Thursday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time
Jesus said to his disciples: “You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, ‘You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment, and whoever says to his brother, ‘Raqa,’ will be answer able to the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ will be liable to fiery Gehenna…”
Be careful what you think, for your thoughts can easily turn into words. Be careful what you say, for your words can easily turn into actions.
Although the tongue is one of the smallest members of the body, it packs a huge punch! It can damage someone’s reputation. It can literally bring them to their knees.
We should always be careful with our words. Imagine for a moment they got recorded or published in the Dallas Morning News! Would you like that? Would you be stunned by that?
But the best reason why we should be careful with our words is because we will be held accountable by God. For this reason, the Lord gave to us a new commandment: love one another as I have loved you. Could He have made Himself any clearer? Love as I have loved. Love even while your back is being torn to pieces. Love even while others mock you, insult you and lie about you. Love even when someone doesn’t deserve your love. This is how the world will change for good. This is how your neighbor will begin to see Christ in you.
Bad habits take time to break. Good habits take time to settle in. The best way to break a bad habit is to replace it with a good one.
Speak well of others. Get into the habit of speaking well of others. It will take time, but in the long run it will be worth your effort. People will trust you. They will appreciate you. They will be impressed by you. Speaking well of others means to speak the truth, and we know the truth “shall set us free.”
But there is also a very practical reason for it: because you never know if the person you’re speaking to is a good friend or distant cousin of the person you’re speaking ill about.
Speaking well of others doesn’t mean to lie. It means to give someone the benefit of the doubt; to believe in the good you hear and only the bad you see. Wouldn’t you want to be afforded this opportunity as well? When you speak well of others, you are not doing something extraordinary, you are giving back the minimum: “Do onto others as you would have them do to you.”
I have witnessed many funerals in my life. I have heard many eulogies as well. What I find most interesting about it all is how kind and considerate people are to the deceased.
We have it in us. We can be kind and considerate to people. We just need to do it while they are still alive.
Love even while your back is being torn to pieces. Love even while others mock you, insult you and lie about you. Love even when someone doesn’t deserve your love. This is how the world will change for good. This is how your neighbor will begin to see Christ in you. - easier said then done ! LOL! but I will practice this in my life , all the obstacles I 'm in and will be going through :) - it is totally hard !
ReplyDeleteTherefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends! Philippians 4:4
ReplyDelete"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things." Philippians 4:8
thoughts.... words..... actions! Those are truly words of wisdom! There is no other way of explaining our actions.
In every relationship I have, I ask God everyday to give me the grace to live in this light, that I may only draw out the good in others and that they may see my sincere desire of bringing us all closer to Jesus Christ.... in the small ways I can. Many times I embrace His cross which brings me joy because I get to be with Him; many times I experience His resurrection with others which brings me joy with others. Either way, I know HE is in control helping US all in every way HE can to draw closer to Him. He will not stop!!! However, we are the ones making the choices to reflect on the past experiences or thoughts that bring us down and doubt. So often I second guess myself. How can it be this hard if it is honestly for our good - it's all for HIM. But lately, I realize the devil is so strong in my life, trying to take away so many good influences in my life, and I just don't know how to move forward. All I can do is love and hope. Jesus knows my true thoughts! He knows they are all for HIS glory. I continue to pray.
"We have it in us. We can be kind and considerate to people. We just need to do it while they are still alive." Great line.