77: The Sin of Iniquity
Chapter 77 defines lust as the abuse of a sacred, "quasi-divine" faculty designed by the Creator for specific purposes within matrimony, making any satisfaction of passion outside of lawful wedlock a revolt against divine order and a "moral poisoning of the wells of life." The malice of such acts, referred to as fornication, adultery, sacrilege, and incest, is aggravated by factors like vows and blood relationships. The text strongly condemns the habit of vice, which betrays contempt for God, and specifically targets those who exploit or traffic in immorality, viewing them as even more culpable than the immediate perpetrators. It concludes by asserting that civil laws like divorce, which permit remarriage, are null and void in the eyes of God, as they essentially sanction adultery, drawing divine wrath despite legal protection.
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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