The great happiness proposed to the peacemakers, of being called the
children of God, 2 should prove a powerful incentive to the pastor to explain to the
faithful with care and accuracy the obligations imposed by this Commandment. No
means more efficacious can be adopted to promote peace among mankind, than the
proper explanation of this Commandment and its holy and due observance by all.
Then might we hope that men, united in the strictest bonds of union, would live
in perfect peace and concord.
The necessity of explaining this Commandment is proved from the
following. Immediately after the earth was overwhelmed in universal deluge,
this was the first prohibition made by God to man. I will
require the blood of your lives, He said, at the hand of every beast and at the
hand of man. 3 In the next place, among the precepts of the Old Law expounded by
our Lord, this Commandment was mentioned first by Him; concerning which it is
written in the Gospel of St. Matthew: It has been said thou shalt not kill,
etc. 4
The faithful, on their part, should hear with willing attention the
explanation of this Commandment, since its purpose is to protect the life of
each one. These words, Thou shalt not kill, emphatically forbid
homicide; and they should be heard by all with the same pleasure as if God,
expressly naming each individual, were to prohibit injury to be offered him
under a threat of the divine anger and the heaviest chastisements. As, then,
the announcement of this Commandment must be heard with pleasure, so also
should the avoidance of the sin which it forbids give pleasure. {a}
In the explanation of this Commandment the Lord points out its twofold
obligation. The one is prohibitory and forbids us to kill; the other is
mandatory and commands us to cherish sentiments of charity, concord and
friendship towards our enemies, to have peace with all men, and finally, to
endure with patience every inconvenience.
With regard to the prohibitory part, it should first be taught what
kinds of killing are not forbidden by this Commandment. It is not prohibited to
kill animals; for if God permits man to eat them, it is also lawful to kill
them. When, says St. Augustine, we hear the words, "Thou shalt
not kill," we do not understand this of the fruits of the earth, which are
insensible, nor of irrational animals, which form no part of human society.
5
Another kind of lawful slaying belongs to the civil authorities, to
whom is entrusted power of life and death, by the legal and judicious exercise
of which they punish the guilty and protect the innocent. The just use of this
power, far from involving the crime of murder, is an act of paramount obedience
to this Commandment which prohibits murder. The end of the Commandment is the
preservation and security of human life. Now the punishments inflicted by the
civil authority, which is the legitimate avenger of crime, naturally tend to
this end, since they give security to life by repressing outrage and violence.
Hence these words of David: In the morning I put to death all the wicked of
the land, that I might cut off all the workers of iniquity from the city of the
Lord. 6
In like manner, the soldier is guiltless who, actuated not by motives
of ambition or cruelty, but by a pure desire of serving the interests of his
country, takes away the life of an enemy in a just war.
Furthermore, there are on record instances of carnage executed by the
special command of God. The sons of Levi, who put to death so many thousands in
one day, were guilty of no sin; when the slaughter had ceased, they were
addressed by Moses in these words: You have consecrated your hands this day
to the Lord. 7
Again, death caused, not by intent or design, but by accident, is not
murder. He that killeth his neighbour ignorantly, says the book of
Deuteronomy, and who is proved to have had no hatred against him yesterday
and the day before, but to have gone with him to the wood to hew wood, and in
cutting down the tree the axe slipt out of his hand, and the iron slipping from
the handle struck his friend and killed him, shall live. 8 Such accidental deaths, because inflicted without intent or
design, involve no guilt whatever, and this is confirmed by the words of St.
Augustine: God forbid that what we do for a good and lawful end shall be
imputed to us, if, contrary to our intention, evil thereby befall any one. 9
There are, however, two cases in which guilt attaches (to accidental
death). The first case is when death results from an unlawful act; when, for
instance, a person kicks or strikes a woman in a state of pregnancy, and
abortion follows. The consequence, it is true, may not have been intended, but
this does not exculpate the offender, because the act of striking a pregnant
woman is in itself unlawful. The other case is when death is caused by
negligence, carelessness or want of due precaution.
If a man kill another in self-defence, having used every means consistent
with his own safety to avoid the infliction of death, he evidently does not
violate this Commandment.
The above are the cases in which life may be taken without violating
this Commandment; and with these exceptions all other killing is forbidden,
whether we consider the person who kills, the person killed, or the means used
to kill.
As to the person who kills, the Commandment recognizes no exception
whatever, be he rich or powerful, master or parent. All, without exception or
distinction, are forbidden to kill.
With regard to the person killed, the law extends to all. There is no
individual, however humble or lowly his condition, whose life is not shielded
by this law.
It also forbids suicide. No man possesses such power over his own life
as to be at liberty to put himself to death. Hence we find that the Commandment
does not say: Thou shalt not kill another, but simply: Thou shalt not
kill.
Finally, if we consider the numerous means by which murder may be
committed, the law admits of no exception. Not only does it forbid to take away
the life of another by laying violent hands on him, by means of a sword, a
stone, a stick, a halter, or by administering poison; but also strictly prohibits
the accomplishment of the death of another by counsel, assistance, help or any
other means whatever. {b}
The Jews, with singular dullness of apprehension, thought that to abstain
from taking life with their own hands was enough to satisfy the obligation
imposed by this Commandment. But the Christian, instructed in the
interpretation of Christ, has learned that the precept is spiritual, and that
it commands us not only to keep our hands unstained, but our hearts pure and
undefiled; hence what the Jews regarded as quite sufficient, is not sufficient
at all. For the Gospel has taught that it is unlawful even to be angry with
anyone: But I say to you that whosoever is angry with his brother, shall be
in danger of the judgment. And whosoever shall say to his brother,
"Raca," shall be in danger of the council. And whosoever shall say,
"Thou fool," shall be in danger of hell fire. 10 From these words it clearly follows that he who is angry with his
brother is not free from sin, even though he conceals his resentment; that he
who gives indication of his wrath sins grievously; and that he who does not
hesitate to treat another with harshness, and to utter contumelious reproaches
against him, sins still more grievously. {c}
This, however, is to be understood of cases in which no just cause of
anger exists. God and His laws permit us to be angry when we chastise the
faults of those who are subject to us. For the anger of a Christian should
spring from the Holy Spirit and not from carnal impulse, seeing that we should
be temples of the Holy Ghost, in which Jesus Christ may dwell. 11
Our Lord has left us many other lessons of instruction with regard to
the perfect observance of this law, such as Not to resist evil; but if one
strike thee on thy right cheek, turn to him also the other. And if a man will
contend with thee in judgment, and take away thy coat, let go thy cloak also
unto him; and whosoever will force thee one mile, go with him two. 12 {d}
From what has been said, it is easy to see how inclined man is to those
sins which are prohibited by this Commandment, and how many are guilty of
murder, if not in fact, at least in desire. As, then, the Sacred Scriptures
prescribe remedies for so dangerous a disease, the pastor should spare no pains
in making them known to the faithful.
Of these remedies the most efficacious is to form a just conception of
the wickedness of murder. The enormity of this sin is manifest from many and
weighty passages of Holy Scripture. So much does God abominate homicide that He
declares in Holy Writ that of the very beast of the field He will exact
vengeance for the life of man, commanding the beast that injures man to be put
to death. 13 {e} And if (the Almighty) commanded man to have a horror of blood, 14 He did so for no other reason than to impress on his mind the
obligation of entirely refraining, both in act and desire, from the enormity of
homicide. {f}
The murderer is the worst enemy of his species, and consequently of
nature. To the utmost of his power he destroys the universal work of God by the
destruction of man, since God declares that He created all things for man's
sake. Nay, as it is forbidden in Genesis to take human life, because God
created man to his own image and likeness, he who makes away with God's image
offers great injury to God, and almost seems to lay violent hands on God
Himself !
David, thinking of this with a mind divinely illumined, complained
bitterly of the bloodthirsty in these words: Their feet are swift to shed
blood. 15 He does not simply say, they kill,
but, they shed blood, words which serve to mark the enormity of that
execrable crime and to denote the barbarous cruelty of the murderer. With a
view also to describe in particular how the murderer is precipitated by the
impulse of the devil into the commission of such a crime, he says: Their
feet are swift.
The mandatory part of this Commandment, as Christ our Lord enjoins,
requires that we have peace with all men. Interpreting the Commandment He says:
If therefore thou offer thy gift at the altar, and there thou remember that
thy brother hath anything against thee; leave there thy offering before the
altar, and go first to be reconciled to thy brother, and then coming thou shalt
offer thy gift, etc. 16
In explaining this admonition, the pastor should show that it
inculcates the duty of charity towards all without exception. In his
instruction on the precept he should exhort the faithful as much as possible to
the practice of this virtue, since it is especially included in this precept.
For since hatred is clearly forbidden by this Commandment, as whosoever
hateth his brother is a murderer, 17 it follows, as an evident consequence, that the
Commandment also inculcates charity and love.
And since the Commandment inculcates charity and love, it must also
enjoin all those duties and good offices which follow in their train. Charity
is patient, says St. Paul. 18 We are therefore commanded
patience, in which, as the Redeemer teaches, we shall possess our souls.
19 Charity is kind; 20 beneficence is, therefore,
the friend and companion of charity. The virtue of beneficence and kindness has
a great range. Its principal offices are to relieve the wants of the poor, to
feed the hungry, to give drink to the thirsty, to clothe the naked; and in all
these acts of beneficence we should proportion our liberality to the wants and
necessities of those we help.
These works of beneficence and goodness, in themselves exalted, become
still more illustrious when done towards an enemy; for our Saviour says: Love
your enemies, do good to them that hate you, 21 which also the Apostle enjoins in these
words: If thine enemy be hungry, give him to eat: if he thirst, give him to
drink. For, doing this, thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not
overcome by evil, but overcome evil by good. 22
Finally, if we consider the law of charity, which is kind, we
shall be convinced that to practice the good offices of mildness, clemency, and
other kindred virtues, is a duty prescribed by that law. {g}
But the most important duty of all, and that which is the fullest
expression of charity, and to the practice of which we should most habituate
ourselves, is to pardon and forgive from the heart the injuries which we may
have received from others. {h} The Sacred Scriptures, as we have already observed, frequently
admonish and exhort us to a full compliance with this duty. Not only do they
pronounce blessed those who do this, but they also declare that God
grants pardon to those who really fulfil this duty, while He refuses pardon to
those who neglect it, or refuse to obey it.
As the desire of revenge is almost natural to man, it becomes necessary
for the pastor to exert his utmost diligence not only to instruct, but also
earnestly to persuade the faithful, that a Christian should forgive and forget
injuries; and as this is a duty frequently inculcated by sacred writers, he
should consult them on the subject, in order to be able to subdue the
pertinacity of those whose minds are obstinately bent on revenge, and he should
have ready the forcible and appropriate arguments which those Fathers piously
employed. The three following considerations, however, demand particular
exposition.
First, he who thinks himself injured ought above all to be persuaded
that the man on whom he desires to be revenged was not the principal cause of
the loss or injury. Thus that admirable man, Job, when violently injured by the
Sabeans, the Chaldeans, and by Satan, took no account of these, but as a
righteous and very holy man exclaimed with no less truth than piety: The Lord
gave, the Lord hath taken away. 23 The words
and the example of that man of patience should, therefore, convince Christians,
and the conviction is most just, that whatever chastisements we endure in this
life come from the hand of God, the Father and Author of all justice and mercy.
He chastises us not as enemies, but, in His infinite goodness, corrects us as
children. To view the matter in its true light, men, in these cases, are
nothing more than the ministers and agents of God. One man, it is true, may
cherish the worst feelings towards another, he may harbour the most malignant
hatred against him; but, without the permission of God, he can do him no
injury. This is why Joseph was able patiently to endure the wicked counsels of
his brethren, 24
and David, the injuries inflicted on him by Semei. 25
Here also applies an argument which St. Chrysostom has ably and
learnedly handled. It is that no man is injured but by himself. 26 Let the man, who considers himself injured by another, consider
the matter in the right way and he will certainly find that he has received no
injury or loss from others. For although he may have experienced injury from
external causes, he is himself his greatest enemy by wickedly staining his soul
with hatred, malevolence and envy.
The second consideration is that there are two advantages, which are
the special rewards of those, who, influenced by a holy desire to please God,
freely forgive injuries. In the first place, God has promised that he who
forgives, shall himself obtain forgiveness of sins, a promise which clearly
shows how acceptable to God is this duty of piety. In the next place, the
forgiveness of injuries ennobles and perfects our nature; for by it man is in
some degree made like to God, Who maketh his sun to shine on the good and
the bad, and raineth upon the just and the unjust. 27
Finally, the disadvantages which arise from the refusal to pardon
others are to be explained. The pastor, therefore, should place before the eyes
of the unforgiving man that hatred is not only a grievous sin, but also that
the longer it is indulged the more deeply rooted it becomes. The man, of whose
heart this passion has once taken possession, thirsts for the blood of his
enemy. Filled with the hope of revenge, he will spend his days and nights
brooding over some evil design, so that his mind seems never to rest from
malignant projects, or even from thoughts of blood. Thus it follows that never,
or at least not without extreme difficulty, can he be induced generously to
pardon an offence, or even to mitigate his hostility. Justly, therefore, is
hatred compared to a wound in which the weapon remains firmly embedded.
Moreover, there are many evil consequences and sins which are linked
together with this one sin of hatred. Hence these words of St. John: He that
hateth his brother, is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not
whither he goeth; because the darkness hath blinded his eyes. 28 He must, therefore,
frequently fall; for how can anyone view in a favourable light the words or
actions of him whom he hates? Hence arise rash and unjust judgments, anger,
envy, detractions, and other evils of the same sort, in which are often
involved those who are connected by ties of friendship or blood; and thus does
it frequently happen that this one sin is the prolific source of many. {i}
Not without good reason is hatred called the sin of the devil.
The devil was a murderer from the beginning; and hence our Lord Jesus
Christ, the Son of God, when the Pharisees sought His life, said that they were
begotten of their father the devil. 29
Besides the reasons already adduced, which afford good grounds for
detesting this sin, other and most suitable remedies are prescribed in the
pages of Holy Writ.
Of these remedies the first and greatest is the example of the
Redeemer, which we should set before our eyes as a model for imitation. For He,
in whom even suspicion of fault could not be found, when scourged with rods,
crowned with thorns, and finally nailed to a cross, uttered that most
charitable prayer: Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.
30 And as the Apostle
testifies: The sprinkling of his blood speaketh better than Abel. 31
Another remedy, prescribed by Ecclesiasticus, is to call to mind death
and judgment: Remember thy last end, and. thou shalt never sin. 32. As if he had said: Reflect frequently and again and again that
you must soon die, and since at death there will be nothing you desire or need
more than great mercy from God, that now you should keep that mercy always
before your mind. Thus the cruel desire for revenge will be extinguished; for
you can discover no means better adapted, none more efficacious to obtain the
mercy of God than the forgiveness of injuries and love towards those who in word
or deed may have injured you or yours.
Endnotes
– The Fifth Commandment
1>
Exod.
xx 13.
2>
Matt.
v. 9.
3>
Gen.
ix. 5.
4>
Matt.
v. 21.
5>
De
Civit. Dei. lib. i. c. 20; De Morib. Manich. lib ii. c. 13-15.
6>
Ps.
c. 8.
7>
Exod.
xxxii. 29.
8>
Deut.
xix. 4.
9>
Epist.
cliv.
10> Matt. v. 22.
11> 1 Cor. vi. 19.
12> Matt. v. 39.
13> Gen. ix. 5, 6.
14> Gen. ix. 4.
15> Ps. xiii. 3.
16> Matt. v. 23, 24.
17> 1 John iii. 15.
18> 1 Cor. xiii. 4.
19> Luke xxi. 19.
20> 1 Cor. xiii. 4.
21> Matt. v. 44.
22> Rom. xii. 20.
23> Job i. 21.
24> Gen. xiv. 5.
25> 2 Kings xvi. 10.
26> Vol. 3. in Hom., “quod nemo
læditur nisi a seipso.”
27> Matt. v. 45.
28> 1 John ii. 11.
29> John viii. 44.
30> Luke xxiii. 34.
31> heb. xii. 24.
32> Eccl. vii. 40.
{a}
On the fifth Commandment see Summa Theol 2a. 2æ. cxxii. 6; St. Alphonsus,
Theol. Mor. iii. tr. 4. c. 1.
{b}On
killing and wounding see Summa Theol. 2a. 2æ. lxiv. lxv.
{c}
On contumely, derision and cursing see Summa Theol. 2a. 2æ. lxxii. lxxxv.
lxxvi.
{d}
On anger, hatred and revenge see Summa Theol. 1a. 2æ. xliv.-xlviii.,2a. 2æ.
clviii., 1a. 2æ. xxxiv, 2a. 2æ. cviii. c. 1.
{e}
On the ecclesiastical penalties for abortion, suicide and duelling, see Code of
Canon law, canons 2350 ff.
{f}
On the Old Testament law forbidding the use of blood see Summa Theol. 1a. 2æ.
cii. 3. ad 8.;6. ad 1.
{g}
On love of neighbor and its effects see Summa Theol. 2a. 2æ. xxvii.-xxiii. On clemency, meekness, modesty, patience see
ibid. clvii. ff.;
{h}
On love of enemies see Summa Theol. 2a. 2æ. xxv. 8. 9.
{i}
On the vices opposed to charity see Summa Theol. 2a. 2æ. xxxiv.-xliii.