Saturday, June 14, 2025
2 Cor 5:14-21; Mt 5:33-37
Today’s Gospel invites Christians to witness to God through truth-telling.
When other preachers of his time would have insisted on meticulously following the law regarding taking oaths, Jesus invites his followers to grow in truth-telling and integrity of speech.
In this regard, a quote attributed to Mark Twain reads that ‘If you tell the truth, you do not need a good memory.’ In the same way, if our speech represents truth always, it does not need ‘swearing’ as an embellishment. In other words, if only we are known to falsely represent facts, equivocate ourselves, manipulate what we have heard, or follow double standards, then ‘I swear’ is required. Instead, if we are known for our integrity, our simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ should suffice.
In his initial days, Gandhi believed that God is Truth. But when he realized the importance of truth-telling, he modified his principle to ‘Truth is God.’ Later in his life, Gandhi placed truth above God.
Jesus’ invitation to embrace an honest lifestyle implies that we must walk in the light of truth to reach God.
Let us pray that Jesus the Truth may animate our speech.
Fr. Dhinakaran Savariyar
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