Saturday 10th Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 11th June, 2022, The Memorial of St. Barnabas

 Saturday 10th Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 11th June, 2022, The Memorial of St. Barnabas

Readings: Act. 11: 21-26.13:1-3; Ps. 118; Matt. 5:33-37

Rev.  Fr. Emmanuel Onyia

WE MUST LEARN TO SIMPLY SAY YES OR NO WHEN WE MEAN IT

I swear to say the truth nothing but the truth is the word we often hear people say in the courts, in the streets, in the market places and even in the Church to express and affirm what they want to do or what they want to say. But I wonder why we don’t really mean what we say or fulfill what we promised. 

This very ugly attitude is what Jesus is addressing in our Gospel reading today, when he said: 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.’ Here, Jesus is referring to the ceremonious way in which the Pharisees took oaths. It was one of the things in the culture of their time. That is, people swearing oaths with impressive sounding words before the congregations without fulfilling them. 

But what were the words of these oaths anyway? They were forms of words designed to impress people. They were not indications that the person swearing the oath had any power over the things that the oath mentioned. It was just using words to impress and so gain the acceptance of things in relation to the oath, when in fact this is completely  fraudulent because the persons taking the oath, do not intend to keep the promises or commitments that they were apparently confirming by taking that oath. They were just fooling the people. And Jesus is saying in essence, that we should not let this foolery ever be part of us because it is hypocrisy and Jesus is against hypocrisy in all its forms, especially when it has to do with taking the name God in vain. 

To take the name of God in vain means to invoke His name unnecessarily or profanely, to use it without humbly acknowledging the holy character of the One whose name we are invoking. To invoke the name of God in an oath or vow when our statement is false, inconsequential or when we do not intend to honor our words is a direct violation of the third commandment of God. Therefore, the issue Jesus is addressing here goes to the very core of our character as Christians, to the heart of what it means to live as a child of God especially in a society like ours, were deception and falsehood are the order of the day.

Dear friends, Jesus calls us today to be sincere in everything we do or say. That is why he commanded us not to swear an oath, rather we should say yes when you mean yes, and no when you mean no, so as not to become hypocrites and liars. Let us learn to be sincere, courageous and stands for what is right.  This great and wonderful attitude is what St. Barnabas whose memorial we celebrate today is known for among his fellow Apostles. Barnabas is one of the most important figures in the history of the early Church, his real name was Joseph, but the apostles nicknamed him Barnabas, which means “son of encouragement.” For this is a pure summary of his entire personality, for he was someone who encourages others, believed in them and helps them to respond to God with enthusiasm, because of his helpful and optimistic nature. 

Barnabas sold a field he owned and laid the proceeds at the apostles’ feet, an obvious sign of his total commitment to Christ and total trust in the apostles. Such a gesture, common among the first disciples, would have certainly inspired the other members of the Church to courageously to do the same . Little wonder, we see his encouragement more especially in his interaction with St. Paul in our first reading today where the Holy Spirit speaks to the young Church saying, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”  In this mission, Barnabas was inspired by the gift of Courage and he was able to encouraged Paul and also encouraged the entire Church to recognize Paul’s gifts and talents. For without Barnabas’ intervention, Paul would have probably remained silenced in Tarsus before other disciples. 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, as we celebrate the memorial of St. Barnabas today, give us the courage and a firm faith to say no when we mean no, and yes when we mean yes, and by so doing, change our society positively through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a peaceful weekend.