In Mary's Footsteps: The Power of Words

Thursday, July 3, 2014

The Power of Words

Hello Ladies,

Lately I have been faced with something that saddens me to no end. Some of my friends from long ago have been speaking really, really nasty things. They have been going beyond political activism to outright viciousness. These are good people. Maybe when I was younger I would have appreciated their cutting remarks as a form of clever humor. Now I see it for what it truly is: a way of destroying bridges and building walls of isolating self-righteousness. Opposing political views I can handle, but not meanness.

It gets worse.

To be fair, I went to the websites that my friends had been quoting. Wow! What slander! I cannot believe that my friends would consider anything based on repetition, loudness, and catchy slogans. But they are. Try to discuss with them? Suddenly I'm a bigot or worse.

I had been inclined to make careful consideration of their opinions but I can't find any substance other than "I'm right, you're wrong, and you have no compassion if you dare disagree." I am forced to shake my head in sadness.

We deal with situations like these all the time. It can be a belligerent family member or somebody on the street. It can be a political rally or the evening news. At some point we're going to have to deal with the power of words.

And our children are watching. We are the ones who teach them whether or not it's okay to hurl insults at others. We're the ones who intentionally watch or avoid shows that degrade others.

Notice that my sadness is not due to my friends having opposing views, but that they would rather hurt me than talk with me. I doubt that they even know what they are doing.

At church the other day I found a prayer card talking about the power of words. There is no copyright, author, or company name stated or I would cite it. But before I read this prayer card I had not really put together the use of words and the sudden anger in society. Now it seems much clearer to me.

The Power of Words

Detraction: repeating something true without good reason (Sirach 21).

Racial jokes that encourage hatred or sexual jokes which use impurity for entertainment (Ephesians 5:3-4)

Calumny: talking about someone's faults. "Do not judge, and you will not be juded; and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned..." (Luke 6:37).

Sarcasm: a way to put others down and disguise it as humor.

Arguing: speaking nasty or using biting remarks.

Criticizing: constant complaining and scolding to vent rather than a desire to help another out of love (Proverbs 21:9).

Breaking confidences: "Don't tell anyone else, but..." (Proverbs 11:13).

Listening to the words of others can be wrong: "An evildoer listens to wicked lips; a liar pays attention to a destructive tongue" (Proverbs 17:4).

Pretty scary, isn't it? I know I'm guilty of all of the above.

But there is hope. Words of patient love always prevail. Don't believe me? Ask the Roman emperors. Ask how the Soviet Union felt when the Polish people began chanting "we want God!". Ask the US government when Martin Luther King Jr. cried out "I have a dream".

Slogans are not truth. Emotional arguments are not truth. Insults are not the truth. If someone uses these tactics to push an agenda or gain ratings they are not speaking the truth. Do not listen to them. If they tell you to mistrust your neighbor do not listen. If they can not calmly state their arguments then they have none. If they tell you that you cannot work towards healing, they are wrong. Remember that we need to treat others with respect and dignity, just as we wish to be treated with respect and dignity.

Someone disagrees with you? Love them. Who knows, they might be right. Someone refuses to listen to you? Love them. We know the truth. The truth is a Word. And the Word was God. And that word is Love. Want to be on the right side of history? Love. Always.

May God continue to bless you.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Prayer for Children

Mary, Mother of God, and Mother of all Christians, you presented your Divine Son in the Temple. Now I present to you the children whom God has graciously given me. By the grace of their Baptism, which incorporated them into Christ, you became their Mother. I entrust them to you, to your guidance and vigilance. Make them healthy in both soul and body. Help them to become useful citizens of their own country, but let them not forget the Kingdom of God. If they go astray, lead them back to your Son so that they may obtain forgiveness and peace. Enable us all to reach eternal happiness with you and your Divine Son in heaven.

Amen.

About this Blog

“In Mary's Footsteps” is a blog about one Roman Catholic mom’s attempt to lead a spiritual life in the midst of the controlled chaos that is raising young children. Roman Catholic women are encouraged to take Mary a model for their own lives but we modern women are not given any direction as to what that means. Face it, Mary never did pray the rosary. She risked her life, the life of her unborn child, and the honor of her family to say “yes” to God. She was forced to travel away from her family to perform the Roman census. She delivered her baby on her own and had to place her newborn in a receptacle animals used to eat from. How different from what any mother wants for herself and her baby! And this is just the beginning. How did she do it? Where did she get the strength not only to persevere but also to raise the Son of God? Modern Catholic women DO have a wonderful example in Mary and in our own Roman Catholic traditions. We just need to claim it.

This blog is a chronicle of my journey through Marian traditions of the Roman Catholic Church. It is my hope that other women may be inspired to contemplate how God is uniquely working in their lives and to discern the person God is calling them to be.

DISCLAIMER

I do not promise to be systematic. I am not a counselor. I do have some theology training and will always try to stay true to Catholic doctrine. In the end it is up to you, the reader, to decide for yourself what works for you in your own life. If you disagree with my interpretations or I accidently get the theology wrong then follow your conscience and disregard what I am saying. My posts are meant to be used as vehicles for thought and meditation not claims on the truth. I do not promise to post regularly. As I said, I am a mother of young children and my family must come first. And since I am the mother of young children I do not promise that I will always make sense or that my grammar will be perfect. I will always try to source my material but may have to default to “some saint said this or that”. The academic in me cringes at that but I am far from my theology library both by distance and time. At least I will not commit the academic heresy of plagiarism. This blog is not intended for academic use, to supersede the teachings of any priest or religious, or as a vehicle of criticism of the church or any person. I know that we moms have to adapt to our particular situations and to allow God to meet us where we are. That is the point of the blog. I do have a bit of a biting sense of humor. I’ll try to be myself while realizing that you might not know when I’m joking or not.

ABOUT ME

I have decided to remain anonymous. It is my feeling that if people know who I am that I would be writing to impress instead of being honest. The world is full of people who want to impress and frankly I’m not as cool as they are so maybe I can beat them in the honesty. I also have two young children (a boy and a baby girl) and I wish to keep them anonymous as well.

I will tell you that I am a native of North America and that I have lived in areas classified as deserts, swamps and rainforests. I have lived in the far North (strong and free!), in the American south and southwest. I have also lived in Europe and speak French. I LOVE Latin but am terrible at it. I will also be incredibly surprised if enough people read this blog to wonder who I am at all.