Daily Gospel Reflection for February 16, 2020

Today's Gospel: Matthew 5:17-37 - 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time The last verse in this Gospel is one to live your life by, no matter who you are or what you do. It is the best advice ever: “Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’ Anything more is from the evil one” (Matthew 5:37). In each example Jesus gives in this passage: that we should not be angry with each other, not commit adultery, not divorce and not to swear any oath for any reason, all comes down to your yes or no being the truth. It is the desire to live that way that is needed. None of us is perfect; we make mistakes, but God always knows our intentions. You may have heard the term “authentic witness or Christian” or the phrase “you can’t just talk the talk; you have to walk the walk.” What we are looking for are people who are truthful, transparent and trustworthy. Jesus calls us to be that person. We can’t love Him and not our neighbor. We expect the person who tells us how to live a good, Christian life to be a good Christian. That is what is so shocking and upsetting when people we love, trust, and admire, whether they are public people or personally known to us, let us down. I’m not going to list the ways we are let down. You know them. But then, what about the ways we let others down? Are we authentic witnesses? Does our “yes” to Jesus show up in our life on a regular basis (as in, all the time)? And do we stick to our “no” as well? We know what Jesus is calling us to. Our task then is to say yes or no as needed, with conviction and follow-through, being authentic followers of Christ.