Saturday 10th Week OT A 2026

Gospel 

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.”

 

Jesus did not see a purpose for oaths, which were promises to be truthful, for his disciples… for all disciples of Christ are expected to always be truthful in all things. There can be no deceitfulness or false witness or lies from the mouth or actions of a Christian. For truth is what it is all about. Truth is what sets us free. Truth is the foundation, the very substance of what we build our life on as followers of Jesus.

 

Oaths are not needed, swearing by God or anything to signify we are NOW absolutely telling the truth presupposes we could normally speak untruths or include falsehoods as a part of who we are.

How crazy is that but it is something we must watch out for…  for the evil one can sneak in this small white lie or that inference in our speech or responses when asked difficult or revealing questions.

We were born with original sin and we must always strive for sainthood for that is our calling. That means inconvenient truths are not held back. We become an open book to all.

 

We are baptized and called to utter honesty in all things. We do not hide out the truth of ourselves or act as if we are more or less than what God made us….which is children of God, made to be holy and saints.

 

There is no need for oaths of truth telling… for there is no other way to be followers of Christ but by honesty in all things.

 

All our words and actions should mirror truth, and it is only when we live according to truth that we can find our path, are way home. Living in any other way stops us from finding our way. Stops us from carrying out our true purpose here on earth.

 

Jesus came to proclaim the truth. We are called to bring that message forward to others, and live holy lives where falsehoods and lies are impossible.

 

It’s all about finding our way and the mission God has for us. We are not truly free disciples of Christ until we discipline ourselves to always speak and live his truth.