The gospel for Saturday of the tenth week in Ordinary Time is taken from 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 else is from the evil one. At the time that Jesus walked the earth, there was a way in which people would try to impress someone else about their honesty by swearing on something. And what Jesus is trying to say is to his disciples especially, he’s saying, look, I want you to be men of integrity. When you say something, be truthful.

If you mean yes, then say yes. If you mean no, say no. He’s simply asking the disciples to be men of integrity. Truthfulness. Nothing damages relationships more than a lack of truthfulness. Authenticity.

That’s the goal of a healthy relationship. Please reflect on these words and at the end of the music, I will close with a prayer. Foreign Father, we know the anxiety and fear that a lack of trust has between people in our world today. Bless us with a longing for truthfulness and integrity and most especially help us to model it by always, always telling the truth. And we ask this in Jesus name. Am.