In today's first reading from James 5, St. James says, “Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.'” These are the exact words of Jesus from the Sermon on the Mount.
I’m a pretty old guy. In fact, I’m so old that I remember when a man’s word was his bond. People did business with just a handshake. Imagine that! Ah, how I long for those days again. Honestly, I think it is still that way with most folks. But our society continues to evolve in the other direction. As leaders and authority figures lie and obfuscate and deflect, trust is eroded more and more. We don't believe that their "Yes" means "Yes" and their "No" means "No".
Trust between people is so important. But as we both know, trust is something that must be earned. And once it is earned, it must be kept. I'm sorry to say that I've broken trust in some of my relationships throughout my life. It has been an arduous process regaining that trust. One sure way to do it is to follow the advice of St. James (and Jesus) and let your "Yes" mean "Yes" and your "No" mean "No".
Father, help us to be people of our word. Give us the grace to be more honest in dealing with others, and with You. Amen.
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