74: Enmity
Chapter 74 broadens the scope of the Fifth Commandment beyond physical killing to encompass all forms of enmity that directly or indirectly harm another's life, limbs, or health, whether in thought, desire, or deed. It condemns fighting, assault, and battery as breaches of divine law unless strictly for self-defense. The chapter emphasizes that hatred, even when unexpressed in action, constitutes murder in the eyes of God, and that nourishing grudges or finding satisfaction in another's misfortune are grievous sins. Finally, it highlights the culpability of recklessness and negligence for unforeseen harm, asserting that indirect sins remain serious, and foreshadows the discussion of scandal as a spiritual "murder" of the soul.
For the full audiobook can be obtained here. The contents of this volume appeared originally in The Catholic Transcript, of Hartford, Connecticut, in weekly installments, from February, 1901, to February, 1903.
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