Matthew 5:33-37

1 Kings 19:19-21

Psalm 16:1b-2a and 5, 7-8, 9-10

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.”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, help me hear your voice amid the noise of the world. I want to respond generously to your call. I need to discern wisely what I need to leave behind to follow your Son. Grant me a wise and discerning heart so that I can live in your love and bring others to enjoy life with you.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Leaving the Dead: In 1 Kings 19:15-16, the Lord God gave Elijah three anointing tasks. He was to anoint Hazael to be king over Syria, Jehu to be king over the northern kingdom of Israel, and Elisha to be prophet in his place. In today’s First Reading, Elijah carries out the third task, manifesting his prompt obedience to God’s word. The appointment of Elisha as prophet looks forward to an episode in the New Testament when Jesus calls a disciple to follow him. When Elijah casts his mantle over Elisha, Elisha says to Elijah: “Let me kiss my father and my mother goodbye, and I will follow you.” And Elijah allows him to do so. In the Gospels, one of the disciples says to Jesus: “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” But Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead” (Matthew 8:21-22). The Gospel of Luke reads: “To another he said, ‘Follow me.’ But he said, ‘Lord, let me first go and bury my father.’ But Jesus said to him, ‘Leave the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God’” (Luke 9:59-60).

2. The Fourth Commandment: Since children were responsible for mourning and burying their parents and other relatives (Tobit 1:16-20; 4:3; 6:15), it could seem like Jesus violates the Fourth Commandment to honor one’s parents. This, however, is not the case, for two reasons. First, Jesus is calling men and women to a new family, the family of God. The new family is formed by adherence to Jesus himself, to his Law; communion with Jesus is filial communion with the Father – it is a yes to the fourth commandment on a new level. It is entry into the family of those who call God Father, of those who are united with Jesus and, “by listening to him, united with the will of the Father, thereby attaining to the heart of the obedience intended by the Torah” (Benedict XVI, Jesus of Nazareth Vol. 1, 115-117). Second, Jesus is the new Moses and brings the old law to perfection. Jesus’ authority to interpret the law in a new way rests on his divine sonship. He has divine authority and transfers the Ten Commandments into the context of God's universal family. He brings the God of Israel to all nations. He is the “new Moses,” the prophet-like-Moses that God raised up (Benedict XVI, Jesus of Nazareth Vol. 1, 122; Deuteronomy 18:15).

3. Something Greater than Elijah: Jesus, then, can do what Elijah cannot: In Jesus, there is something greater than Elijah. We also get a sense of the urgency and radicality of Jesus’ call. His hour is approaching. The time of the Kingdom is here. In today’s Gospel, we see how Jesus brings the old law to fulfillment. Not making false oaths is the bare minimum. Jesus, however, invites his followers to not swear oaths at all and not place themselves unnecessarily in a position of divine judgment. In everything they say and do, Jesus’ followers are to be truthful. When Jesus calls us to follow him, he invites us to say with the Psalmist: “You, O Lord, are my portion and cup; you, O Lord, are my inheritance.” This inheritance makes us sons and daughters of God who share in eternal life. Our souls are not abandoned to the netherworld for we will rise to life with the Son.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you have the words of everlasting life. I praise you for you God and I thank you for all you have done for me. I pray that I may always walk in the truth and in your light.

Living the Word of God: How am I living the Fourth Commandment to honor my parents and the Eighth Commandment to be truthful in my speech? What can I do better?