TGIMMdark

	THERE'S NO GOING BACK

The Gospel

MATTHEW 5:33-37

[Jesus said,] "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, not 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.”

Gospelthink: I ask you to look at the words that you say. Am I honest in my approach to others?

The Media -- "Dark Horse" (Katy Perry f/ Juicy J)

"I knew you were gonna come to me, and here you are, but you better choose carefully ‘cause I’m capable of anything and everything. So you wanna play with magic, boy, you should know what you’re falling for. I’m coming at you like a dark horse. Are you ready for a perfect storm ‘cause once you’re mine, there’s no going back."

"Dark Horse," Katy Perry's song that she sings with rapper Juicy J can be viewed as a reaction to the lack of commitment in today's relationships, romantic and otherwise. The song is a statement by the girl in the relationship that if the man wants a commitment from her, she will give it, but he had better be sure of what he is asking. She seems to be very aware that there are permanent commitments promised in our world, and then those permanent commitments fail. In her mind, the man in the relationship can count on her commitment, but he had better be ready to do the same.

For Jesus it was really very clear. If you are going to make a promise, you do not have to call on anyone to verify what you are doing. You do not have to swear by God or heaven. You do not have to call down evil on yourself if the promise is not kept. You simply have to mean what you say. If you say "Yes," then, yes, you will do it. If you say "No," then, no, you will not do it.

It may be that our world has not learned the lesson very well. For example, every young adult and adult member of our society knows of promises that politicians make that are never or only partially kept. We also see a divorce rate that is soaring, even though the couple has said "forever." We see relationships in which people will promise anything in order to fulfill their selfish desires. We see sincere commitments that are made by both sides of an agreement, but one of the parties does not mean it.

Perhaps we need to understand a little more Jesus' blunt statement to mean what you say all the time. Perhaps we need to hear Katy Perry's song that says that if we say something, we'd better mean it because there should be no going back.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, we must learn the importance of the promises that we make. May we listen to your Son's words concerning promises, and learn his lesson to mean what we say with every word we speak. Be with us, we pray.

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GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: Permanent commitments should remain permanent.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. Oath taking presumes that our human natures have a tendency toward lying, and in the Gospel Jesus makes us aware that a follower of his must be dedicated to the truth. In general, do people tend to be honest? Yes or no and why?
2. Why do young people often resort to lying?
3. The "evil one" is the devil. In general, do people have a fear of the devil? Yes or no and why? [See discussion in Catechism of the Catholic Church, second edition, numbers 2850-2854.]
4. Analysis: "choose carefully." In general, do people choose carefully in romantic relationships?
5. Text analysis: "capable of anything and everything." What is the meaning of the phrase?
6. Text analysis: "coming at you like a dark horse." What is meaning of the phrase?
7. Text analysis: "Are you ready for the perfect storm?" What is the meaning of the question?
8. In general, why do you think that people have such a difficult time with permanent commitments?
9. We still require witnesses in court rooms to swear on the Bible. Is it a good practice?
10. In our world, why is "perjury"--lying under oath--more serious that simply lying?
11. What is your own view of politicians in your country right now?
12. Some commentators say that there are very few honest politicians. Do you agree? Why or why not?
13. What are the best ways to prevent "divorce"?
14. What does the song "Dark Horse" teach young people?

Questions, comments? Let me know. Email Fr. Mike