“You have heard that it was said to your ancestors,

You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.

But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother

will be liable to judgment.

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.

Again you have heard that it was said to your ancestors,

Do not take a false oath,

but make good to the Lord all that you vow.

But I say to you, do not swear at all.

Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’

Anything more is from the evil one.”

One of the ways to understand Jesus’s new teachings is to think of them as radical. He pushes the previous understanding to the edge and makes sin much more accessible to our everyday thoughts and actions. It is a radicalization of the commandments that greatly expands their reach and meaning. Anger is equated with murder, lustful thoughts are equated with adultery, and a vow equated with evil, one’s word should be enough. In some way, it is a much harsher understanding of judgement. God’s punishment follows not only the commandments, but our interior thoughts and our words. It can be a fearful encounter with today’s gospel. Who can possibly escape God’s wrath? Who could possibly be without sin, considered righteous in the eyes of God?

Another way to understand Jesus’s new teachings it to see the importance that intention has for culpability. Culpability is the degree to which we are responsible for our actions in God’s judgement (no one else but God, besides ourselves, can ever know or understand our own intentions). Sometimes, in confession, I am asked, “Father, is this a sin?” The answer is often affirmative, but the question of whether one is culpable for the sin is more nuanced. It deals with the intention. God’s mercy is boundless and his understanding of our human condition is perfect, because he became one of us. In a poignant passage relating to culpability, the Catechism of the Catholic Church states, “affective immaturity, force of acquired habit, conditions of anxiety or other psychological or social factors,” may, “lessen, if not even reduce to a minimum, moral culpability.” We don’t want to explain away sin, but there are many factors, including our intention, that have a real affect on what we are truly guilty of. Our hearts matter to God. 

In, perhaps, our typical Catholic approach, it’s not either or, but both and. It’s not either a radicalization of the commandments or a nuanced approach to culpability, but both a radicalization and a nuanced approach to culpability. Jesus speaks to the human heart. It’s not just rules, but our intentions that matter. And most importantly, it is God’s grace and mercy that matter most. We all fail, but God forgives. We all fall short, but God is merciful. We all sin, but God gave himself for us on the cross out of love. Nothing can separate us from the love of God. All we have to do is crack open our hearts, to say yes to God’s divine mercy. Though simple, it is radical.