SELF-CONTROL

James 3:8,10

…no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. My brothers and sisters, this need not be so.

We communicate, mostly, through words. Communication is necessary for us to continuously exist. A world in total silence is a dead world. I don’t know when was the first time I uttered a word, but one thing is for sure, at that instance, my parents were really very happy. I would not just be anymore communicating with them through cries, or through beautiful eyes, but through words. Because the words of a child is life!

In today’s gospel, we are warned about the bad implications of using communication, specifically the tongue, as a tool to do evil. The tongue must be understood as a symbol for all the ways we communicate with each other. And communication is not meant to be used as a way to destroy others, but to lift them up. It’s not meant to be a thing of cursing, but a thing of praise. Ever since man started to talk, no one has really “tamed the tongue”. Quarrels between friends were started by saying something bad about the others. A parent calling his children by names, cursing them that leads to children growing up rebellious and away from God. When our sense of personal worth is hurt, we get enraged, and bad things would come our of our mouth. This need not be so!

Just as love is self-sacrificial, so we must come to learn that to converse in the way of love, we must sacrifice ourselves, our desires, our perceived glory, for the sake of something greater. It is this way we can follow Christ’s will for us. We are called to bless those who curse us. It is only when we do this can we find a way to turn our so-called enemies into friends. We should also seek to listen and learn from them. We must learn to tame our tongue, and use it for the good of others and ourselves. Let us use it for the glory of God, by imitating his ways - the way of love, the way of grace.

Almighty Father, teach us to use our tongue so others may be blessed. That only good things may come out of it. That we use it to glorify You forever, imitating Your ways of love and grace. Amen+

“I used my tongue to curse, not knowing that I curse myself in return.

Teach me to use my tongue to bless others, and Your only love, I yearn.”

You will protect us, Lord.