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Showing posts with label Gossip. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gossip. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Letting go of splinters

By Nancy Shuman



File:Albrecht Dürer - Bildnis eines unbekannten Mannes.jpg
Portrait of a Man by Durer (photo credit:
Wikimedia Commons).



It was one of my grown children who helped me see the error of my ways.  Launching into a story about someone I'll call 'Millie'... relating a tale I'd been told by a friend who'd heard from a co-worker who knew for sure because someone had said ... I was stopped mid-sentence.  "Mom," said my son (kindly), "before you say any more, just know that whatever you tell me will make a difference in what I think about 'Millie' from now on."


Well.

Feeling chagrined, I fell silent.  I was stung by the truth of these words.  I could pass along my little bit of gossip, feeling only slightly guilty about doing so, and I would most likely forget it (as it is, I don't remember it now).  But every time my son saw or spoke with 'Millie,' he would carry with him an impression left in the wake of my careless action.  Even though I cannot, today, recall what I was starting to say, I know it was not something positive. 

Oh, I might have tried to be 'nice.'  I probably intended to mention that Millie had a few good qualities, bless her heart.  But was there a good reason to casually mention her actions to my son?  No.  I had no reason to share whatever-it-was.

This happened several years ago, and will I sound dramatic when I say it was life changing?  Probably.  But it was.


Continue reading at Nancy's blog The Breadbox Letters.

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Rejoice in suffering

By Robert Batch



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Paul in Prison by Rembrandt (Wikimedia Commons).


When we hear the word “suffering” we typically think of pain and sorrow.  It is rare that we go as far and meditate on the sufferings of Christ.  Why is this?  Well I would like to propose that it is part of the nature of being human.  We are wired to focus and satisfy ourselves, in trying to fill that void with all of the wrong things.

The world today encourages us to not look to faith, but rather look up a number for a therapist or a counselor.  The world today tells us not to pray, but rather gossip.  It says in Romans 8:18 that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the Glory that is to be revealed to us.

In this 2nd Sunday of Advent, we eagerly await the coming of Christ, in hope, knowing the glory that we have waiting for us.  We eagerly await the source and summit of our salvation, who has experienced all of our sufferings on the Cross of Calvary, carrying the weight of our sins and guilt on His shoulders.  It is our job to keep our eyes focused on the Cross for that is where our salvation lies, and that is where we will get our joy.

As we continue through this advent season, let us remember, if we are suffering through something in our lives, that Christ continually shows us His mercy and love every step of the way.


Robert blogs at Love is Calling.

Saturday, September 7, 2013

Sins of speech and the golden key

By Barbara A. Schoeneberger




File:Rudolf von Ottenfeld-Discussion.jpg
Discussion by von Ottenfield (photo credit: Wikimedia Commons).


The inimitable Msgr. Charles Pope has an excellent post all of us can benefit from. Lord, Keep your arm around my shoulder and your hand over my mouth: Reflections on Common Sins of Speech will have many readers squirming. We don’t hear often from the pulpit about the pitfalls of the wagging tongue, but we should, because we all fail to exercise the degree of discretion we ought when it comes to our speech. St. James wrote quite a bit about this in his epistle in the New Testament, and the book of Proverbs in the Old Testament contains multiple cautions against evil speech.

Convents and monasteries have good reasons to limit speaking freely to hours set for recreation, and allowing only talk that is necessary to perform duties at other times. Sins of speech where people live in close quarters behind cloister walls can poison an entire community. Perhaps family life might be calmer in some homes if parents instituted something similar to eradicate the undercurrent of maliciousness in communication that is a hallmark of sibling rivalry or of a weakening relationship between Mom and Dad.

The work place is a more difficult challenge but not impossible when it comes to guarding one’s tongue, this because many people today aren’t concerned with the things of God and are in full pursuit of fleshly desires. If we become known as someone who speaks when necessary, says the truth to another in a way that is constructive, and encourages others rather than tearing them down, we will have accomplished a great deal towards bringing peace to what is often a pit of complaints, double dealing, laziness, and outright spite.


Continue reading at Barbara's blog  Suffering with Joy.