Matthew 5: 33-37
Jesus said to his disciples:
“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.
The Grace to Say Yes
Imagine you are standing on the edge of a nearly empty dance floor. You notice Jesus standing in the middle of the floor all alone. When Jesus turns to look over his shoulder he sees you there in the shadows. As Jesus sees you, a startlingly beautiful smile sweeps over his face. Jesus is delighted to see you; it seems he can’t take his eyes off you. Jesus then walks directly up to you and with deep love in his eyes asks, “Will you dance with me?” How will you respond?
Today’s Gospel makes it plain that can say yes and you can say no: you have the freedom to take Jesus’ hand and enter the Divine dance, and you have the freedom to say no and slip more deeply into the shadows of your doubts, worries, and regrets.
But Jesus is inviting you to dance. Can you pray today for the grace to say “Yes! Yes!” to Jesus?
—Bill Lipscomb is a spiritual director with the Ignatian Spirituality Center and the Church of the Gesu in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Bill is a graduate of the Seminars in Ignatian Formation program of the Midwest Jesuits. Bill serves as a board member for the Ignatian Spirituality Project and as a spiritual reflector for the Ignatian Volunteer Corps.
Prayer
‘Tis the gift to be simple,
‘Tis the gift to be free,
‘Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
‘Twill be in the valley of love and delight.
—“Simple Gifts,” a Shaker song attributed to Elder Joseph Brackett