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TODAY’S WORD…

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With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father,

and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness.

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– James 3:9 (NIV)

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REFLECTION…

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For love of God and of our neighbour,

for love of justice,

in a world where so much abuse is the result of idle words,

we Christians must be just in what we say.

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Often, an unbridled tongue,

thoughtlessness in action, speech, writing,

or in any other means of dissemination, including mass media and ‘social media’,

is a manifestation of a sad lack of the presence of God in one’s heart.

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How many injustices can be committed

by pronouncing irresponsible judgements on the behaviour of others;

by spreading deprecating gossip.

The same applies when we echo and give publicity to such words and biting statements,

whether spoken privately or otherwise.

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Calumny, slander, malicious gossip…all constitute seriously unjust assaults on our neighbour,

and the most frequent cause of defamation, of negative criticism and slander, is envy.

Envy cannot tolerate the good qualities of others;

of their prestige; of their success.

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“If you can’t praise, say nothing.”

In the environment in which I live – family, work, friends and so on –

am I known as a person who never speaks badly of anyone?

Do I really live at all times

in accordance with that wise piece of advice expressed by St Gregory of Nyssa:

“If you can’t praise, say nothing”?

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Lord, help me control my tongue;
help me be careful about what I say.
Take away my desire to do evil
or to join others in doing wrong. #

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#Psalm 141:3-4 (NCV)

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… … … … … … … … … … … …… …

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Note: The main source of today’s REFLECTION is the seven-volume work

“In Conversation with God” by Padre Francisco Fernández Carvajal.