August 24, 2011
Feast of St. Bartholomew, Apostle
yes and no
“Here is a true Israelite. There is no duplicity in him.” – John 1:47
“Are you going to the party?” I asked a Caucasian friend regarding an occasion we were both invited to. “Yes, I’ll try,” he replied.
I laughed. The Filipino culture had rubbed off on this foreigner that he could not tell me straight that he had no intentions of going to the party.
“I’ll try” for the Filipino is a euphemism for “no.” Because of our non-confrontational culture or our nature of not wanting to embarrass another, we resort to masking our refusal with a positive response.
How different from what Jesus teaches us in the Gospel! In Matthew 5:37 He says, “Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’ Anything more is from the evil one.”
When I learned about this aspect of Christian integrity, I strove to be truthful in what I say.
When I do not mean it, I don’t say it.
And if ever I do say it, then I do my best to keep my word.
Or at least, I try. Rissa Singson-Kawpeng(justbreatherissa@gmail.com)
24
REFLECTION:
Is your word your bond? Can people count on what you say?
Let the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart find favor before You, O Lord (Psalm 19:15).
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