Words. Are powerful.
They can build up. They can heal. They can tear down. They can kill.
The 8th Commandment
teaches: “You shall not give false testimony.
The LORD expects us to defend our neighbor. To shield him
against false accusation. To speak well of him by truthfully praising his good
qualities. And explain in his favor whatever can be explained.[1]
You might say that you’ve never taken a life. True. But you
can kill and destroy your neighbor’s good name and damage his reputation by
using false facts or by twisting truth.
Stolen property may be returned. But a good name may not
always be given back. The most untamable thing in the world has its den just
behind the back of the teeth.
There are sins of commission and sins of omission.
Sins of commission are sins we commit.
Sins of omission happen - because we failed to act.
Sins of commission is the gossip we tell.
Sins of omission - the gossip we hear.
Sins of commission are the words we speak.
Sins of omission - the words we don’t.
Sticks and stones are hard on bones.
Aimed with angry art.
Words can sting like anything.
But silence breaks the heart. [2]
When we fail to defend our neighbor. When we trash his
reputation. We define him and his standing in this world.
Dr. King had a dream. When his children would be defined by
the content of their character. Your words. Do they help? Or do they hurt your
neighbor’s character- in the court of public opinion?
We must confess and plead guilty before God of all sin. That
we have lived as if God did not matter and as if we mattered most…that there
are those whom we have hurt, and those whom we have failed to help. That our
very thoughts and desires have been soiled with sin.[3]
And as we come in repentance and faith, we look to Jesus who
suffered all.
St. Peter teaches, Christ also suffered for you, leaving
you an example, that you should follow in His footsteps: He committed no sin,
and no deceit was found in His mouth. When they heaped abuse on Him, He did not
retaliate. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered,
he did not threaten but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.
He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and
live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 1 Peter 2: 21-24
By his wounds you have been healed. Of your thoughts. Your
deeds. And even your words.
Speak. But speak wisely. Buildup. Do not tear down. Speak
truthfully and honestly. Use only good words. Nasty words - Hurt God’s ears.
As Peter would remind us, “And
above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers and
multitude of sins. – 1 Peter 4:8
Words- 505
Passive Sentences –15%
Readability – 87%
Reading Level – 3.2
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