Yes means yes!

VI Sunday A Mathew 5, 20’37 In the four years that I have had the privilege of being your pastor, one thing I have learned is that this is the church of exaggeration. Whether it's roses for December 12, my birthday, volunteers for the food bank, Sunday donations, The way of the cross, and many more examples, you are never content to do the minimum, no, you always want to do the maximum. You want to give your all! And that's good, because now you can understand today's gospel. Jesus is inviting us to be his disciples, Jesus wants us to follow him, Jesus wants us to continue his ministry, Jesus is entrusting us with nothing less than to be his living presence in the world today. Sometimes there are people who want to do the minimum. Children who are happy with only a "C", and do not want to work anymore. Athletes like Aaron Rodgers who are happy not to lose and don't really want to win, workers who just want their paycheck every two weeks, and who don't really give 100 percent. In the gospel it is obvious that Jesus is asking the maximum of us his disciples. Not only do we have to obey every law, we have to comply with every letter, every comma or period. It is not enough not to commit adultery, we can’t even look at another person with desire, not only can we not steal what is not ours, we cannot covet, we cannot just not murder, we cannot even be angry with someone. We cannot swear falsely, we simply have to say yes when it is yes, or no when it is no. Jesus is asking for it all. Jesus is asking everything of us. If we are worthy of the name of Christian, we have to be willing to give the maximum, to give everything. Now I can say that I have not committed adultery, I believe that many of us can say this, but I cannot say that I have never looked at another person with desires. Maybe I have never stolen, but how many times have I coveted something from my brother, or my neighbor? Very few of us have killed someone, but who among us has not been angry with someone, like right now I am angry with my provincial for saying that I have to leave Saint Mary? And how many times have I said something and not really meant it? The truth is Jesus is asking a lot of us. No, rather Jesus is asking everything of us. He is not happy with part, he wants it all. He doesn't want us to be Christians on Sundays or when it suits us. He doesn't want us to be faithful in some things but every thing. The simple truth is that Jesus is asking of us the impossible. What Jesus is saying in the gospel cannot be easy for anyone. The truth is its impossible. Jesus was criticizing the Pharisees, not because they weren't good people, but because they thought that keeping the law was enough. Their problem is that they thought they could gain heaven themselves. They had the thought that if they did such a thing it was enough, that they had earned salvation simply because they were obedient. And what Jesus wants to say to us is, "Sorry." You can only do it with my help. What do you do when you have to do something difficult? If I ask to feed 250 families twice a month. Support needy parishes throughout the diocese. What do you do when you can't pay the bills with your salary? Or what can't handle your teenager? Or that they can't handle their mom and dad? You have to ask for help, Of course!. What Jesus is asking of us is impossible, the pure and simple truth. But we don't have to do it alone, we have help. We have the grace of the sacraments, we have the help of the community. We are a sacramental community. And this means much more that we celebrate the baptism of babies, we do more than make our first communion, or go to confession, or celebrate the sacrament of marriage. No, being a sacramental community means that we live the sacraments. Living the sacraments means we trust in the grace of the Holy Spirit, we trust that God is with us in good times and bad. In the easy and especially in the difficult. God is entrusting us with nothing less than to continue his mission here on earth. God is asking us to be his presence in the world today. What God wants from us is impossible, but it is extremely important. That is why he has formed us into a community so that we can work together, he has given us his Holy Spirit to give us strength when we are weak. God has blessed us with the sacraments so that, strengthened, we continue this important mission.