The Gospel today
refers us to the Fifth Commandment; “Thou shalt not kill.” Perhaps more
accurately, it is translated, “Thou shalt not murder,” because what it
is dealing with is the unjust taking of life. It tells us that we must
not take the life of someone who has done us no serious harm. “The
innocent and just person thou shalt not put to death: because I abhor
the wicked.”
It forbids direct
murder of another, the abortion of a baby, or taking our own life in
suicide. The issue here is an unjust taking of life, so we are not
restrained from using violence in self defense or in defense of another.
And a
properly constituted government is not restrained from treating
criminals with violence in just punishment for their misdeeds.
The Commandment
also forbids those kinds of carelessness that might lead to our own
death or the death of another. Drunken driving, shoddy construction,
reckless use of a fire arm . . . all these things might lead to the
death or injury of another. Excessive eating or drinking, dangerous
pastimes, or just simply neglecting our own health . . . may lead to our
own demise.
Obviously there are
limits to the caution God expects of us. Driving a car, for example,
always constitutes some amount of risk, but a sober and prudent person
is justified in taking that risk as long as he follows the accepted
precautions. Likewise, we are required to take care of ourselves, but
we are not expected to undergo very painful, expensive, or experimental
treatment when we are ill—nor are we required to undergo unusual
treatments that will preserve us in a worse state than we are already
in.
The Fifth
Commandment also prohibits us from fighting with another; either
physically or even just with heated language. It obviously does not
exclude taking part in physical sports, but does require us to take
precautions against seriously injuring ourselves or our opponents.
We are urged not
even to hate another, for that hate often turns into greater and greater
animosity and even physical violence.
But if we examine
what our Lord has to say in this Gospel, or what Saint Peter had to say
in his Epistle, we see that the Commandment is a bare minimum. We are
not to get angry, or even to insult another. We are expected to be
“merciful, modest, and humble…. blessing those who curse us.”
We are to “suffer persecution for justice' sake.”
Certainly, we are
expected to show this kind of kindness and compassion for one
another—the members of our family, for our fellow Christians, for our
neighbors. Saint Peter speaks of being “lovers of the brotherhood.”
Our Lord reminds us of the duty to “be reconciled with our brother.”
So, clearly there is a duty to be good to those with whom we have a
close relationship.
But it doesn't take
too much imagination to see that we ought to have a similar outlook,
even toward those who are not close to us—even toward those who are
quite different from us. We are all made in God's “Image and likeness,”
and we ought to have respect for that in everyone with whom we deal.
We are reminded of
the example set by our Lord Himself, never allowing Himself to be unkind
with others—even to the point of humbly accepting His violent death on
the Cross.
Perhaps even more
strongly, we are reminded that unless our justice is greater than that
of the Scribes and the Pharisees, we will not enter into the kingdom of
heaven.
