The reading from the Prophet Daniel 13:41-62 speaks of the story of Susana, a woman reverent to God that is accused unjustly of having committed adultery, but that God intervenes in her life and the sentence of condemnation to death. It is worth a look to read this text.

Upon reading this story of Susana, before looking at the prayer she makes to God, putting her confidence in Him and receiving as response the liberation from death, I want to observe the two “men of God” that desire Susana and tried to kill her to cover-up their own sin.

When Daniel is judging the two, he says something quite serious: “beauty has seduced you, lust has subverted your conscience.” (Dn 13:56 NAB) They were called to be men of God, but they did not persevere, they did not maintain purity of eyes, allowing themselves to be fascinated by beauty and for desire. The result it says was that the heart was corrupted, perverted, inclined itself toward evil and away from the Lord. Therefore, they began to commit terrible crimes and abuses.

All began with the wickedness and malice of the eyes. It is the intimate reality, allowing fascination and corruption and giving space for the desire that enters the heart and grows in strength, when this happened they just wanted to fulfill this desire and thus turn from the Lord. The terrible consequence was the physical death of the two, but in truth, it was the fulfillment of the death that happened before, the death of values and of truth. The death of the kindness of heart.

This type of sin, that these men committed, is not born overnight, it is going to grow little by little subtly. Great sins are done from small concessions and small transgressions. The transgressions of the eyes, of thinking, of imagination, of fantasy, of the heart and finally of the concrete action in itself.

Therefore, the Lord is asking all of us that we purify our eyes. The eyes are entrance for a majority of sins. In the Gospel of Luke: 11:34, Jesus tells us “The lamp that lights the body is the eye. If you eye is clean, you will be filled with light, but if your eye is bad, you will remain in darkness!”

God speaks to us also in Apocalypse 3:18 NAB: “buy ointment to smear on your eyes so that you may see.”

It is necessary daily to purify your eyes in order that you may remain intact in the Lord and thus in heart remain in Him and not turn from Him.

God Bless your day!
Fr. Clovis

Translated from Portuguese