This is in reaction to Emily A. Marcelo’s article titled “Must she feel guilty over a one-night-stand with a much younger man?” (Lifestyle, 7/28/13) In Marcelo’s article, an elderly married woman asks her if she should feel guilty about her tryst with a younger man. Marcelo’s response was, and I quote in part:
“If your God is the same as mine, no worries then. This God we believe in is not judgmental, malicious or pea-brained. This God is fantastically munificent and absolutely understanding.
“It’s the holier-than-thous, the God’s gift to humanity-ripe-for-canonization-types that are the pebble in the shoe. They are privy to God’s thinking, and therefore, divinities themselves.
“… Would your friend rather that you remained unhappy and miserable on your way to the box? …That moment was totally unexpected for you. A surprise gift.”
As much as I respect Marcelo’s freedom to say what she wants, I would have to respectfully disagree with her response, which was devoid of any objectivity whatsoever.
She says that God is not judgmental, malicious, or pea-brained. Unless she has a totally different God, I cannot think of a reason why she would say that God is pea-brained by calling a spade a spade. God, after all, gave the commandments to Moses: Thou shall not commit adultery. Even in a highly secularized society, many of our existing laws have the Ten Commandments as their foundation.
For Marcelo, if I call this as I see it, which is a night of infidelity to the letter-sender’s husband, I would be, “holier-than-thou.” I am disappointed that a seasoned writer of her caliber would say such things about those who oppose her views.
For the married woman to endure such a long time without having relations with her husband is unfortunate, but it should never be an excuse for marital infidelity. Apparently, she views this tryst as a “gift.” I believe that God has bestowed upon spouses the greatest gifts: the love they have for each another, their faithfulness to their marital vows, and the children that God has given them. To cheat on your spouse is never a gift.
I do not wish any harm or misfortune upon Marcelo, but I am curious: If her husband (if she were married) cheats on her, will she tell her husband that his infidelity is a gift?
—ANTHONY JAMES PEREZ,
president, Filipinos for Life,
ajuperez42@gmail.com