M atthew 5:33-37 "Again you have heard that it was said to the men of old, `You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.'  (34) But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, (35) or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. (36) And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 Let what you say be simply `Yes' or `No'; anything more than this comes from evil.


    
Meditation by Diane Jorgensen

So whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come.

In the first reading, Paul reminds his listeners that in Christ, they have been re-created, made new; not from knowing Jesus when he walked on this earth and being able to see him and listen to his words, but  through his life, death and resurrection. Paul uses the word reconciliation, or some form of it, five times in this passage and so my reflections will center on these questions: What does it mean to be re-created? How are we reconciled to God?  How is God reconciled to the world?

One of the times we most long to be re-created is when we are painfully aware of the limits of our created selves.  Our selfishness causes conflict with a family member; our busy-ness keeps us from nurturing relationships with a beloved friend; we are caught in addictive behaviors, seemingly beyond hope; personal failures leave us feeling hopeless and broken; our fears keep us from being honest with ourselves about our values and so we find ourselves lost in a maze of behaviors that leave us feeling disconnected from our deepest selves and from God. We continue to strive to be reconciled through our own efforts, but they often fail. Lord, make of me a new creation… work your grace in me! …in us!

Paul reminds us that the great reconciliation of all creation with God has been accomplished in Christ! All that feels disconnected and separated has already been, and is, reconciled in Christ for eternity. When we open our hearts and minds to this realty, we open ourselves to the spirit of the reconciling Christ alive today in each of us and in the world. We are made whole, and friendship and harmony are restored with God, our selves, and others. And, we become “ambassadors for Christ”; living reminders to others of this great grace. Yes, the Lord is kind and merciful!

The gospel account has Jesus giving his disciples a concrete teaching about this.  How many times have we said, or heard others say, “It’s true, I swear!” or “That’s exactly what happened, I swear!” Why do we say this? Because the hearers don’t trust what is being said; there is doubt, suspicion or disbelief. Jesus reminds his disciples as he reminds us that all we need to do is speak the truth; the truth that comes from our reconciled, deepest self; not from our fearful, divided self, (“the evil one”). And then we need to “let go of the results” as we have often heard said. We don’t have control over the outcomes; for we cannot make “a single hair white or black” (well, not without dye). There is nothing to do, but open our tightly clenched hands to receive the blessing of reconciliation that is with us for all time.

This week we celebrate The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ; as we receive the Body and Blood of Christ, I pray that we may be deeply aware of the reconciliation that has been accomplished in Christ for us. May we be living reminders of this peace that only Christ can give.




Supplementary Reading
The Power of a Dream

[Daniel prayed] "I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors: You have given me wisdom and power, you have made known to me what we asked of you, you have made known to us the dream of the king. – Daniel 2:23

I believe that each of us has a dream placed in the heart. I'm not talking about wanting to win the lottery. That kind of idea comes from a desire to escape our present circumstances, not to pursue a heartfelt dream. I'm talking about a vision deep inside that speaks to the very soul. It's the thing we were born to do. It draws on our talents and gifts. It appeals to our highest ideals. It sparks our feelings of destiny. It is inseparably linked to our purpose in life. The dream starts us on the success journey.

A dream does many things for us: It gives us direction, increases our potential, helps us prioritize, adds value to our work, and predicts our future.

Oliver Wendell Holmes noted, "The great thing in this world is not so much where we are but in what direction we are moving." This is also one of the great things about having a dream. You can pursue your dream no matter where you are today. And what happened in the past isn't as important as what lies ahead in the future. As the saying goes, "No matter what a person's past may have been, his future is spotless." You can begin pursuing your dream today!



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Dare to dream and act on that dream.