Do not swear by your head

15 JUNE (Mt 5,33-37)

Man is not credible. He says a word he after does not keep. He speaks false words making them pass as true ones. Never might any relationship of serious commitment be taken with him, due to his natural falsehood. Never might one draw from what is unclean what is pure and clean, and never the truth from falsehood and never constancy will be generated from inconstancy.

But God is immortal, firm, stable more than a rock, true in nature and word. His is immortality, stability, truth, eternal holiness and everlasting loyalty. Man leans to him to give truth, security and stability to his words. He calls him as a witness of the goodness and faithfulness of his every word. Man calls God as guarantor of his word through an oath. It is as if God attested for him, were his surety in the oath. However, God can only attest to the truth, faithfulness, holiness and justice.

Every oath obliges man to be faithful to his given word. It is as if his were the word of God, God’s promise and a commitment of God. Never might man recede. He would make God false and deceitful, would place him on the same level as his false, weak, fragile, lying and deceitful humanity. God would be extremely offended. One would make a wicked and sinful use of him. The holiness of God commits man to keep his word given under oath.

Jesus comes. He changes our nature. He makes it a true nature from a false one, makes it strong from a fragile, and constitutes it true from a mendacious one. With Him and in Him we share in his divine nature. We assume the truth, holiness, justice, nature, faith, charity, mercy, pity, compassion every and other virtue of God. The Christian no longer has any need to swear. His word is in all similar to that of Jesus, of God. It is a true, faithful, just and holy word. First, from the false nature sprang a false word. Now, from the true nature comes out a true word. It is the nature that produces the words. Based on the nature, such is also the word. Between the word of the sinner and the one of the saint that there is a gulf of difference. That of the saint is always true. The one of the sinner always false. The saint has transformed his nature from false to true. The sinner every day transforms his nature from false into a much more false. He makes it evil from which evil words spring. This truth is affirmed with a solemn discourse by Jesus to the Pharisees.

“Either declare the tree good and its fruit is good, or declare the tree rotten and its fruit is rotten, for a tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers, how can you say good things when you are evil? For from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks. A good person brings forth good out of a store of goodness, but an evil person brings forth evil out of a store of evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment people will render an account for every careless word they speak. By your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Mt 12,33-37).

Not only does Jesus ask his disciples not to swear. Their word is enough. It comes from a nature made good by God. He also wants their words to be short. Yes, when it is yes. No, when it is no. Because the unnecessary comes from the Devil. The Devil is so clever that he might always creep among the many words and utter some of them not good, not holy, not right, not opportune and not appropriate.

“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.

The holiness of the Christian is holiness of word, because the word pours from his holy heart. Who wants an always holy word, must make every effort to let himself be made a holy heart by God. Never might who does not work on the heart, hope to have a holy word. Bad and impure is the heart and evil and impure will be his words.

Virgin Mary, Mother of the Redemption, Angels and Saints make us with a pure heart.