The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to be open to respond to a call from the Spirit to live for truth, love, and goodness.
In the reading from the First Letter of Kings, Elisha becomes Elijah’s Disciple.
* [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, n.d.)
Psalm 16 is a song of Trust and Security in 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 excerpt from the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew, is a 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.)
Tom Quinn comments that most of us do not proclaim public, formal, Holy-Orders-like, surrender of ourselves to God. We all can, however, choose to live in a way that is God-centered, offering our daily efforts in praise of Him, and as an exemplar of faithfulness to those who surround us. We may promise or take oaths or vows to praise God and to follow His will as we understand it.
Jesus, in today’s gospel reading, warns us: “Do not take a false oath, but make good to the Lord all that you vow... Let your yes mean yes and your no mean no. Anything more is from the evil one.” I hope that I can live up to this short, wonderful, and wise Gospel. It is the core of what we need in our complex world. I want to say “yes” to God’s will and mean "yes.” (Quinn, 2024)
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 in today’s Gospel, Jesus addresses the importance of keeping our word. He wants our words to reflect accurately what is in our hearts, and he wants our actions to be consistent with our words. Ultimately, he is looking for faithfulness, a faithfulness that reflects God’s own fidelity. And that can help heal our wounds and restore trust in the people around us.
Honesty and integrity can bring God’s goodness into the world. And people need it! So let’s do our best to keep our word. As we do, God’s faithfulness can shine forth through us and offer hope and healing to everyone around us.
“Lord, let my yes mean yes!” (Meditation on Matthew 5:33-37, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler notes that twelve yoke of oxen indicate that Elisha is a rich young man as he responds to the call of Elijah to be his apprentice and successor. We cannot ignore those moments of grace when God calls us to a change. Friar Jude reminds us that Jesus teaches that we avoid oaths and choose to be authentic and transparent in our relationships.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, shares the work of Poet Robert Monson who writes of the beauty and possibilities endowed within our human flesh and all of creation.
Beautiful Possibilities
Each day emerges from the last
and potentials rise to kiss the sky.
In this place between
starshine and clay
we gather.
Flesh.
Beautiful Flesh.
The stuff of stars
and matter,
Today mattering
slowly but patiently
emerging into
beautiful possibilities.
And only time will tell of
and speak to
the way our possibilities
will merge with one another’s.
So.
Hurting we emerge
hopeful we emerge
Knowing that in this place,
our sacred flesh isn’t just tolerated,
but welcomed,
nourished,
sought for.Reference:
Robert Monson, “Beautiful Possibilities,” enfleshed.com. (Rohr, n.d.)
As we respond to the mission revealed to us by the Spirit on our journey, we are reminded of the essential need for veracity and authenticity in our relationships.
References
Matthew, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved June 15, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/5
Meditation on Matthew 5:33-37. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved June 15, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/06/15/1001050/
1 Kings, CHAPTER 19. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 15, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1kings/19?9
Psalms, PSALM 16 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved June 15, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/16?1
Quinn, T. (2024, June 15). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved June 15, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/061524.html
Rohr, R. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved June 15, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/intimacy-and-sexual-wholeness-weekly-summary/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved June 15, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=jun15
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