September 12, 2024
A Chaplain’s Thoughts: The power of words
By Rev. James F. Quigley, O.P. ’60
Associate Chaplain, National Alumni Association
Over the years I have had to learn Latin, Spanish, and Italian. Speaking those languages allowed me to enter into another culture, way of thinking, and friendship with so many people.
Most of us have been blessed with the gift of speech, a fundamental way of communicating with others. We are able to tell people that we love them, care for them, and respect them. And we use speech to share with others their pain or sorrow, or to encourage and support them. God has blessed most of his human creatures — human persons — with the great gift of speech that should be carefully guarded and refined, and never abused.
Sadly, talk today can often turn destructive. It can feed toxic polarization in communities while dismissing and wounding personal relationships. It is alarming and just not right. It is sinful.
So what to do? Perhaps one step might be to change our perception of the world and other people. St. Augustine referred to humanity as “the community of truth.” When speaking of others, we might appreciate the sacredness of words and the goodness of those we speak to or comment about.
A Dominican colleague points out that the worst places in hell in Dante’s Inferno are reserved for those who lie, deceive, flatter, slander, and defame. To see others truthfully, we need humility and to see the goodness of creation and to see others with love. That may be a lot to ask for, but it is a sane way to live. The alternative is what social media foists on us. If our life is shaped by the gospel of Jesus Christ we should refuse hate-filled talk about anyone and everyone!
