15 June/Saturday/10th Week in Ordinary Time,

            1Kgs 19,19-21/Psa 16,1-2.5.7-8.9-10/Matt 5,33-37

 

First Reading      1 Kings 19:19-21 ·

Elisha leaves the plough to follow Elijah

 

Leaving Mount Horeb, Elijah came on Elisha son of Shaphat as he was ploughing behind twelve yoke of oxen, he himself being with the twelfth. Elijah passed near to him and threw his cloak over him. Elisha left his oxen and ran after Elijah. ‘Let me kiss my father and mother, then I will follow you’ he said. Elijah answered, ‘Go, go back; for have I done anything to you?’ Elisha turned away, took the pair of oxen and slaughtered them. He used the plough for cooking the oxen, then gave to his men, who ate. He then rose, and followed Elijah and became his servant.

 

Responsorial Psalm       Psalm 15(16):1-2,5,7-10

 

You are my inheritance, O Lord.

 

Preserve me, God, I take refuge in you.

    I say to the Lord: ‘You are my God.’

O Lord, it is you who are my portion and cup;

    it is you yourself who are my prize.

 

I will bless the Lord who gives me counsel,

    who even at night directs my heart.

I keep the Lord ever in my sight:

    since he is at my right hand, I shall stand firm.

 

And so my heart rejoices, my soul is glad;

    even my body shall rest in safety.

For you will not leave my soul among the dead,

    nor let your beloved know decay.

 

Gospel Acclamation    Psa 118:18

 

Alleluia, alleluia!

Open my eyes, O Lord, that I may consider

the wonders of your law.

Alleluia!

Gospel            Matthew 5:33-37

Do not swear: say 'Yes' if you mean Yes, 'No' if you mean No

 

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘You have learnt how it was said to our ancestors: You must not break your oath, but must fulfil your oaths to the Lord. But I say this to you: do not swear at all, either by heaven, since that is God’s throne; or by the earth, since that is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, since that is the city of the great king. Do not swear by your own head either, since you cannot turn a single hair white or black. All you need say is “Yes” if you mean yes, “No” if you mean no; anything more than this comes from the evil one.’

 

Reflection

Oath taking or swearing is obviously at the centre of the Gospel Reading today. This forms part of the antithesis of Jesus’ teaching. The impact of this teaching is dependent on our understanding of oath taking or swearing. An oath is a solemn promise to carry out an obligation. It is also a statement to assure the absolute truth of what one says. When taken in its specific context, we have to affirm that speaking or doing the truth was very important in biblical society. This is in line with the moral values taught in the Scriptures.

It is impossible to imagine that Jesus would make the truth the foundation of his ministry and tolerate at the same time that his followers do not live by the truth. In biblical times, the spoken word alone seemed not to be enough so many people accompanied them with a gesture like the raising of the hand to heaven. Some others used a ritual that was often done with a holy object in a holy place in the presence of a priest. This background explains the seriousness we should attach to the words of Jesus in the Gospel Reading today.

The teaching of Jesus was meant to check the abusive use of oath taking or swearing. Some took an oath not for the purpose of binding themselves to a positive act or as a way of assuring the absolute truth; they did so as a way of avoiding responsibility. In itself, we would find it absurd but that was a reality in New Testament times. To avoid such misuse and to encourage his disciples to focus on the veracity of what they want to say, Jesus told his disciples not to swear an oath at all. There is no need to seek to prove the truth of what one says by swearing. The word of the speaker should be enough to convince the others about the truth. The person who speaks the truth must be able to stand by his word like the Psalmist in the Responsorial Psalm. He/she should be able to “say to the Lord: ‘You are my God.’.. it is you who are my portion and cup; it is you yourself who are my prize”. This is what credibility is all about.

The advice of Jesus to his disciples to let their yes be yes and no be no stresses the importance of meaning or intending what we say. Unfortunately, sometimes people do not really mean what they say to the extent that we have to learn to know when yes does not really mean yes and act accordingly. Life would be much simpler and more transparent if we would all follow the Gospel culture that Jesus introduces here. It is possible for us to initiate this teaching of Jesus in our personal life by making the firm decision to let our yes be yes and our no be no. In this way, we would be living as true children of God who follow the teachings of his beloved Son. This is similar to the attitude of Elisha who was convinced of his understanding of what the gesture of Elijah meant. He went all out to comply with the implications of this gesture and became the successor of Elijah.

14 June/Friday/10th Week in Ordinary Time,

            1Kgs 19,9.11-16/Psa 27,7-8.8-9.13-14/Matt 5,27-32

 

First Reading       1 Kings 19:9,11-16

The Lord was not in the wind, or the earthquake, or the fire

 

When Elijah reached Horeb, the mountain of God, he went into the cave and spent the night in it. Then he was told, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord.’ Then the Lord himself went by. There came a mighty wind, so strong it tore the mountains and shattered the rocks before the Lord. But the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind came an earthquake. But the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire. But the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there came the sound of a gentle breeze. And when Elijah heard this, he covered his face with his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then a voice came to him, which said, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’ He replied, ‘I am filled with jealous zeal for the Lord of Hosts, because the sons of Israel have deserted you, broken down your altars and put your prophets to the sword. I am the only one left and they want to kill me.’

‘Go,’ the Lord said, ‘go back by the same way to the wilderness of Damascus. You are to go and anoint Hazael as king of Aram. You are to anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king of Israel, and to anoint Elisha son of Shaphat, of Abel Meholah, as prophet to succeed you.’

 

Responsorial Psalm         Psalm 26(27):7-9,13-14

 

It is your face, O Lord, that I seek.

 

O Lord, hear my voice when I call;

    have mercy and answer.

Of you my heart has spoken:

    ‘Seek his face.’

 

It is your face, O Lord, that I seek;

    hide not your face.

Dismiss not your servant in anger;

    you have been my help.

 

I am sure I shall see the Lord’s goodness

    in the land of the living.

Hope in him, hold firm and take heart.

    Hope in the Lord!

Gospel Acclamation        John 10:27

 

Alleluia, alleluia!

The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice,

says the Lord,

I know them and they follow me.

Alleluia!

 

Gospel      Matthew 5:27-32

If your right eye should cause you to sin, tear it out

 

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘You have learnt how it was said: You must not commit adultery. But I say this to you: if a man looks at a woman lustfully, he has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye should cause you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; for it will do you less harm to lose one part of you than to have your whole body thrown into hell. And if your right hand should cause you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; for it will do you less harm to lose one part of you than to have your whole body go to hell.

‘It has also been said: Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a writ of dismissal. But I say this to you: everyone who divorces his wife, except for the case of fornication, makes her an adulteress; and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.’

 

Reflection

With the trend of the story of King Ahab and Elijah that we have read so far, it is necessary to give a background to what prompted Elijah to escape to Mount Horeb in the First Reading today. When King Ahab finally got home after the challenge between the priests of Baal and Elijah and after the rains that ended the drought, he narrated all that happened to his wife Jezebel who had been championing the worship of Baal in Israel. Jezebel was displeased with the report and sent messengers to Elijah with a threat to kill him. Elijah became afraid and escaped to Mount Horeb.

When God asked Elijah what he was doing on Mount Horeb, he complained about the people of Israel who have turned away from Yahweh and killed all his prophets. He said they now want to kill him too. At this, God decided to strengthen Elijah for the mission entrusted to him. The theophany or vision of God came in a sound of sheer silence or a gentle little breeze. God was not in the earthquake or the strong wind; he did not need to show his might but his gentleness to Elijah. In this vision, he asked Elijah to go back to the land of Israel and accomplish his mission.

What Elijah needed to assure him that God was with him was the possibility to see the face of God. This is what we also pray for in the Responsorial Psalm today. God has his eyes on us as well and gives us a mission wherever we are. We may be afraid of carrying out this mission because of human opposition or our personal hesitations and fears. We should know that we cannot run away from the face of God. Wherever we go, his hand would be on us and if he so desires, he would bring us back to the place of mission. It is therefore important we always ask ourselves what God wants of us where he has placed us at a particular moment. Knowing his purpose for us helps us to dispose ourselves to accomplish his will instead of running away from it. We pray for the strength to carry out God’s mission in our lives.

As we seek to see the face of the Lord and pray that he may not hide his face from us, we should know that this is accomplished when we do his will. In the Gospel Reading, Jesus exhorts us to live worthy lives by paying attention and obeying the new commandments that he gives us. He wants us to go beyond the Law and practice the gospel virtues. May God grant us the strength to accomplish his will always.