Head of Christ, Georges Rouault (1871-1958)Readings
Gospel. Mt 5:17-37 or 5:20-22a, 27-28, 33-34a, 37
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets.
I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.
Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away,
not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter
will pass from the law,
until all things have taken place.
Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments
and teaches others to do so
will be called least in the kingdom of heaven.
But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments
will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses
that of the scribes and Pharisees,
you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
“You have heard that it was said to your ancestors,
You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.
But I say to you,
whoever is angry with brother
will be liable to judgment;
and whoever says to brother, ‘Raqa,’
will be answerable to the Sanhedrin;
and whoever says, ‘You fool,’
will be liable to fiery Gehenna.
Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar,
and there recall that your brother
has anything against you,
leave your gift there at the altar,
go first and be reconciled with your brother,
and then come and offer your gift.
Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court.
Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge,
and the judge will hand you over to the guard,
and you will be thrown into prison.
Amen, I say to you,
you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.
“You have heard that it was said,
You shall not commit adultery.
But I say to you,
everyone who looks at a woman with lust
has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
If your right eye causes you to sin,
tear it out and throw it away.
It is better for you to lose one of your members
than to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna.
And if your right hand causes you to sin,
cut it off and throw it away.
It is better for you to lose one of your members
than to have your whole body go into Gehenna.
“It was also said,
Whoever divorces his wife must give her a bill of divorce.
But I say to you,
whoever divorces his wife - unless the marriage is unlawful -
causes her to commit adultery,
and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
“Again 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.”
or
Jesus said to his disciples:
“I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses
that of the scribes and Pharisees,
you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
“You have heard that it was said to your ancestors,
You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.
But I say to you,
whoever is angry with brother
will be liable to judgment.
“You have heard that it was said, You shall not commit adultery.
But I say to you,
everyone who looks at a woman with lust
has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
“Again 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.
Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’
Anything more is from the evil one.”
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One of the things that most disturbs me in the Philippines is the utter trivialization of oath-taking. It is par for the course, for example, for children in elementary and high schools, even Catholic ones, to take an ‘oath of amateurism’ before the annual sports. In March we’ll have graduation ceremonies at every level and at many schools the new graduates will be inducted into the alumni association, with an ‘oath’ or ‘solemn promise’.
Years ago I was asked to celebrate Mass for the opening of the sports fest in a Catholic high school. I told the teacher in charge that I objected very strongly to any ‘oath of amateurism’. She promised me verbally that there wouldn’t be any. The Mass was hardly over when the same teacher called on one of the students to lead the others in their ‘oath of amateurism’.
I cannot equate such behavior with what Jesus tells us in today’s gospel: But I say to you, do not swear at all.
For me solemn promises or oaths should be made only on solemn occasions such as weddings, religious profession, before giving testimony in court or being inducted into an important public office such as the presidency.
How often here in the Philippines do we see photos of politicians taking their ‘oath of membership’ in their latest party, a temporary alliance of convenience for all concerned?
Years ago too I was a member of the local branch of the Vocation Directors of the Philippines and was elected to the committee. Sadly, the local bishop inducted us with an ‘oath’. While the others raised their hands and said the words of the ‘oath’ I kept silent, with both arms by my side. How can being a member of a temporary committee compare with offering your life to God through religious profession or promising to be a faithful spouse ‘till death do us part’? Is it any wonder that someone who has been brought up taking ‘oaths of amateurism’, being inducted into social groups with an ‘oath’ or a ‘solemn promise’ can often see adultery as a ‘peccadillo’, a ‘little sin’, or lie in court after swearing on the Bible?
‘Oaths of amateurism’ administered to children are particularly pernicious, in my opinion. They tell children that they cannot really trust one another and that oaths are no more important than eating ice-cream.
Another form of oath we take very lightly here in the Philippines is signing forms that state that we have solemnly signed and sworn in the presence of Attorney So-and-so when we haven't taken any oath and he/she wasn't there at all. The attorney compounds the lie by signing later. Doing this is a serious lie.
Fr John Blowick, the co-founder of the Columbans, was a very strong believer in the honor system. In our seminary after our teacher gave the exam questions he left the room. We were trusted and we honored the trust. If we broke a seminary rule we voluntarily reported to the dean when he came into the dining-room at mealtimes. That was when you asked permission for certain things and reported your transgressions of the rules – not sins – and learned to be a person of honor. Most of us had already picked up that value from our parents. The idea of an ‘oath of amateurism’ would have been completely alien and incomprehensible to us. The idea of being inducted into an alumni association would be laughable. A school has no more claim on you once you have graduated and membership of such bodies should be purely voluntary.
Take the words of Jesus seriously: But I say to you, do not swear at all.
+++
Following Jesus, Imitating Him, and Walking in His Light
Biblical Reflection for the 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time A
By Father Thomas Rosica, CSB
TORONTO, FEB. 8, 2011 (Zenit.org).- Matthew's Gospel reflects the situation of the early Church after the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. Throughout the Gospel, Jesus affirms the permanent validity of the Law, but with a new interpretation, given with full authority (Matthew 5:18-19, 21-48).
Jesus "fulfills" the Law (Matthew 5:17) by radicalizing it: At times he abolishes the letter of the Law (divorce, law of the talion), at other times, he gives a more demanding interpretation (murder, adultery, oaths), or a more flexible one (sabbath). Jesus insists on the double commandment of love of God (Deuteronomy 6:5) and of neighbor (Leviticus 19:18), on which "depends all the Law and the prophets" (Matthew 22:34-40). Along with the Law, Jesus, the new Moses, imparts knowledge of God's will to mankind, to the Jews first of all, then to the nations as well (Matthew 28:19-20).
Full text here.
Basilian Father Thomas Rosica, chief executive officer of the Salt and Light Catholic Media Foundation and Television Network in Canada, is a consultor to the Pontifical Council for Social Communications.
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