Speech
8th Sunday in Ordinary Time (C)
The task of the modern educator is to impart knowledge and understanding of various subjects. The task of the biblical was to impart wisdom, which is broader and deeper. A student must be formed to live in the ways of God, which requires training and discipline. It is both and academic and a moral education.
Thus Jesus points out that the disciple doesn’t merely learn what the teacher knows, but “will be like his teacher” (Lk 6:40). To be effective, the teacher must live what is being taught, examining his own eye carefully before attempting to correct the eye of the disciple.
This way of teaching is not found in the school system. Children today must learn wisdom from their parents at home, and from the priest at church. With the exception of some well-crafted religious education programs, the homily at Mass[1] is one of the few instances where the biblical, rabbinic method of teaching can be found: 1) the homily utilizes the same biblical texts and wisdom parables familiar to God’s people up to the time of Jesus; 2) the homily informs the disciples with knowledge and understanding of God’s law and the truths of revelation, but seeks to apply those truths to how we live. The task is not simply to impart knowledge, but to form minds and hearts.
In today’s Gospel Jesus takes up an important lesson which is prominent in the wisdom literature of the Old Testament, which is the use of speech. The first reading shows how this was already a familiar lesson for Jesus’ disciples, since the book of Sirach is an textbook used by rabbis when teaching young students at the synagogue. An important part of wisdom is learning when, how, and what to speak. It is from speech that the person is revealed: “When a sieve is shaken, the husks appear; so do one’s faults when one speaks” (Sir 27:4) “Praise no one before he speaks” (Sir 27:7). And, as reused in the teachings of Jesus, “The fruit of a tree shows the care it has had; so too does one’s speech disclose the bent of one’s mind” (Sir 27:6). “A good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good, but an evil person out of a store of evil produces evil; for from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks” (Lk 6:45).
The confession at the beginning of Mass reminds us that many of our sins are committed through speech: “…I have greatly sinned, in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done and in what I have failed to do…” Some of these sins include:
1) Profanity – the inappropriate use of expletives, curse words, and ugly language that is unworthy of ourselves and those present.
2) Negativity – the propensity to be critical, argumentative, and dismissive; always finding the fault in people and things.
3) Gossip – speaking uncharitably of others who are not present, whether falsely (calumny) or truthfully (detraction).
4) Lying – speaking deliberate falsehoods, or otherwise speaking deceptively.
The words we speak are directly connected with the person we are. “A good tree does not bear rotten fruit, nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit” (Lk 6:43). Which is why discipline in speech is directly connected with holiness of life, and through proper speech we can actually be formed in true wisdom and holiness.
Sins of speech can fall under different commandments. For instance, gossip is a sin against the fifth commandment because it harms another; while lying falls under the eighth commandment because it bears false witness. But all sins of speech are bound up in the second commandment: You shall not say the name of God in vain. The worst use of speech would be to denigrate God Himself. What the second commandment teaches is that speech must always be worthy of 1) God’s dignity, 2) our own dignity, and 3) the dignity of those who hear us.
Instead of using the tongue for evil, the tongue must be used for good: to praise, bless, uplift, and ennoble. As we enjoy the nourishment provided by a tree in its fruits, so must be able to enjoy and benefit from the conversations we have with others.
It is providential that we hear this lesson on the final Sunday before beginning Lent. The upcoming 40 days of penance are a time to examine and reform our lives, making specific commitments to give up those things that bad for us. Perhaps this year it would be good to examine the way we speak: giving up profanity and gossip; speaking less; speaking only from a store of goodness.
[1] When correctly implemented