Article #10 - Sixth Series - November 6th, 2023 by Fr. Ben Daghir

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One Thing, Jesus Christ - Article #10 -  Sixth Series - November 6th, 2023 by Fr. Ben Daghir

Article:
Jesus says, “Let your yes mean yes, and your no mean no.” 

The word “decision” has Latin roots (decidere and caedere). The prefix de means “off” and caedere means “to cut.” In other words, to make a decision is to “cut something off.” We make a decision when we look at options (whether two options or more) and cut off the options we don’t want. We do this all of the time

Think about going through the McDonald’s drive-thru. “I would like a #4 meal, please. Medium. Coke.” At that moment, we cut (like scissors on paper) all the other meal options and sizes. When I chose to become a Roman Catholic priest, I cut off the other options (single man, monk, husband) in deciding. When someone chooses to marry an individual, he/she cuts off the billions of other men/women throughout the world in deciding to marry one specific person.

To be clear, making a decision demands that we cut the other options. Now, let’s return to Christ in this Gospel verse. Jesus is demanding that we make a decision, that we cut the other options like scissors going through paper. He is demanding that we live according to the Gospel, we forgive, we are completely committed to God, we follow the commandments, and we are faithful to the vows we have taken. 

In other words, Jesus wants us to make decisions. He wants us, like scissors slicing through paper, to decide Him in every aspect of our lives and among all the options. And, like the leftover paper scraps that fall to the floor, our old ways of living, our bad habits, our sinful actions, etc. must be cut off. It’s the demand of the Gospels. We must decide to have our “yes” mean yes and our “no” mean no.
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Fr. Ben Daghir is a priest for the Diocese of Erie. He is a graduate of Elk County Catholic High School in Saint Marys, Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, and St. Mary's Seminary & University in Baltimore, Maryland. He considers writing one of his favorite hobbies.