In Jesus’ time the practice of oath-taking had fallen into disrepute due to the frequency and lack of seriousness with which oaths were taken. Casuistry had legitimized the non-fulfilment of oaths. Jesus opposed this custom, and with the formula But I say to you which he frequently used to show the divine origin of what he was saying, he forbade calling on God to witness not only to a lie but also to those matters where a person’s word ought to have been enough. In his Gospel, St. Matthew reminds us of Jesus’ words: Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ (Matt 5:37).
To take an oath, that is to say, to call upon God to witness to the truth of what we are saying, or as a guarantor of a promise, is lawful and at times even necessary when circumstances warrant it. It is then an act of the virtue of religion and redounds to the honour and glory of God. The prophet Jeremiah tells us that swearing in truth, in justice and in uprightness (Jer 4:2) is pleasing to God. What we state must be true, spoken prudently and not lightly or rashly, and must refer to something just and good.
When there is no pressing need, our word as Christians and as honourable men and women should be sufficient, because of our being known as people who seek the truth and keep our pledges and promises. We wish to be loyal and faithful to Christ, to whatever commitments we have freely taken on, to our family and friends, and to those who employ us.
In most situations in life to give our word will be an adequate guarantee of our truthfulness and fidelity. But for this to be so we must be truthful in little things, willing to correct our mistakes and fulfil our commitments. Do the members of our family, our friends and workmates know us to be loyal and faithful? Do they know that we never tell a lie, even in a jocular way, to achieve some good or avoid an evil?
Love for the truth always and in every circumstance.
Hypocrisy and falsehood are two vices forcefully attacked by Christ (cf Matt 23:13-32). Truthfulness is one of the virtues most praised. He said of Nathaniel: Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile (John 1:47). Jesus is himself the Truth (John 14:6), while the devil, on the other hand, is a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44). Those who follow the Master must be honourable and sincere in their doings, must avoid deceitful behaviour and be truthful in their dealings with both God and man.
Truth is taught by word and example. Jesus is a witness of his Father (cf John 3:11); the Apostles (cf Acts 1:8), the first Christians, and now we are witnesses of Christ to a world that needs living testimony. But how will our friends and workmates believe the truths we wish to pass on to them unless our own lives are based on a real love for the truth? We Christians ought to be able to say, with Christ, that we have come into the world to bear witness to the truth (John 14:6) at a time when many use lies and deceit to achieve promotion or a greater degree of material well-being, to avoid commitment and sacrifice, or simply through cowardice and a lack of human virtue. Jesus taught us that love for the truth is a necessary quality for being his follower. Such love brings peace because the truth will make you free (John 8:32).
We must be exemplary in this matter, being ready to live our lives, build up our material wealth and do our job with a great love for the truth. We must love the truth and put effort into finding it. At times blinded by sin, passion, pride and materialism, we will not find it unless we love it. It is so easy to fall in with a lie when it comes, disguised or openly, as a means to achieve prestige or get ahead in our job. When faced with temptation, no matter how it presents itself, we must recall the clear, unambiguous teaching of Christ: Let what you say he simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ (Matt 5:37).
We are obliged in justice to be truthful, and also out of love and respect for our neighbour. This same respect for those listening to us will bring us sometimes not to express our own ideas and opinions indiscreetly, but to take into account their age and the degree of their formation. Love for the truth which someone has confided to us will bring us to be morally upright in cases of professional secrecy or discretion, or with a person’s right to privacy. If need be, we should ask for advice about how to behave when confronted with someone who wants information to which he has no right.
Loyalty and fidelity to commitments.
When we give our word, in a certain sense we give ourselves. We put ‘on the line’ what is most intimate to ourselves. In spite of his personal failings, a true disciple and follower of Christ will be honest and loyal, a man of his word. In the Church, we Christians are called ‘the faithful’. This term underlines the state acquired by the members of the People of God through Baptism (cf A. del Portillo, Faithful and Laity in the Church, pp15 ff). But a person who inspires confidence, whom we can trust, can also be called faithful. People like this live up to the confidence placed in them, to the demands of love, friendship or duty. This kind of person keeps his word. In Holy Scripture the term ‘faithful’ is applied to God himself because no one is more worthy of trust than He. God is always faithful to his promises; he never fails to keep his word. In Saint Paul’s words: God is faithful and he will not let you be tempted beyond your strength (1 Cor 10:13).
Whoever keeps his word is faithful. The person who fulfils his commitments to God and to others is loyal. However, our society often falls into doubt and relativism. Many people, irrespective of their age, seem to be ignorant of the noble obligation to keep their word, to fulfil the commitments they once assumed with complete freedom, or to behave in accordance with the decisions they have made before God or man, in civil or religious life. Difficulties may arise, but the faith and teaching of the Church and the example of the saints show us that it is possible to live these virtues. God does not deny his grace to those who do what they can.
We must be firmly convinced and help others have the same conviction, namely, that it is possible to live all the virtues with all the demands they make. There is an idea in vogue that virtues and commitments are ‘ideals’ or ‘goals’ to aim at, but without much hope of attaining them. Let us ask God never to allow us to fall into that error.
A Christian who is loyal will not cave in when upright moral behaviour imposes or seems to impose serious difficulties. We should ask God for an upright conscience. One who gives in may desire in theory to practice a particular virtue, may wish not to sin, but in practice considers that when temptation is great or the difficulties serious he is more or less justified in giving in. This can happen in one’s work situation, or when faced with the obligation to react energetically when sensuality threatens to supervene, or when a serious effort has to be made to finance the children’s education, or to be faithful to one’s spouse, or one’s vocation. Let us call to mind today, in our prayer, these words of Jesus: The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock (Matt 7:25).
Faithful to Christ. This is the greatest praise we can receive. That Christ can rely on us no matter what present or future circumstances may bring; that our friends can know we will not let them down; that society can trust us, knowing that we will keep our word and fulfil our obligations freely and responsibly. When making a night journey by train have you never thought how the lives of hundreds of persons are in the hands of the driver and the signalmen, who in spite of hunger and thirst must stay at their posts? The life of a whole country, the life of the world, depends on the fidelity of men in fulfilling their duties at work and in society, in their adhering to their contracts and being faithful to their word (G. Chevrot, But I say to you, Madrid 1981). And all this without having to call upon God as a witness, but simply as upright and loyal persons.
Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’, honourable people, loyal in fulfilling small daily duties, without recourse to lies or deceit at work, being simple and prudent, fleeing all murkiness, open and plain in what we say or do. If we are loyal to our fellow men, then with God’s grace we will be loyal to Christ and this is what really counts. He who is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much (Luke 16:20).We will not be upright and faithful to Christ unless we are loyal in our everyday human dealings.
How pleasant it is when a friend comes to us in the midst of some difficulty and says: You can count on me! So too, in our prayer today, with simplicity and an awareness of our weakness, we approach God and say: Lord, you can count on me! We can use the same words as an aspiration right through the day.
Let us ask the Blessed Virgin Mary, who is also ‘Virgin most faithful’, to help us to be loyal and faithful, each and every day, in fulfilling our obligations and duties.
By Francisco Fernandez, In Conversation with God, New York, Scepter, 1990, Volume 3, pp. 566-571
Photo by Andrew Petrov on Unsplash
