You Shall not Murder

GOSPEL THOUGHTS

*Ordinary Season : Twentieth Week:  Monday*

*Gospel : Mt 19:16-22* 

*First Reading : Ez 24:15-24*

*Responsorial Psalm : Deuteronomy : 32: 18-21*

*You Shall not Murder*

*1) Is murder only physical killing?*

No. Physical killing is the most extreme form of destroying life, but the biblical vision of life is much broader. A person can be alive physically but wounded, humiliated, rejected, silenced, or destroyed inwardly. We can therefore speak of several levels:

*A) Physical Murder* : This is the most obvious meaning. Taking someone's life deliberately. Human life is sacred because it belongs to God. I have no right to make myself the master of another person's life.

*B) Murder by Words* : Sometimes the tongue becomes a weapon. A person can kill another person's: reputation, confidence, dignity, relationships, hope. Before asking, “Did I kill anyone?” we should also ask, “Did my words make someone wish they were dead?”

*C) Murder of Dignity* : A person may be treated as though he or she has no value. This happens through: humiliation, discrimination, caste or class prejudice, treating the poor as inferior, insulting domestic workers. Therefore, when I deliberately destroy another person's dignity, I am attacking something sacred.

*D) Murder through Hatred* : Hatred can become the seed of murder. We may never physically kill someone, but we can carry a person inside our heart with: revenge, bitterness, jealousy, hatred. The hands may be clean while the heart is full of violence.

*E) Murder through Indifference* :  This is a particularly modern form. We see: a person suffering and ignore them, an elderly person abandoned, someone being falsely accused. Indifference can become another form of violence.

*2) The deepest movement: From “Do not kill” to “Make life flourish”* 

This is perhaps the most beautiful way to understand the commandment.

Christian morality is not simply:  Don't kill - It is: Help people live.

Not merely: Don't hurt. But: Heal.

Not merely: Don't insult. But: Encourage.

Not merely: Don't reject. But: Welcome.

Not merely: Don't destroy someone's dignity. But: Restore their dignity.

Therefore, the commandment can be paraphrased: “Do not become a destroyer of life; become a protector and promoter of life.”

*3) The tragedy of the rich young man*

The Gospel says: “When the young man heard this, he went away grieving, because he had many possessions.”

There is a profound contrast: He has kept the commandment “Do not kill,” but he cannot give life to the poor.

He has avoided murder, but he has not yet learned self-giving love.

His problem is not simply that he possesses wealth. His deeper problem is that his possessions possess him.

Jesus is inviting him from:

Possessing → Sharing

Self-centredness → Generosity

Security in wealth → Security in God

Keeping commandments → Following Christ

Avoiding evil → Creating good

*4) Some striking applications for our life* 

*Don't kill the person with your tongue* : Before speaking, ask: “Will my words give life or take life?”

*Don't kill someone's dignity* : Never humiliate a person simply because you have greater authority, education, money or status.

*Don't kill a child's confidence* : Correction should form the child, not destroy the child.

*Don't kill relationships through unforgiveness* : Sometimes we keep someone alive physically but dead in our heart. Forgiveness allows a relationship to breathe again.

*Don't kill someone's hope* : A Christian should be someone who can say: “There is still a way forward.”

*Don't kill compassion through indifference* : The question is not merely: “Did I cause the suffering?” It is also: “When I saw suffering, what did I do?”

*Don't allow money to kill generosity* : The rich young man shows us that possessions can become an obstacle to love. Money can buy many things, but it must never buy our conscience.

*Don't kill the environment* : Human life depends upon creation. Destroying the conditions necessary for life is also contrary to the biblical call to protect creation.

“I may never have murdered anyone with my hands—but whom have I wounded with my words, rejected by my attitude, destroyed by my anger, neglected by my indifference, or deprived of hope by my selfishness?”

*Think about it*

*God bless you and your family. Praying for you and your dear ones*

*Fr Maxim DSouza*

*Jeppu Seminary*

*Mangalore*