ADULTERY The broken ring of Love Volume 1
A
mong other things, the reader is advised to read this book, not as one would read a novel, but to take one chapter at a time. This is necessary because the book is dense/loaded; it is the kind of thing one should read a paragraph or two and then pause to consider the points made therein. It is not to be read in a hurry. The reader should also be encouraged to read it with someone else - a spouse or friend, so as to discuss points in it as they read along. This enhances understanding and makes the experience more rewarding.
One of the GREAT features of the manuscript is the profusion of relevant quotations taken from the Bible and other Church documents. It will be helpful if readers are encouraged to also read these sources from where the excerpts had been taken so as to better understand the contexts of the teachings and admonitions. The citation of several sources shows the AUTHORITY behind the book itself – as not merely your casual thoughts or wisdom but the teachings of God and his Church which you have processed/synthesized/simplified for easier understanding by readers, God's people. Great job indeed!
Who is the book for? Male, female, or both? The old, the young or both? Married, single/consecrated or both? I think it is for all people: male and female, old and young, married and single/consecrated – all who are likely to be in a situation where they are tempted to go against this law of God. Every person gets the urge to satisfy some sexual desire and so is at risk. The attention of the readers is drawn to the folly in thinking that they are “free” to engage in sexual acts when they are single. The book itself states clearly that fornication is no less serious; it is the nursery for adultery. In reference to the question as to who this book is addressed to, it is for EVERYBODY, married and unmarried. It is good for people who are about to get married so as to prepare them for the demands of the virtue of chastity. It is good even for people who are not yet contemplating marriage so that they learn to respect the marital state and avoid attracting divine wrath on themselves. This is an ESSENTIAL text for people whose marriages are experiencing challenges. It is an ESSENTIAL book for marriage counsellors and people who give pre-wedding courses/talks. Though it is grounded on Catholic doctrine and life, it is for EVERYBODY who desires a happy uncomplicated marriage and trouble-free life, generally. It is a good book for both clergy and lay faithful alike.
Is it only sexual intercourse, and the desire for sex that constitute adultery? Not at all. It has gone further to include those seemingly 'harmless' things that predispose people to full intercourse or prepare the grounds for it to happen: flirtation, kissing, other forms of physical contact, interpersonal communication (especially in the era of technological revolution), accessing of pornographic texts (books, magazines, films and music), patronizing of places like clubs and websites where immoral pleasures are on sale/display, etc. Before the act is committed physically, it may have already been rehearsed a thousand times in the mind and experimented on in the form of masturbation (which has been adequately treated in the book). Giving some attention to these is especially necessary given the historical dimension of the subject of adultery, impurity and violation of God's covenant with man. The book has explored this in diverse ways from the Genesis account of the fall of man in the Garden of Eden through the rest of the Old Testament to the New Testament. It has been spiced with references to recent events/experiences reported in the media.
However, it needs to stress that adultery has not changed nor has it been redefined by the Church. What has changed somewhat is the way 'modern' people go about it and, especially, the ways they seek to deodorize it or make it seem less odious with expressions like “love making” and “free love”. The tendency among such people is to describe such sexual acts as “harmless” and “private”. The book has of course argued that the effects of sexual act as “harmless” and “private” is not tenable. It has argued that the effects of sexual acts – like masturbation – carried out by the individual will usually produce effects that are lasting and inter-personal. It's a GREAT job. Congratulations. More power to your elbow.
Professor Remy Oriaku
Department of English