Is Adultery O.K., if … ? – Aug 29 – Homily – Fr Matthias

 

Fr Matthias M. Sasko gives the homily for the Memorial of the Passion of Saint John the Baptist.(Aug 29, 2026) on how St. John the Baptist’s condemnation of Herod’s adultery points to the uncompromising holiness of Christian marriage, and the truth that some acts can never be justified by circumstances or desired outcomes.

Through the example of Maria Walewska and St. John Paul II’s Veritatis Splendor, Father shows how the Church’s moral teaching protects human dignity by refusing to call evil good—even when doing so seems to promise some greater benefit.

Index
00:00 - Herod's Adultery and St. John the Baptist's Denunciation
00:38 - Christ's Elevation of Marriage to a Sacrament
01:29 - The Danger of Seeking Exceptions to Moral Law
02:25 - The Cruelty of "Pastoral" Justifications for Adultery
04:25 - The Tragic Example of Maria Walewska and Napoleon
07:53 - St. John Paul II on Martyrdom and Moral Clarity
09:08 - St. John the Baptist: A Martyr for the Holiness of Marriage

Scriptural, Catechetical, and Magisterial resources
Matthew 19:6 – God joins, no man separates marriage – https://airmaria.com/go/sWCxn4
CCC 2380 – Adultery: grave offense against marriage – https://airmaria.com/go/JeHhPd
Isaiah 5:20 – Woe to those calling evil good – https://airmaria.com/go/CbM5Aj
CCC 1756 – Object, intention, circumstances of moral act – https://airmaria.com/go/WLBedy
Mark 6:17-18 – John the Baptist denounces Herod's marriage – https://airmaria.com/go/hqj9BP
Pope Pius XI – Church teaches marriage bond remains indissoluble despite adultery or excuses – https://airmaria.com/go/DCdAvB
Faith – Some claim New Testament allows flexible non-legal view of indissolubility – https://airmaria.com/go/HCtMbP
Faith – Critics call Church teaching on remarriage overly legalistic and unpastoral – https://airmaria.com/go/MpndQk
Denzinger – Canon condemns claim that Church errs on indissoluble marriage after adultery – https://airmaria.com/go/NH6BEz
Sacraments 2013 – Sacramental order as divine mercy resists revocation by same principle – https://airmaria.com/go/BgNYRP

Ave Maria!

Mass: The Beheading of St. John the Baptist - Mem - http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08486b.htm
Readings: Saturday in the 21st Week in Ordinary Time - http://usccb.org/bible/readings/082926.cfm
1st: 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 - God’s Choice of the Lowly
Resp: Psalms 33:12-13, 18-19, 20-21 - Praise of God's Faithfulness
Gsp: Matthew 25:14-30 - Parable of the Talents

More on the Readings: https://airmaria.com/r?m=1147&r=929

Also on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3s5EVVfFLto