Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No’

14 JUNE (Mt 5,33-37)

We can understand what Jesus teaches his disciples today, if we let ourselves be helped by two truths which are contained in Holy Scripture. The first is drawn from the Book of Deuteronomy, the other from the Second Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians. Thus says the Lord to his people through his servant Moses: “Now, Israel, hear the statutes and decrees which I am teaching you to observe, that you may live, and may enter in and take possession of the land which the Lord, the God of your fathers, is giving you. In your observance of the commandments of the Lord, your God, which I enjoin upon you, you shall not add to what I command you nor subtract from it. You have seen with your own eyes what the Lord did at Baal-peor: the Lord, your God, destroyed from your midst everyone that followed the Baal of Peor; but you, who clung to the Lord, your God, are all alive today. Therefore, I teach you the statutes and decrees as the Lord, my God, has commanded me, that you may observe them in the land you are entering to occupy. Observe them carefully, for thus will you give evidence of your wisdom and intelligence to the nations, who will hear of all these statutes and say, ‘This great nation is truly a wise and intelligent people.’ For what great nation is there that has gods so close to it as the Lord, our God, is to us whenever we call upon him? Or what great nation has statutes and decrees that are as just as this whole law which I am setting before you today?” (Dt 4,1-8).

On the contrary, St. Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians writes: “For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially toward you, with the simplicity and sincerity of God, (and) not by human wisdom but by the grace of God. For we write you nothing but what you can read and understand, and I hope that you will understand completely, as you have come to understand us partially, that we are your boast as you also are ours, on the day of (our) Lord Jesus. With this confidence I formerly intended to come to you so that you might receive a double favor, namely, to go by way of you to Macedonia, and then to come to you again on my return from Macedonia, and have you send me on my way to Judea. So when I intended this, did I act lightly? Or do I make my plans according to human considerations, so that with me it is “yes, yes” and “no, no”? As God is faithful, our word to you is not “yes” and “no.” For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was proclaimed to you by us, Silvanus and Timothy and me, was not “yes” and “no,” but “yes” has been in him. For however many are the promises of God, their Yes is in him; therefore, the Amen from us also goes through him to God for glory. But the one who gives us security with you in Christ and who anointed us is God; he has also put his seal upon us and given the Spirit in our hearts as a first installment” (2Cor 1,12-22).

The words of Jesus are not to be understood in accordance with a sense of brevity, but according to the fullness of truth that it is urgent to give our talk. Who is a Christian? He is the perfect image of Jesus Christ on earth? This is his vocation. Who is Jesus Christ? He is the one who transformed, made all the words of God become historical yes, of fulfillment. Who the Christian is, is the one who has to say yes to every word of God. Saying yes to every word of God is also saying no to what is not the word of God. If he adds or takes away from the word, this is the more than comes from the Evil One. What does the Evil One do? He turn the yes to no and the no to yes. He adds to and transforms the Word. He deprives it of its truth, holiness, right and creative morality of life. A disciple of Jesus must never do this. His yes to the Word must be full, as well as his no in front of all that is not God’s Word. This is the more that comes from Evil One.

“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 disciple of Jesus is the man from the always evangelical Word. This is his vocation: giving historical concreteness to every truth of the Gospel, every prophecy, every one of the Lord’s commands. If he adds or takes away, he is instantly ruled by the Evil One.

Virgin Mary, Mother of the Redemption, Angels and Saints make us historical truth of the Gospel.