Ambrose elucidates this, stating that "prodigal lust is blind and sees nothing before it." Blinded by their desires, these individuals fail to see God; they become indifferent to His anger and do not fear His dire retribution. God harbors profound wrath against those tainted by fornication, as they not only violate His command to abstain from adultery but also bring great indignation upon the Son of God, Christ our Savior, by corrupting what the Apostle refers to as "the lips of fornication" (1 Corinthians 6:15). Our bodies serve as the lips of Christ; when one sullies their body through sexual immorality, they corrupt Christ's presence within themselves.
We are adorned in Christ through holy baptism, akin to donning royal attire: "If we are baptized into Christ, we shall be clothed in Christ, that we may be heirs of His kingdom" (Gal. 3:27-29). If anyone were to deliberately tarnish royal garments, or even the king himself, with repulsive filth, would not the king respond with fierce anger and punishment? In a similar vein, a Christian who engages in fornication defiles Christ, in whom he is clothed, with the repugnant stench of his sin. Does this not provoke Christ's anger and subject him to severe consequences? If in ancient times—before Christ's incarnation and the giving of the law—God did not spare fornicators, destroying some by the flood and others through fire and hail from above, how then will He show mercy now, after the advent of His law, when Christ dwells within human forms and civil laws forbid such behavior, imposing harsh penalties for iniquity? How can God allow those who scorn and disregard all of this, who do not fear temporal or eternal retribution, to engage in their sin without restraint? Certainly, God will exact unrelenting punishment upon such sinners. "God judges fornicators and adulterers," the Apostle asserts (Hebrews 13:4). He has already sharpened His discerning sword against them, as revealed in St. John's Revelation. Addressing His beloved disciple John, Christ proclaims, "To the angel of the Church of Pergamos write: This is what He says who has a two-edged sword" (Apoc. 2:12). Our Lord specifies those against whom this sword is drawn: "You have, he says, ‘those who hold the doctrine of Balaam,’ who teach Balak to put temptation before the children of Israel to engage in idolatry and fornication; you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which I hate" (Apoc. 2:14-15). What was the Nicolaitan doctrine? It endorsed shared wives and fornication without restraint. The Nicolaitans led faithful believers astray, much like Balaam led the Israelites in bygone days (Num. 31:16). Thus, it is evident that the Son of God has directed His sword against those who live in impurity. God views such individuals as adversaries, for, as the Apostle states, "the carnal mind is enmity against God" (Romans 8:7); that is, unchecked and unlawful desire manifests itself in fornication, constituting opposition to God.
If the long-suffering Lord refrains from immediate judgment upon His enemy, postponing punishment in the hopes of their repentance, the time will eventually come when He "will wash His hands in the blood of the sinner" (Psalm 57:11) if there is no repentance. Often, those steeped in sin find themselves struck by divine wrath and face sudden death, just as the flood engulfed humanity amid their marriages and trespasses, or fire consumed Sodom unexpectedly. At the very moment a fornicator indulges in their sin, God manifests His anger towards them, akin to treating them as an enemy: the sword of divine punishment looms over the sinner; hell yawns beneath them, and the flames of Gehenna ignite for them; the unquenchable worm multiplies, shadows engulf them beyond the grave, and Tartarus awaits with its torments—demonic forces ready to ensnare them, only restrained by God’s decree. Holy angels, witnessing the foul deeds, recoiled in disgust; saints are appalled; guardians lament, while demons delight; yet the prodigal’s mind remains oblivious to this reality, blinded to the notion of God and the punishment awaiting him. The shameless and indifferent become akin to a blind man, lacking awareness of those surrounding them, fully conscious that their transgressions are known, ridiculed, yet casting aside all shame. Examples can be found in Absalom, the son of David, who publicly disgraced himself before Israel (2 Sam. 16:22), in Herod, who unashamedly seized his brother's wife, and in Caesar Nero, who shamelessly bathed in the lake with maidens before his peers. Prodigal passion blinds one to shame, just as physical blindness erases all sense of decorum. The ancients, trapped in idolatry, aptly personified lust as a naked young man, Cupid, blindfolded and unclothed, embodying youth’s vacillation between indulgence and the utter lack of shame.
Those in positions of authority often succumb to carnal vices, losing themselves in their passions. Diogenes, a renowned Hellenic philosopher, remarked that fornication is the "queen of kings," suggesting that kings may possess nations, but are ensnared by this desire. The tale of Darius illustrates this; his concubine Apaminia audaciously took his crown, inducing him to submit to her whims. Likewise, the mighty Gothic king Athanarich served his mistress Pynthia, cleaning her footwear in abject subservience. This revelation speaks volumes about the captivity of desire. How bewildering that such a fearsome ruler, once esteemed among nations, could become a slave to lust! Ultimately, this blindness spares no man from the consequences of ignoring their own self-worth. The prodigal forfeits perceived benefits—spiritual, emotional, and material. He squanders external goods, wealth, and prosperity, leading to penury, as it is written: "He who tends to mistresses will destroy his wealth" (Proverbs 29:3).
An illustrative case is the parable of the prodigal son, who squandered his inheritance through a life of debauchery, ultimately yearning to consume what the swine ate (Luke 15:13-16). Prodigality harms not only the individual but devastates communities and nations, stripping kings of their authority and leaving military forces weakened. It was lust, after the fall of Sodom, that led to the ruin of the ancient Greek city of Troy due to Helen's betrayal. Similarly, the city of Shechem faced destruction after the violation of Dinah (Genesis 34:1-29), and Gibeah was obliterated in a civil war over dishonorable acts (Judges 20:4-48). What of powerful rulers? Sardanapalus lost both life and realm to his indulgences. Tarquin was exiled for dishonoring Lucretia. King David suffered dire consequences for his adultery, facing myriad trials—even though he received forgiveness, the punishment for his sin remained, manifesting as exile and familial turmoil.
The same destructive lust renders valiant armies ineffective and susceptible to defeat. The Israelites’ forces fell at the hands of the Philistines due to the sinful actions of their leaders, Hophni and Phinehas (1 Kings 2:22-34; 4:10-11). Similarly, Holofernes, the Assyrian commander, lost his life and army due to mere desires of lust, resulting in disgraceful defeat. Indeed, fornication serves no beneficial purpose and ultimately strips away happiness and divine favor from everyone involved. The uncontrolled fornicator also jeopardizes their physical health and vitality, leading to diseases that diminish beauty, strength, and even life expectancy. Such diseases, like leprosy, can serve to isolate one, leaving them odious and avoided. The fornicator also deprives themselves of fruitful relationships and the sacred joy of marriage, giving birth to dishonorable offspring rather than noble heirs. Adultery destroys true love, causing a spouse to loathe their partner and engage in betrayal out of spite.
Consequently, one who indulges in fornication undermines the years of their existence. Their strength wanes; their life is cut short, as they may encounter violent ends. Disputes over women can lead to death, as in the case of Taisias, the Egyptian harlot, drawing blood where men clashed for her favor. Ultimately, indulging in the passions of fornication depletes one's spiritual health. Memory fades, consciousness dims, and free will quails before unchecked desires. As this sin takes root, the individual finds themselves unable to act righteously, encapsulated in Paul's assertion: "For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing" (Rom. 7:19). As Wisdom states, "The desire of lust transforms the mind of the wicked" (Prem. 4:12).
For the soul devoted to Christ, the most significant loss lies in forfeiting divine grace. If unrepentant, one becomes estranged from God’s adoption, the inheritance of Heaven, communion with angels, fellowship with saints, and the promise of eternal life alongside Christ—a state of pure joy and delight for God’s faithful. "I shall be filled," the Scripture says, "when Thy glory shall appear" (Ps. 16:15). All these blessings are squandered by the covetous fornicator who is consumed by carnal lusts, facing eternal torment, unquenchable fire, undying worms, and the darkness beyond the grave. Yet in their blindness, they refuse to acknowledge these consequences, preparing themselves for cruel suffering. Oh, the tragic blindness for mere fleeting pleasures! The Psalmist articulates this affliction, "My iniquities have taken hold of me, and I cannot see" (Psalm 39:13). The holy angels condemned this blindness of the Sodomites right before their fiery judgment, rendering them unable to behold the truth of their actions.
THEOSIS