perspective it is a very simple thing: we have the first wife’s depression, children’s auto aggression, lowered self-esteem – and these are only some of the psychological consequences. There can be other ones as well: by committing adultery a human being falls under the influence of an evil spirit because it is a mockery of God’s law. Suffice it to have a look at The Book of Genesis which talks about the establishment of marriage. A human being falls under the influence of Satan and dark powers has an impact on the abandoned family. Accusations, being upset, despair – it’s their everyday life. A priest, whom abandoned people confess to, is the only person to see how dramatic their situation can be.
An adulterer, a person who lives in another relationship, rarely has the right reference to God because it is nearly impossible. An adulterer is possessed. Not in the strict sense. It is a kind of demonic enslavement. Therefore, adultery is a horrible sin.
How shall we look at the Amoris Laetitia apostolic exhortation in this context? It includes statements that open many dangerous doors.
Some statements in Amoris Laetitia are very dangerous. I won’t dare to talk about schism or heresy – this is not the right nomenclature for me. Besides, I’m not an expert in this area. I leave it to others. However, it’s a contradiction to the words of Jesus who clearly said what adultery is. We talked about it earlier: there are no second, third or fourth relationships. And undermining one commandment, “you shall not commit adultery” in this case, is like a blow at a critical point of crystal. In his letter (chapter 2, row 10) James said: “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is become guilty of all. For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill.” This can cause a domino effect: undermining one commandment makes everything possible; everything can be undermined then. This means that no confession and no idea of sin make sense because every sin can be justified.
Thus, either all sins are sins or no sin is a sin if even a single sin is not a sin. This is a very dangerous situation. Truth is not the result of a discourse, as Derrida would claim.
And what are the consequences of receiving the body and blood of Christ having the non-absolved sin of adultery on one’s conscience?
In chapter 11 of the First Epistle to the Corinthians St. Paul talks about those who receive the Holy Communion in an unworthy manner. He adds: “For this cause many among you are weak and sickly, and not a few asleep!” St. Paul says that if someone, with no regard for the body and blood of Christ, receives the Holy Communion, he or she commits a sin which brings death! Everyone who, having committed a cardinal sin, receives the Holy Communion in a sacrilegious manner, prevents himself or herself from being saved and causes death. I don’t wish anyone death, sick atmosphere in life or illness and that’s why I cannot keep quiet with regards to adultery. If it was possible to remarry, John the Baptist would die for nothing, right?
God bless you.
An interview by Mateusz Ochman
