SATURDAY OF THE TENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew 5:33-37
Jesus said to his disciples: "You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, Do not take a false oath, but make good to the Lord all that you vow. But I say to you, do not swear at all; not by heaven, for it is God's throne; nor by the earth, for it is his footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Do not swear by your head, for you cannot make a single hair white or black. Let your 'Yes' mean 'Yes,' and your 'No' mean 'No.' Anything more is from the Evil One."
REFLECTION:
When I was a child, I remember the first time someone told me a lie. I don’t remember who said it or what it was, but I remember how I felt, …shocked. I couldn’t believe someone could say something and not mean it. I somehow understood that God was offended and I couldn’t comprehend how people didn’t seem to understand how this hurt God.
Let us consider God’s footstool is the place where we stand. If we spiritually place ourselves at the foot of God, we would see how close He is and how He is with us at every moment. He sees and knows everything about us. Jesus always seems to take us one step closer to the Father in his instructions to monitor our speech.
As life seasons us to the ways of this world, I have now come to listen with a different pair of ears. I hear things that I hope are true and I put a filter in place to check that it does not dwell in my heart the same way God’s voice stays in my heart. I try to tune out the lies and not become part of these untruths from the evil one. More importantly, I listen to my own words and measure truth in them. I speak with the awareness that He is listening, because I know my words can easily become more to reflect the evil one if I leave God’s footstool.
