20220219 THE INTRINSIC POWER OF THE TONGUE
19 February, 2022, Saturday, Week 6 in Ordinary Time
First reading | James 3:1-10 © |
The tongue cannot be tamed
Only a few of you, my brothers, should be teachers, bearing in mind that those of us who teach can expect a stricter judgement.
After all, every one of us does something wrong, over and over again; the only man who could reach perfection would be someone who never said anything wrong – he would be able to control every part of himself. Once we put a bit into the horse’s mouth, to make it do what we want, we have the whole animal under our control. Or think of ships: no matter how big they are, even if a gale is driving them, the man at the helm can steer them anywhere he likes by controlling a tiny rudder. So is the tongue only a tiny part of the body, but it can proudly claim that it does great things. Think how small a flame can set fire to a huge forest; the tongue is a flame like that. Among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a whole wicked world in itself: it infects the whole body; catching fire itself from hell, it sets fire to the whole wheel of creation. Wild animals and birds, reptiles and fish can all be tamed by man, and often are; but nobody can tame the tongue – it is a pest that will not keep still, full of deadly poison. We use it to bless the Lord and Father, but we also use it to curse men who are made in God’s image: the blessing and the curse come out of the same mouth. My brothers, this must be wrong.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 11(12):2-5,7-8 © |
It is you, O Lord, who will take us in your care.
Help, O Lord, for good men have vanished;
truth has gone from the sons of men.
Falsehood they speak one to another,
with lying lips, with a false heart.
It is you, O Lord, who will take us in your care.
May the Lord destroy all lying lips,
the tongue that speaks high-sounding words,
those who say: ‘Our tongue is our strength;
our lips are our own, who is our master?’
It is you, O Lord, who will take us in your care.
The words of the Lord are words without alloy,
silver from the furnace, seven times refined.
It is you, O Lord, who will take us in your care
and protect us for ever from this generation.
It is you, O Lord, who will take us in your care.
Gospel Acclamation | Ps147:12,15 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
O praise the Lord, Jerusalem!
He sends out his word to the earth.
Alleluia!
Or: | cf.Mk9:6 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
The heavens opened and the Father’s voice resounded
‘This is my Son, the Beloved. Listen to him.’
Alleluia!
Gospel | Mark 9:2-13 © |
Jesus was transfigured in their presence
Jesus took with him Peter and James and John and led them up a high mountain where they could be alone by themselves. There in their presence he was transfigured: his clothes became dazzlingly white, whiter than any earthly bleacher could make them. Elijah appeared to them with Moses; and they were talking with Jesus. Then Peter spoke to Jesus: ‘Rabbi,’ he said ‘it is wonderful for us to be here; so let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.’ He did not know what to say; they were so frightened. And a cloud came, covering them in shadow; and there came a voice from the cloud, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved. Listen to him.’ Then suddenly, when they looked round, they saw no one with them any more but only Jesus.
As they came down from the mountain he warned them to tell no one what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead. They observed the warning faithfully, though among themselves they discussed what ‘rising from the dead’ could mean. And they put this question to him, ‘Why do the scribes say that Elijah has to come first?’ ‘True,’ he said ‘Elijah is to come first and to see that everything is as it should be; yet how is it that the scriptures say about the Son of Man that he is to suffer grievously and be treated with contempt? However, I tell you that Elijah has come and they have treated him as they pleased, just as the scriptures say about him.’
THE INTRINSIC POWER OF THE TONGUE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [JAMES 3:1-10; PS 12:2-5,7-8; MK 9:2-13]
St James warns us about the improper use of speech. He said, “the tongue only a tiny part of the body, but it can proudly claim that it does great things. Think how small a flame can set fire to huge forest; the tongue is a flame like that. Among all the parts of the body, the tongue is the whole wicked world in itself: it infects the whole body; catching fire from hell, it sets fire to the whole wheel of creation.” Indeed, the power of the tongue cannot be underestimated. If not properly used, it can destroy not just a person or an organization but even a nation. Many lives have been destroyed because of gossips and slanders. Many credible leaders have been wrongly misjudged and discredited because of hearsay, presumptuous judgement of people. With social media, this can even be more dangerous because fake and distorted news are passed on quickly like a wild fire, within minutes. The psalmist laments, “Help, O Lord, for good men have vanished: truth has gone from the sons of men. Falsehood they speak one to another, with lying lips, with a false heart.”
When we use the tongue in a destructive manner, we can tear people down and discourage them from doing good. It is not just what we say but how we say it that can hurt people deeply. There are many who have given their lives selflessly to the Church or the community, but because of jealousy, evil and insecure people would spread negative views about them, putting them down and belittling them, and worst of all, highlight their personal flaws and even their past mistakes. Character assassination is very common not just in politics but in every organization and even in Church as well. Most people just pass on stories about others, and often juicy and unpleasant information without verifying the truth of the matter.
Indeed, we can use the tongue in a destructive or a constructive manner. St James said, “We use it to bless the Lord and Father, but we also use it to curse men who are made in God’s image: the blessing and the curse come out of the same mouth.” In the same vein, St Paul in his letter to the Ephesians wrote, “Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption. Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.” (Eph 4:29-32) What we must do is to use our tongue in a constructive manner. We can use words to heal or to divide, to destroy or to build.
This is particularly so for those of us who are in authority. St James mentioned teachers, but this would include all those who are superiors or have charge over others. Many of us fail to realize as St James reminded us of the responsibility we have as teachers because what we say will be taken seriously. Hence, he said, “Only a few of you, my brothers, should be teachers, bearing in mind that those of us who teach can expect a stricter judgement.” Some of us leaders do not mince our words especially when it comes to correction of our staff and our juniors. We speak and act as if we are tyrants and absolute dictators, ordering people around and being discourteous in the way we address or speak to them. Just observe how our employers talk to their domestic helpers or their workers. Those in authority must bear in mind that what they say will not only affect the individual but the entire organization and society. He can empower them or destroy their confidence.
This is why it is important for us, especially those in authority, to tame our tongue, which perhaps is the most difficult organ to control. As St James remarked, “Wild animals and birds, reptiles and fish can be tamed by man, and often are; but nobody can tame the tongue – it is a pest that will not keep still, full of deadly poison.” Few people can control their tongue, especially those who are powerful because they fear no one. They think they can say whatever they like without any repercussions. Most of the time, those under them will bear the insult in silence, but they have lost their trust and goodwill because they will cause their subordinates to brood and become resentful. They have allowed the devil to work in them.
How, then, can we tame our tongue? It is important to understand that the tongue, whilst being a powerful instrument of the body, remains under the control of the heart and to some extent, the head. Most of the nasty words and emotional ventilation come from a heart that is hurt, wounded, insecure and envious. Those of us who have been wounded before by those in authority tend to do the same to others when we assume authority. As it is said, those who are oppressed will one day themselves become oppressors. So when we speak words that are harsh, judgmental, hurtful and discouraging, it comes from a heart that is evil. As the Lord Himself said, “it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, folly. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” (Mk 7:21-23)
Of course, quite often too, negativities and harsh words also come from a mind ill-informed or prejudiced against a person because we believe without verifying, especially when such information is passed by our friends whom we trust. We tend to react immediately upon receiving some news or information without seeking to clarify the truth of the matter. Quite often it is presented partially by the person complaining, because that person sees from his or her own narrow perspective and makes judgment without knowing the context of the whole issue.
Today’s gospel gives us some guidelines as to what we should do to control our tongues. Firstly, we must enter into prayer and contemplation. The Lord brought His inner group of disciples to the mountain. They had just been scandalized by Jesus’ prophecy of His imminent passion just after St Peter proclaimed Him as the Messiah. It was something that they could not understand or make out, and more difficult for them to accept a suffering, or even a dead, Messiah. They were still having their own conception of a political, triumphant and powerful Messiah who could overthrow the Roman conquerors. The heavenly Father from the clouds said to them, “This is my Son, the Beloved, Listen to him.” Unless we listen to what is going on in our hearts and in our minds, we will not be able to purify our intentions and the way we judge a person or a situation. When our hearts and minds are calm, objective, and yet compassionate, we will be more measured in what we say to someone. The psalmist declares, “The words of the Lord are words without alloy, silver from the furnace, seven times refined. It is you, O Lord, who will take us in your care and protect us for ever from this generation.”
Secondly, we see how affirming the Father was. Jesus was about to take a decisive direction by going to Jerusalem, the place of His passion and glory. It was about time that Jesus knew He had to confront His enemies directly. He needed the affirmation from the Father. God never failed to console, affirm and strengthen His Son. He allowed Elijah and Moses to appear, affirming our Lord that He was the fulfilment of the great prophet Elijah and He would be the New Law Giver and deliverer of Israel, represented by Moses. He addressed Him as “my beloved son”, meaning that the Father is identified in Him and with Him.
Finally, the Lord reminded them that sometimes silence is golden. After witnessing the event, He “warned them to tell no one what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead. They observed the warning faithfully, though among themselves they discussed what ‘rising from the dead’ could mean.” Because they still did not fully understand or grasp the event, it was more important for them to mull over, think through and grow in understanding before they said anything. Otherwise, they could pass the wrong ideas to the rest of the apostles and the people as their understanding of our Lord’s identity, role and mission was not yet fully understood until after His passion and resurrection. So when we do not understand or are not yet clear, silence is golden, and we should not say anything yet because we might cause greater hurts and misunderstanding.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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