Saint Barnabus
Mt 5: 33-37
“Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.’ But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No’; anything more than this comes from the evil one.
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
Make Your Yes Mean Yes
I was asked to perform a lot of tasks while living in Bolivia. I was there to serve, after all.
“Can you teach my religion class?” This, from a Salesian sister.
“Can you entertain the school children?” This, from a community leader.
“Can you come by our house later?” This, from a parent.
I always said yes—of course! happy to!—but never quite meant it. I was always hot, always craving quiet time, always looking to think in English amidst the cacophony of Spanish.
My ‘yes’ did not really mean yes.
And yet, I had said ‘yes’ to the opportunity to spend a year living among the people of Bolivia; the desire was there even if I struggled to maintain that ardent yes in the day-to-day.
St. Ignatius says that’s okay, so long as we’re honest—and keep Jesus’ challenge at the forefront of our minds. So, what to do?
Let us pray for the desire to desire to make our ‘yes’ mean yes—and trust that God will sort things out from there.
—Eric A. Clayton is the author of Cannonball Moments: Telling Your Story, Deepening Your Faith, and the deputy director of communications at the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.
Prayer
Lord God, you know our hearts and you know our desires. You know that sometimes all we have is the desire to desire something. Be with us as we struggle to respond to your invitations in our life, or to the invitations of those around us, with an open heart, ready to do your will. Amen.
—Jesuit Prayer team