Daily Gospel Reflection for June 14, 2014

Today's Gospel: Matthew 5:33-37

Today’s Gospel discusses swearing under oaths.  It asks us to examine the directness of our own speech.

How many times have you said, “I swear?”  Or worse yet, “I swear to God?”  Jesus explains in today’s Gospel that we don’t have this right.  He goes so far as to point out that we can’t control the color of our hair (at least not without Clairol).  He controls the universe and we should not be calling on Him to prove we are telling the truth.

We, as Christians, have no need to swear because we should always be telling the truth.  When we say “yes” we should mean yes and then do it.  When we say “no” we should stick to it.  Easy peasy!

If we constantly say something followed by, “I swear”, we might’s as well be saying “Hey, typically I lie all of the time, but this time I’m telling the truth.”  It makes no sense and defeats the power of our Christian witness.

Let’s say what we mean and mean what we say, always speaking the truth in love.

Ponder:

Today, ask yourself:

• Do I use the expression “I swear” unnecessarily?
• Does my yes mean yeas and my no mean no?
• Do I speak the truth in love?

Pray:

Lord, make me a person of me word.  Teach me to use my speech in a way that is always pleasing to You.  Help me to speak the truth in love.  Amen.

Copyright 2014 Ellen Toole