The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to be open to a radical change in our way of living that will be a more truthful testimony to our faith, hope and love.
In the Reading from the First Book of Kings, Elijah experiences a theophany and receives a commission.;
* [19:1–21] The story of Elijah’s journey to Mount Horeb begins as a flight from danger, but takes a surprising turn. The prophet makes his solitary way to the mountain where the Lord had appeared to Moses and the Israelites (“Horeb” is an alternate name for “Sinai”). Like Moses on the holy mountain, Elijah experiences a theophany and receives a commission.
* [19:19–21] Elijah’s act of throwing his mantle over the shoulders of Elisha associates him with Elijah as a servant (v. 21). Elisha will later succeed to Elijah’s position and prophetic power (2 Kgs 2:1–15). Elisha’s prompt response, destroying his plow and oxen, signifies a radical change from his former manner of living. (1 Kings CHAPTER 19 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 16 reflects on the wise and life-giving presence of God .
* [Psalm 16] In the first section, the psalmist rejects the futile worship of false gods (Ps 16:2–5), preferring Israel’s God (Ps 16:1), the giver of the land (Ps 16:6). The second section reflects on the wise and life-giving presence of God (Ps 16:7–11). (Psalms, PSALM 16 | USCCB, n.d.)
The Gospel of Matthew presents the Teaching About Oaths.
* [5:33] This is not an exact quotation of any Old Testament text, but see Ex 20:7; Dt 5:11; Lv 19:12. The purpose of an oath was to guarantee truthfulness by one’s calling on God as witness.
* [5:34–36] The use of these oath formularies that avoid the divine name is in fact equivalent to swearing by it, for all the things sworn by are related to God.
* [5:37] Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No’: literally, “let your speech be ‘Yes, yes,’ ‘No, no.’” Some have understood this as a milder form of oath, permitted by Jesus. In view of Mt 5:34, “Do not swear at all,” that is unlikely. From the evil one: i.e., from the devil. Oath-taking presupposes a sinful weakness of the human race, namely, the tendency to lie. Jesus demands of his disciples a truthfulness that makes oaths unnecessary. (Matthew CHAPTER 5 | USCCB, n.d.)
David Crawford comments that common thread in these (and many other stories from Scripture) is of God interrupting someone who is busy – sometimes with a major life change, sometimes with an opportunity to serve or show love.
Many of us lead busy lives, with daily calendars filled with work responsibilities, family commitments, leisure activities, even church obligations. We resist anything that distracts us from what we have before us or that takes away from what we consider important. I am reminded that, as a child, I too often responded childishly when my mother or father asked me to do something. “I’m busy!” “Not now. I’m already doing something.” “Can’t someone else do it?” “Can it wait until my show is over?” Is our response equally childish when our Heavenly Father wants us to do something?
Our Heavenly Father will call us, in different ways, often at inopportune times. Listen for God’s voice. Heed the Spirit’s promptings to serve, to minister, to love. (Crawford, n.d.)
Don Schwager quotes The Light of Truth, by Chromatius (died 406 AD)
"By the grace of gospel teaching, the law given by Moses acquired an advantage. The law prescribes that one must not swear falsely; but according to the gospel one must not swear at all. The Holy Spirit had seen fit to order this through Solomon when he said, 'Do not accustom your mouth to oaths' (Sirach 23:9). And again: 'Even as a well-chastised servant is not deterred from envy, whoever swears and does business will not be purged from sin' (Sirach 23:11). Therefore it is absolutely inappropriate for us to swear. What need is there for us to swear when we are not allowed to lie at all and our words must always be true and trustworthy, so much so that they may be taken as an oath? On this, the Lord not only forbids us to swear falsely but even to swear, lest we appear to tell the truth only when we swear and lest (while we should be truthful in our every word) we think it is all right to lie when we do not take an oath. For this is the purpose of an oath: Everyone who swears, swears to the fact what he is saying is true. Therefore the Lord does not want a gap between our oath and our ordinary speech. Even as there must be no faithlessness in an oath, in our words there must be no lie. For both false swearing and lying are punished with divine judgment, as the Scripture says: 'The mouth that lies kills the soul' (Wisdom 1:11). So whoever speaks the truth swears, for it is written: 'A faithful witness will not lie' (Proverbs 14:5). (excerpt from TRACTATE ON MATTHEW 24.2.2-4)
[Note: Chromatius was an early Christian scholar and bishop of Aquileia, Italy. He was a close friend of John Chrysostom and Jerome. He died in 406 AD. Jerome describead him as a "most learned and most holy man."] (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 5:33-37 comments that we won’t need to swear to the truth of everything we say or the reliability of every promise we make. People will trust us not because of our words but because of the integrity of our lives.
Words matter to Jesus. There was never a conflict between what he said and what he did because he was perfectly committed to living out the truths he professed. In a similar way, he wants our words to be a clear reflection of the state of our hearts. So guard your words. Pay attention to what comes out of your mouth today, and see how your words match your deeds and your intentions. And where you see a discrepancy, seek the help of the Lord. Tell him that you want to become as honest and trustworthy as he is!
“Jesus, help me to be honest in word and deed!” (Meditation on Matthew 5:33-37, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments on the texts for today.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Cynthia Bourgeault who offers a blessing to students of The Divine Exchange.
If we could just get across the hump and shift to this new paradigm, this whole new way of thinking from the collective, out and around rather than from the individual up, it may just happen that we see the shift to a whole new cosmovision, a whole new level of consciousness, maybe even within our own lifetimes.
These teachings have the power to help renew a deeper relationship and more confidence in this man, Jesus, and to see Christianity, the religion he seeded, as alive, modern, relevant, and fully up to the task of carrying this beautiful flowing vision of exchange and oneness into the new cosmovision. Christ and Christianity were born for this moment. The ball is in our collective hands. Let’s run with it. (Rohr, n.d.)
We implore the Spirit of Truth to inform our relationship with God and our neighbours.
References
Crawford, D. (n.d.). Daily Reflections. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved June 13, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-june-13-2026
Matthew CHAPTER 5 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved June 13, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/5?33
Meditation on Matthew 5:33-37. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved June 13, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/06/13/1591101/
1 Kings CHAPTER 19 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved June 13, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1kings/19?9
Psalms, PSALM 16 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved June 13, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/16?
Rohr, R. (n.d.). Embracing the Divine Exchange: Weekly Summary. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved June 13, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/embracing-the-divine-exchange-weekly-summary/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Let What You Say Be Simply Yes or No. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved June 13, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/
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