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From: 1 Kings 19:19-21

The call of Elisha

[19] So he departed from thee, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was ploughing, with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he was with the twelfth. Elijah passed by him and cast his mantle upon him. [20] And he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, “Let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you.” And he said to him, “Go back again; for what have I done to you?” [21] And he returned from following him, and took the yoke of oxen, and slew them, and boiled their flesh with the yokes of the oxen, and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he arose and went after Elijah, and ministered to him.

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Commentary:

19-21. Elisha’s response to Elijah’s call is quite exemplary: he leaves everything behind and puts himself at the disposal of the prophet. That will be how the apostles respond to Christ (cf. Mt 4:20, 22; etc.), and it should be how anyone responds when the Lord calls him or her to a mission which involves leaving everything. But the call issued by Jesus is more pressing than Elijah’s, as can be seen from the Gospel passage where Jesus, in response to someone who says, “I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home,” replies, “No one who puts his hand to the plough and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God” (Lk 9:61-62). Obedience to a call involves a radical self-surrender: “Detach yourself from people and things until you are stripped of them. For, says Pope St. Gregory, the devil has nothing of his own in this world, and naked he comes to battle. If you go clothed to fight him, you will soon be pulled to the ground: for he will have something to catch you by” (St. J. Escriva, The Way, 149).

The name “Elisha” means “My God saves” and it epitomizes this prophet, just as the name “Elijah” catches the essence of that prophet’s message: “My God is the Lord.”

From: Matthew 5:33-37

Jesus and His Teaching, the Fulfillment of the Law (Continuation)

(Jesus said to His disciples,) [33] “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.”

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Commentary:

33-37. The Law of Moses absolutely prohibited perjury or violation of oaths (Exodus 20:7; Numbers 30:3; Deuteronomy 23:22). In Christ’s time, the making of sworn statements was so frequent and the casuistry surrounding them so intricate that the practice was being grossly abused. Some rabbinical documents of the time show that oaths were taken for quite unimportant reasons. Parallel to this abuse of oath-taking there arose no less ridiculous abuses to justify non-fulfillment of oaths. All this meant great disrespect for the name of God. However, we do know from Sacred Scripture that oath-taking is lawful and good in certain circumstances: “If you swear, `As the Lord lives’, in truth, in justice, and in uprightness, then nations shall bless themselves in Him, and in Him shall they glory (Jeremiah 4:2).

Jesus here lays down the criterion which His disciples must apply in this connection. It is based on re-establishing, among married people, mutual trust, nobility and sincerity. The devil is “the father of lies” (John 8:44). Therefore, Christ’s Church must teach that human relationships cannot be based on deceit and insincerity. God is truth, and the children of the Kingdom must, therefore, base mutual relationships on truth. Jesus concludes by praising sincerity. Throughout His teaching He identifies hypocrisy as one of the main vices to be combatted (cf., e.g., Matthew 23:13-32), and sincerity as one of the finest virtues (cf. John 1:47).