[Jesus said:] "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out, and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body go into Gehenna."

"It was 1989; my thoughts were short, my hair was long. She was seventeen. And we were trying different things, we were smoking funny things, making love out by the lake, sipping whiskey out of the bottle, not thinking about tomorrow, singing ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ all summer long. Now, nothing seems as strange as when the leaves began to change or how we thought those days would never end."   

Jesus felt strongly about the evil of sexual immorality. Expanding on the Law of Moses that condemns adultery, Jesus reminds his followers that all sexual impropriety is sinful, indeed all activity that leads to any type of sin is wrong. Using exaggeration as he often does, he urges everyone to control their sexual thoughts concerning others, telling them to control all of their activities, warning them that if they do not, they risk the pains of Gehenna or hell.

In many ways, young people do not want to grow up. To grow up means that they have to face some things. Life is not always having a good time, making themselves feel good, doing anything they wanted and not getting caught. Human nature may delight in such actions, but it leads to problems. We find that we hurt people, we find that we hurt ourselves. We find that a religious figure like Jesus who counseled people to mature in their behavior makes sense.

The song "All Summer Long" by Kid Rock says that we can think about the past and enjoy it, but the fact is that the leaves will change—time will march on. The past was a time when "thoughts were short," and now his thoughts must turn to maturity.

Unfortunately, there are too many people who have refused to grow up, and they continue hurting others and themselves. Even though we like the feeling of adolescence, the time will pass. Leaves begin to change in life, whether we like it or not; we grow older, and we come to understand that the days of carefree living must end. If our lives are to be more than mere selfish desire, we must study our past behavior, realize our immaturity, and then accept a life that is worthy of the name of human.                   

THOUGHT
 
PRAYER

Good and gracious God, in many ways we do not want to grow up. We do not want to listen to your Son who tells us to grow. But we know that we must, not only because it is what you want, but because in the end, it is what we want. Help us to choose to do the things that will lead us to maturity. Be with us, we pray. 

Questions, comments? Let me know. Email Fr. Mike

©2007 Capuchin Province of Mid-America
Fr. Mike Scully is a member of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America