The associated reading for this reflection can be found in your Every Sacred Sunday Mass journal or online here.
Our culture today is filled with hustle! We love being busy and distracted, and we have so many avenues and gadgets to keep our lives filled with noise and chaos. But what if we were not created to live this way? What if we were created not to be busy but to be faithful? I think that is what Jesus was trying to convey to the disciples when He told them that their ‘yes’ should mean ‘yes’ and their ‘no’ should mean ‘no.’ He was not just telling them to keep their word and avoid swearing. He was telling them to be honest and faithful, to evaluate what they had the capacity to commit to rather than people-pleasing or self-protecting, and to recognize the difference between prudence and pride.
As a lifelong people-pleaser, I feel like this Gospel targets the pride within me that says I can and should do everything. Rarely are any of the things I say ‘yes’ to bad things- but collectively, they build until I find myself in the ruthless cycle of hustling. I will say ‘yes’ to things I do not have the capacity for, then fail to follow through, feel guilty for not keeping my word, and let the weight of my wrongdoing propel me into over-productivity and exhaustion. This cycle impacts my relationships with the people I have made commitments to and, more importantly, the Father as I leave less and less time for communion with Him. And what is life if I am not living in communion with the One who created me?
Living as a follower of Christ is difficult, especially when we have so many daily distractions to battle. But Jesus, our hope, has already defeated the devil: the king of distractions! All He desires for us is to live in communion with Him! If you are like me and give your ‘yes’ too quickly to lesser things, how can you begin to practice prudence in your daily life? What is one step you can take to enter into a life of faithfulness rather than a life of hustle? How can you make more room for silence and communion?
Jesus, please teach me how to let my yes mean yes and my no mean no. Help me to live my life in communion with You—to let You be my first and greatest "yes".
Katie Fitzgerald is a happy Texan working in communications. She loves the psalms, sunflowers, Pensacola beaches, art museums, laughing, film photography, and big family dinners (with people who feel like family, even if they aren’t). You can catch her on Instagram, likely reposting prayers or words of encouragement from others.
