Reflection on the Gospel – Saturday, June 14, 2025

People—men and women of every time and place—have always loved big, impressive words: justice, brotherhood… and many others. We’ve always loved making promises, giving guarantees, swearing we’ll do this or that or something even greater. Think, for example, of politicians. They’re experts—especially during election campaigns—at promising jobs, better pensions, lower taxes, housing for all… and then, well, things don’t always go as planned. Sometimes they do what they can, and sometimes not even that.

I mention politicians, but the same happens among friends, in families, in companies—and yes, even in the Church, in Christian communities, in religious congregations. We all like big words and grand declarations. But when real life shows up, we often fall short.

Today’s Gospel invites us to let go of all that big talk. Fewer grand promises, more humility. Because sometimes it feels like all our energy goes into talking… and then nothing actually happens. That’s why Jesus says, “Just let your ‘yes’ mean yes and your ‘no’ mean no.” In other words, talk less—do more. Don’t waste your limited energy on speeches. Focus it on action.

Let’s try. We’re human—we’re limited and imperfect. Our efforts don’t always reach the goal. We often have good intentions (and really, who doesn’t?), but the results aren’t always what we hoped for. We have to humbly accept that we can’t do it all, that some goals—like full justice or universal brotherhood—are really hard, maybe even impossible, to achieve.

But in the meantime, let’s stop with the big declarations that are sometimes more about protecting our image than living the truth. Less talk, more action. Let’s get to work—with honesty, humility, and heart.