"Do not swear at all; not by heaven, for it is God's throne; nor by the earth, for it is His footstool." (Mt 5:34-35)
READING OF THE DAY
A reading from the First Book of Kings
1 Kgs 19:19-21
Elijah set out, and came upon Elisha, son of Shaphat,
as he was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen;
he was following the twelfth.
Elijah went over to him and threw his cloak over him.
Elisha left the oxen, ran after Elijah, and said,
"Please, let me kiss my father and mother goodbye,
and I will follow you."
Elijah answered, "Go back!
Have I done anything to you?"
Elisha left him and, taking the yoke of oxen, slaughtered them;
he used the plowing equipment for fuel to boil their flesh,
and gave it to his people to eat.
Then he left and followed Elijah as his attendant.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY
From the Gospel according to Matthew
Mt 5:33-37
Jesus said to his disciples:
"You have heard that it was said to your ancestors,
Do not take a false oath,
but make good to the Lord all that you vow.
But I say to you, do not swear at all;
not by heaven, for it is God's throne;
nor by the earth, for it is his footstool;
nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.
Do not swear by your head,
for you cannot make a single hair white or black.
Let your 'Yes' mean 'Yes,' and your 'No' mean 'No.'
Anything more is from the Evil One."
SATURDAY OF THE X WEEK OF ORDINARY TIME - Mt 5:33-37
THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE
Dear People of God,
In today's Word of God, God the Father teaches all humanity that: God the Father is the One who understands everything.
In this world, God the Father is the One who shepherds, protects, preserves, and defends all creatures, and all things that He has created, so people must remember: nothing can pass by when God the Father is present, and nothing can hide Him!
God the Father warns humans: to be alert to the temptations of Satan, Satan is also under the authoritative hand of God the Father, but they disobeyed His will and did not follow what God the Father teaches. Therefore, God the Father allows them to be free and they use their freedom to tempt the children of humankind- the creatures that God the Father created. How did Satan tempt people?
Because Satan has disobeyed and opposed God the Father's will through cunning and deceitful actions, they also find ways to tempt humanity to go against God the Father's will by causing humanity to disobey His will, causing humans to live deceitfully, not being true to God the Father and to their brothers and sisters.
Furthermore, Satan tempts humanity into lustful passions, which are sins that displease God the Father. Therefore, God the Father earnestly calls humans to abandon the dark lifestyle and step into the light of God the Father: practicing the path of justice, charity, and love. That is, if we walk on the path that God's Word teaches, we will have eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven.
In God's Word today, God the Father calls humanity to stay away from the paths of fornication because, through this path, Satan will seek to control humanity. Because of fornication, humans become disobedient to the will of God the Father, and humans are deeply immersed in sinful passion, so they will also be deeply immersed in hatred. In the darkness of Satan, people will become two-faced people.
Because of living in the passions and lusts of sin, humans become wicked, and cunning towards each other, deceiving each other, causing division and disagreement, leading to mutual disputes and killing each other. That is the devil's successful temptation, when people fall into their trap, becoming their slaves.
In the end, humans become disrespectful to God the Father, disobeying Him in everything, leading to deception and hiding from God the Father.
God the Father calls humans to be aware of one thing: He knows everything about people, from the body and soul. He knows every thought, action, word, and deed of mankind. Nothing can be hidden from Him.
Therefore, God the Father calls humans to step out of the darkness and come to the light of God the Father to live in the truth of God's Word: knowing how to fear God the Father, love Him above all things, and love your brothers and sisters, then you will not fall into Satan's trap of eternal death.
Thanks be to God. Amen
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