Saturday, June 14, 2003
10th Week in Ordinary Time

1st Reading: 2 Cor 5:14-21
Gospel: Mt 5:33-37

Jesus said to his disciples, "You have also heard that people were told in the past: Do not break your oath; an oath sworn to the Lord must be kept. But I tell you this: do not take oaths. Do not swear by the heavens, for they are God's throne, nor by the earth, because it is his footstool, nor by Jerusalem because it is the city of the great king. Do not even swear by your head, because you cannot make a single hair white or black. Say yes when you mean yes and say no when you mean no. Anything else you say comes from the devil."

Commentary

Jesus' followers have no need of oaths to confirm the veracity of their statements. Truthfulness is a hallmark of Christian holiness. We lie to avoid embarrassment, to gain undeserved profit, honor or position, or to avoid the punishment our actions deserve. Why do we have to? The Father has given each one of us different gifts. It is ours to discover them, hone them, and use them to serve others. Envy and jealousy only create bitterness and anger. They distract us from focusing on what the Father wants us to be. Along the way we can make mistakes. But the Father knows we are not perfect. Sometimes we do wrong willfully. He is ready to forgive. We can lose everything but the love of the Father... and we're still OK!

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