DO NOT SWEAR AT ALL

Matthew 5:33-37

In the book of Numbers 30:3, Moses told the people of Israel, “Yahweh has ordered: If a man makes a vow to God or takes a formal pledge under oath, he must not break his word; whatever he promises by word of mouth he must do.”  And in today’s gospel Jesus says: “But I say to you, do not swear at all. Let your yes, mean yes and your no, mean no.” Is Jesus contradicting, by any chance, the law that Moses told his people?

I think he is not contradicting Moses, as he said it earlier on: “I did not come to abolish the law, but to fulfil it.” What Jesus is addressing here is a question of a new way of interpreting and setting into practice the Law of Moses. He rereads the law beginning with the intention which God had in proclaiming to Moses on Mount Sinai. What is Jesus teaching us today?

The first lesson is integrity. Jesus teaches us that when we promise something it should not be guaranteed by what we swear on, but by who we are which means our integrity in relationship with God and with others. In other words, Jesus is addressing the issue of honesty and truthfulness especially in our words. Second, Jesus teaches us about commitment. It is so hard to be true to our words because it demands commitment. It is not a matter of interest, it is matter of commitment. There’s a difference between interest and commitment. When you’re interested in doing something, you do it only when circumstances permit. When you’re committed to something, you accept no excuses, you only want good results. Let your yes be yes and your no be no and commit yourself to it.

Third, Jesus teaches us that we should listen to our conscience as our guide to the truth. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says that our conscience is the sanctuary where a person is alone with himself and God. With the conscience there is no hiding from the truth; our consciences tells us when to say “Yes” and when to say “No”. May the good Lord help us to be truthful in our words and in our actions.