Catholic Replies
Q. Jesus said that “everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matt. 5:28). My question: What is the difference between normal sexual interest that keeps the species going and lust in one’s heart? — R.B., Virginia.A. Lust is an inordinate desire for sexual pleasure. Rather than the normal sexual attraction between men and woman, which is ordained toward marriage and family, lust is an excessive desire for immediate sexual gratification for one’s own pleasure, with no regard for the other person. Such sexual pleasure, says the Catechism, “is morally disordered when sought for itself, isolated from its procreative and unitive purposes” (n. 2351). Q. During a conversation with my neighbor,…Continue Reading