Bible
Study: Judges 11:29-39. / Matthew 22:1-14.
Our readings
today touch on a very crucial topic as far as religion itself is concerned and
that is the practice of making vows to God. Somehow, we all are under vows,
whether as priests, religious or as married persons.
A vow is a
promise which we utter freely from our lips to God. A vow makes us enter into
some sort of agreement with God. A vow makes God committed to us just we become
committed to God. A vow is powerful in the sense that no matter the condition
we find ourselves, there is never an excuse for not living up to its demand.
On the day
a young man or woman is elevated to the status of a priest, deacon or reverend
sister, he or she publicly makes a vow before God and the people. This vow
requires him or her to practice: 1. Obedience, to God and constituted authority
especially to the Bishop. 2. Chastity, which demands purity of heart in a celibate
lifestyle and a total refrain from any act of immorality in all its
ramifications and 3. Poverty, which
requires that he or she be detached completely from the pursuit of material
possessions.
Also when
a man finds a woman with whom he desires to spend to rest of his with, he
brings her before God and publicly, they both enter into vows to be faithful to
each other for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in
health, to love and cherish, till death do them part.
Now, that
is the easy part of a vow. Just like Jephthah in today’s first reading, when we
make vows to God, we never really know what such vows would demand from us. As the
saying goes: “TALK IS CHEAP.” At times, we make vows even without thinking, or
we enter into vows simply because such is required in other to become a priest,
religious or married person as the case may be.
The difficult
aspect of the vow is in the keeping! The vows we make to God require
faithfulness at all costs because within the vow contains the power that makes
us succeed in our chosen vocation or married state. The power of a priest or
religious or a marriage is in the vow. That is why nothing destroys like unfaithfulness.
The greatest enemies of priesthood, religious life or marriage are those things
or persons that lure, encourage or bring about to infidelity to the vows. Nothing
hurts a spouse or God as much as unfaithfulness.
If Jephthah
had not made the vow, it would have been a different thing but once he entered
into that commitment, he was bound to be victorious in battle because a vow
forces the hand of God so to say in our favour. But had it been he did not keep
his own side of the bargain, had it been he refused to sacrifice the first
thing that came out of his house, his victory in battle would have been futile
as his enemies would have come back again in full force to destroy him.
A vow is a
vow. Sometimes, I hear people in a bid to justify themselves say things like, “I
didn’t make a vow, I only made a promise.” There is no difference. In the
Gospel passage today, Jesus gave a parable about a group of persons who made a
vow to a certain king that they would attend the marriage feast of his son only
for them to become unfaithful to the vow just when everything was now set. “The
king was angry… then he said to his servants ‘the wedding is ready, but those
invited were not worthy. Go therefore into the streets and invite to the
marriage feast as many as you find.”
Each of us
has been freely called by God. We enjoy the unmerited favour of God but refusal
to attend the marriage feast with our wedding garment on, which can be
interpreted as responding to the call without any commitment to be faithful the
vows is terrible. That man who came into the feast without a wedding garment
can be likened to a person living a double life. A vow demands that we put in
everything, there is nothing like, half commitment. “The king said to his
attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and cast him into the outer darkness,
where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but
few are chosen.”
Let us
pray:
Lord
Jesus, grant me the grace of faithfulness. Help me completely empty myself to
give freely and wholeheartedly that which my vows demand. Amen.
Good morning.
Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you.
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