20250821 TAKING OUR COMMITMENTS SERIOUSLY
21 August 2025, Thursday, 20th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading | Judges 11:29-39 |
Jephthah sacrifices his daughter in fulfilment of a vow
The spirit of the Lord came on Jephthah, who crossed Gilead and Manasseh, passed through to Mizpah in Gilead, and from Mizpah in Gilead made his way to the rear of the Ammonites. And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord, ‘If you deliver the Ammonites into my hands, then the first person to meet me from the door of my house when I return in triumph from fighting the Ammonites shall belong to the Lord, and I will offer him up as a holocaust. Jephthah marched against the Ammonites to attack them, and the Lord delivered them into his power. He harassed them from Aroer almost to Minnith (twenty towns) and to Abel-keramim. It was a very severe defeat, and the Ammonites were humbled before the Israelites.
As Jephthah returned to his house at Mizpah, his daughter came out from it to meet him; she was dancing to the sound of timbrels. This was his only child; apart from her he had neither son nor daughter. When he saw her, he tore his clothes and exclaimed, ‘Oh my daughter, what sorrow you are bringing me! Must it be you, the cause of my ill-fortune! I have given a promise to the Lord, and I cannot unsay what I have said.’ She answered him, ‘My father, you have given a promise to the Lord; treat me as the vow you took binds you to, since the Lord has given you vengeance on your enemies the Ammonites.’ Then she said to her father, ‘Grant me one request. Let me be free for two months. I shall go and wander in the mountains, and with my companions bewail my virginity.’ He answered, ‘Go’, and let her depart for two months. So she went away with her companions and bewailed her virginity in the mountains. When the two months were over, she returned to her father, and he treated her as the vow that he had uttered bound him. She had never known a man.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 39(40):5,7-10 |
Here I am, Lord! I come to do your will.
Happy the man who has placed
his trust in the Lord
and has not gone over to the rebels
who follow false gods.
Here I am, Lord! I come to do your will.
You do not ask for sacrifice and offerings,
but an open ear.
You do not ask for holocaust and victim.
Instead, here am I.
Here I am, Lord! I come to do your will.
In the scroll of the book it stands written
that I should do your will.
My God, I delight in your law
in the depth of my heart.
Here I am, Lord! I come to do your will.
Your justice I have proclaimed
in the great assembly.
My lips I have not sealed;
you know it, O Lord.
Here I am, Lord! I come to do your will.
Gospel Acclamation | Ps118:27 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Make me grasp the way of your precepts,
and I will muse on your wonders.
Alleluia!
Or: | Ps94:8 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Harden not your hearts today,
but listen to the voice of the Lord.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Matthew 22:1-14 |
Invite everyone you can to the wedding
Jesus began to speak to the chief priests and elders of the people in parables: ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a feast for his son’s wedding. He sent his servants to call those who had been invited, but they would not come. Next he sent some more servants. “Tell those who have been invited” he said “that I have my banquet all prepared, my oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered, everything is ready. Come to the wedding.” But they were not interested: one went off to his farm, another to his business, and the rest seized his servants, maltreated them and killed them. The king was furious. He despatched his troops, destroyed those murderers and burnt their town. Then he said to his servants, “The wedding is ready; but as those who were invited proved to be unworthy, go to the crossroads in the town and invite everyone you can find to the wedding.” So these servants went out on to the roads and collected together everyone they could find, bad and good alike; and the wedding hall was filled with guests. When the king came in to look at the guests he noticed one man who was not wearing a wedding garment, and said to him, “How did you get in here, my friend, without a wedding garment?” And the man was silent. Then the king said to the attendants, “Bind him hand and foot and throw him out into the dark, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.” For many are called, but few are chosen.’
TAKING OUR COMMITMENTS SERIOUSLY
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Jdg 11:29-39; Psalm 40:5,7-10; Mt 22:1-14]
When we read the story of Jephthah, what is our immediate reaction? On one hand, we might think that he took his vow to the Lord too seriously. We might excuse him for being rash in making such a vow to the Lord, saying: “If you deliver the Ammonites into my hands, then the first person to meet me from the door of my house when I return in triumph from fighting the Ammonites shall belong to the Lord, and I will offer him up as a holocaust.” What was in Jephthah’s mind? Did he really believe that his bargain with the Lord would come true, that he would win the battle? Did he think of the consequences of his vow – sacrificing the first person he would meet at the door of his house – when that person would likely be his spouse or one of his children? For these reasons, we might excuse him for making a frivolous vow without thinking through the consequences.
At any rate, we might also think that this was not a real historical event, but rather an example drawn from neighbouring nations that practiced child sacrifice. Perhaps it was just an illustration of the evil and foolishness of such practices. Indeed, how heartless can a parent be to sacrifice his own child – even to the Lord – by offering Him a living holocaust? This does not speak well of God either, as though He would desire the death of an innocent child to appease His glory and majesty. Such a thought is unthinkable of the God who is known for His mercy and compassion.
On the other hand, we can learn an important lesson from their folly – namely, the seriousness of making a vow. We must not take vows made to God lightly and, by extension, even to our fellowmen, since they are often made in God’s name. There are serious consequences to breaking such solemn vows. Unfortunately, today, vows and promises are taken lightly, and when God’s name is invoked as a witness, we make a mockery of Him. Married couples break their vows of fidelity easily. Even priests, religious, and monks sometimes fail in their vows of chastity, obedience, or poverty. Although these vows are made solemnly at ordination or profession, they are not always lived out in spirit. In the political and the corporate world, too, few are truly trustworthy. So much so that today we sometimes wonder whether vows and promises have any meaning at all, since they are often not intended to be kept.
But why do people break their oaths and promises – not just to their fellowmen, but even to God? Simply because we have lost the sense of the sacred. Living in a secular, materialistic, and relativistic world, we no longer feel God’s presence or have a clear sense of right and wrong. We twist and bend laws to serve our own interests. We invent excuses for everything. Many people, even believers, do not feel God’s presence in their decisions. Many suppress their conscience, separating politics and business from their personal life. When God is absent from our lives, when we no longer regard Him as real, then we make decisions and break promises without thinking – because we believe the vows we make in His name are empty words.
Still, in the case of Jephthah, we must commend him for his integrity and fear of the Lord. Whether or not it was ethically right, or whether his vow was made foolishly – as often happens in marriage or ordination – the fact remains that a vow had been made and it had to be kept. Out of respect for God’s honour and majesty, and in fulfilling his side of the bargain, Jephthah honoured his promise. And so, “he tore his clothes and exclaimed, ‘Oh my daughter, what sorrow you are bringing me! Must it be you, the cause of my ill-fortune! I have given a promise to the Lord, and I cannot unsay what I have said.'” He was a man of integrity and honour.
But it was not only Jephthah who showed us the path of commitment to promises. His young, unmarried daughter also demonstrated strong respect for the Lord and for her father’s vow. She did not rebel against him. On the contrary, she accepted it as a matter of principle, saying: “My father, you have given a promise to the Lord; treat me as the vow you took binds you to, since the Lord has given you vengeance on your enemies the Ammonites.” She too wanted to honour the vow made to the Lord.
Perhaps, there is also a lesson to be learnt here about sacrificing for the larger community. Since God fulfilled His promise by delivering the Ammonites into Jephthah’s hands, the nation was protected and saved. When we make vows, we must understand that they are not for our benefit alone, but for the greater good of the community. So, when a public official takes an oath of office, it is for the welfare of those he serves. So, too, when a couple marries, they pledge fidelity not only to protect their relationship, but also to raise and protect the family they will build. Similarly, when a priest makes a promise, it is to serve God and His people. Hence, for the sake of the greater good, we must be like Jephthah and his daughter in keeping our promises.
Nevertheless, there is also the aspect of compassion as well. We must not be so harsh on ourselves when it comes to fulfilling the vows we make. People need time to come to terms with the will of God. As the responsorial psalm says, “You do not ask for sacrifice and offerings, but an open ear. You do not ask for holocaust and victim. Instead, here am I. In the scroll of the book it stands written that I should do your will. My God, I delight in your law in the depth of my heart.” So Jephthah’s daughter requested some time to prepare herself before being offered as a sacrifice to God: “Grant me one request. Let me be free for two months. I shall go and wander in the mountains, and with my companions bewail my virginity.” And the father agreed: “Go”, he said, and she went away with her companions to the mountains. When the two months were over, she returned to her father, and he carried out the vow he had made.
In today’s gospel, Jesus also reminds us of the importance of being committed to the grace that God has given us. In the parable of the Wedding Banquet, the King invited his subjects to his son’s wedding. Invitations had been sent out in advance, but when the time came, they all declined to come, offering excuses, some even “seized his servants, maltreated them and killed them.” Instead of being grateful, they rejected God’s grace. Of course, this parable was aimed at both the religious leaders of Israel and the nation itself for rejecting Jesus, God’s son. And we are told that there were consequences: “The king was furious. He dispatched his troops, destroyed those murderers and burnt their town.”
There is also a warning for those who accept God’s grace but fail to remain committed to Him – they too would suffer the consequences. When others – the Gentiles – were welcomed to the table of God, they responded positively. However, some did not put on the proper wedding garment. They may have come in their work clothes – dirty and torn – showing no respect for the host. The point of the parable is that, responding to God’s grace alone is not enough. To be baptized and attend church does not automatically entitle us to partake in the banquet of life. We must seek to live holy lives in keeping with our identity as God’s people. The garment we must put on is Christ – His mind, His heart, and His values. Otherwise, we will find ourselves out of place. Grace requires commitment too. When we despise God’s gifts, by failing to use them well for His glory and in service of His people, we will be held accountable. Indeed, the Lord also would say to us, “Bind him hand and foot and throw him out into the dark, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen.”
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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