Teaching about Oaths

Today's Reflections

                                                  

 

     

 

Teaching about Oaths 

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Mt 5:33-37

[Jesus said to his disciples,] ³³“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.’ ³⁴But I say to you, do not swear at all; not by heaven, for it is God’s throne; ³⁵nor by the earth, for it is his footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. ³⁶Do not swear by your head, for you cannot make a single hair white or black. ³⁷Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’ Anything more is from the evil one.”

Reflection:

Let your “Yes” mean “Yes.” Jesus wants his followers to be truthful, so that there will no need for oaths. Unfortunately, in our world people are not that truthful, and so oaths remain necessary. In that sense, the necessity of oaths is from the evil one, the result of the lack of truthfulness, the proliferation of lies. (Let us remember that the devil is the father of lies.)

Lying has become endemic in our society. People lie in small and big things. Children lie to their parents; men lie to their wives; witnesses lie even when under oath; people lie when they file their income taxes or statements of assets, liabilities, and net worth; subordinates lie to cover up for their bosses. Jesus expects his followers to stem this tide by being true to their word.

Let us, followers of Christ,

be people of the truth, not people of the lie.