The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.
—Proverbs 18:21

And if any man think himself to be religious, not bridling his tongue, but deceiving his own heart, this man’ s religion is vain.
—James 1:26

tumblr_mco117qy1l1r7g7k3o1_500Speaking to a friend recently about verbal abuse, I was piqued by his response: “But if you don’t let it bother you, it wouldn’t hurt, would it?”

Words are cheap nowadays; we are drowning in a relentless sea of social media, advertising, and general drivel. At the same time, well-meaning people keep pushing political correctness, bending over backwards in linguistic contortions to avoid any conceivable offense.

Indeed, words have incredible power; like kindling, they can inspire people to take action and work to correct injustices. With words, contracts are formed, jobs are started that have ripple effects throughout society; love is exchanged, proposals are made and accepted, marriages are begun and hence children are begotten; reality is transformed. Everything that exists began with the Word of God and is sustained by His Word. Of all words, we rely on the Word of God, which is Himself.

Words are such precious things, and so dangerous too. A careless remark might send a vulnerable person over the edge; a torrent of abuse kills a person’s spirit, her inner peace and joy. Complaints and gossip make people look at each other with clouded eyes, eyes that can no longer perceive the inherent beauty and dignity of every person under the messiness of human life as we know it. These words kill charity in the soul and make the world seem irredeemably dark and hopeless.

It is words again that heal, that lift the spirits of someone who has been crushed, pouring sweet balm on aching wounds. It was the word of assent from a lowly Jewish maiden over 2,000 years ago that allowed God to restore humankind to friendship and communion with Him, and we have His Word that we may have eternal life in Him.

The world is broken; people usually speak ill of themselves or others because they are hurting, or outraged at the disordered state of things. This is why we need a Savior—this is why we need so badly to hear the Good News, that the Kingdom of God is at hand and someday there will be a new heaven and a new earth, and peace without end.

St Jean Vianney said in his Catechism on Pride (emphasis mine): “When St. Aloysius Gonzaga was a student, he never sought to excuse himself when he was reproached with anything; he said what he thought, and troubled himself no further about what others might think; if he was wrong, he was wrong; if he was right, he said to himself, ‘I have certainly been wrong some other time.’ My children, the saints were so completely dead to themselves, that they cared very little whether others agreed with them. People in the world say, ‘Oh, the saints were simpletons!’ Yes, they were simpletons in worldly things; but in the things of God they were very wise. They understood nothing about worldly matters, to be sure, because they thought them of so little importance, that they paid no attention to them.”

Keep a guard on your ears—when you hear ill of others, remember that the person speaking to you is herself a limited creature who may not know all the facts; when you hear ill of yourself, do not be disheartened. Mother Teresa said, “If you are discouraged it is a sign of pride because it shows you trust in your own power. Your self-sufficiency, your selfishness and your intellectual pride will inhibit His coming to live in your heart because God cannot fill what is already full. It is as simple as that.”

If you have spoken ill of others, repent, and repair what damage may have been done; but again, do not be disheartened, for growth is a continuous process of weeding out the bad from our hearts, and nourishing the good, and God will set all things aright in His time.

May the Word of Christ be in your mind, on your lips, and in your heart, today and every day, keeping you and the people you meet in friendship with God and neighbor, restoring all creation by the Good News which is Love.

If you are silent, be silent out of love. If you speak, speak out of love.
—St Augustine

So a voice in the mountain is enough to let loose an avalanche. A word too much may be followed by a caving in. If the word had not been spoken, it would not have happened.
—Victor Hugo, Quatrevingt-Treize

A spoken word is a kind of sacrament, because there is something material or audible about it; there is also something spiritual about it, namely, its meaning.
—Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, “These Are the Sacraments

Not everyone can give alms in money, but we can all give alms in words. Alms of warm, kind words are like a mother’s lullaby to the unwanted, to the elderly who have a kind of hungry loneliness. These words bring peace and joy into joylessness and unpeace, and make people feel loved and wanted again.
—Servant of God Catherine Doherty


Image: Joy-Sorrow

Jean Elizabeth Seah

Jean Elizabeth Seah

Jean Elizabeth Seah is a Singaporean living in Australia. She has had several adventures with Our Lord and Our Lady, including running away to join a convent after university. The journey is tough and the path ahead is foggy, but she knows that as long as you hold firmly onto Our Lady’s hand, you’ll make it through! She has also written at Aleteia, MercatorNet and The Daily Declaration.

Leave a Replay

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Sign up for our Newsletter

Click edit button to change this text. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit