The 14th day of June in the year of Our Lord, 2025
Matthew 5:33-37
33 Again you have heard that it was said to them of old, Thou shalt not forswear thyself: but thou shalt perform thy oaths to the Lord. 34 But I say to you not to swear at all, neither by heaven, for it is the throne of God: 35 Nor by the earth, for it is his footstool: nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great king:
36 Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. 37 But let your speech be yea, yea: no, no: and that which is over and above these, is of evil.
The Douay Rheims explains:
[34] "Not to swear at all": It is not forbid to swear in truth, justice and judgment; to the honour of God, or our own or neighbour's just defence: but only to swear rashly, or profanely, in common discourse, and without necessity.
Today our Lord continues to make things hard for us. The Law, as He explains, is not enough. The Law of Moses was merely a set of regulations and rules intended to help people refrain from sin. But, the rules are for the spiritually immature. A child is instructed not to snack before meals because, “it will ruin your appetite.” We all grew up with such admonitions, “don’t run with scissors,” etc. Children have to be given rules and reprimanded for their own good and safety. Being an adult means that we are in charge of ourselves. We do, mostly as we please. Hopefully, we have learned through good instruction in our youth, to be responsible and to do what is right. Of course, we fail. But, we know the why. We have the facility of reason and the maturity to do what is best if we so choose.
The Catholic Church teaches that Judaism is the older brother to Christianity. But, it is the Christian who is mature. Jesus said that we are no longer slaves but heirs. The Jew was the slave to the Law. The Christian is one who cooperates with God in doing His will. So, Jesus gives us a much higher standard of conduct. Much of what He asks of us is humanly impossible. No one is entirely honest all the time if they are of normal mental capacity. No one is entirely free from lust or anger, etc.
Only through the Sacraments instituted by Christ through His Church can we attain this kind of Christian perfection. And Jesus cuts us no slack; He says that we must be as perfect as God! Yes, we will sin, but we also have the Sacrament of Confession and the grace it confers. This is the great irony… through our weakness, Jesus confers grace. Through our failings He gives us holiness. Through our simple faith, He gives us life. If we were sinless, we would have no need of the Sacraments. In a way, the sinless man would be in as bad a position as the atheist as neither would have use of the Sacraments. Of course, there is no such thing as the sinless man, so anyone who says he is, is a liar. To be saved, we must admit that we are not perfect What a wonderful thing being imperfect is!
Judson Carroll is the author of several books, including his newest, A Daily Catholic Devotional, Reflections on the Daily Mass Readings July-December, 2025 It is Available in paperback on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F5BHFZ7X
and
Confirmation, an Autobiography of Faith. It is also Available in paperback on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C47Q1JNK
His podcast is The Uncensored Catholic https://www.spreaker.com/show/the-uncensored-catholic