Tuesday, April 30, 2013











WITNESS


5-1-13


TAME THAT TONGUE---gossip


How many of us gossip
How many of us
Have listened to gossip

I would say, virtually, at some point or another,
Every one of us

Yet in both Romans !;29
And in 2 Corinthians 12:20
Saint Paul lists gossip among various sins
And says it is WRONG

And in James 3, James writes,

“Likewise
The tongue is a small part of the body
But it makes great boasts
Consider what a great forest
Is set on fire by a small spark
The tongue also is a fire
A world of evil among parts of the body

It corrupts the whole person
Sets the whole course of his life
On fire
And is itself set on fire by hell”

Once upon a time
A woman went to a confessional and said,

“Father, I am a very good person
I just have one small fault
I talk about my friends and neighbors”

Father said,
“For your penance
I want you to go down to the market
And buy a chicken
And come back next week”

The woman thought to herself,
How sensible---instead of 2 Our Fathers-3 Hail Mary’s
He’s going to use the chicken to feed the hungry

The next week
The woman takes the chicken back to the priest
And the priest says:

“I want you to go down to the market place
And pluck the chicken
And spread the feathers everywhere
Then come back next week”

The woman thought to herself,
“Now that’s real penance---but I am sure
Father knows what he is doing”

The woman goes back the next week
And Father says,
“Now I want you
 To go and get all the feathers
And put them back on the chicken”

The woman became appalled and said,
“But Father, how can I do that
I don’t know where they are
They have blown here, there, and everywhere”

Father just said, “Exactly”

The woman got the point
And never gossiped again

My friends
We all have a choice
In how to use our tongue
TO BUILD OTHERS UP
Or to tear them down

But if you decide
To continue to gossip
Ask yourself questions

IS IT TRUE?
IS IT KIND?
IS IT NECESSARY?

“Without wood a fires goes out
Without gossip
A quarrel dies down”                                                      Proverbs 26:26

My mother used to say,
“If you can’t say anything good
Don’t say anything at all”

My friends
I think that that is a great philosophy
To follow

BUILD EACH OTHER UP

Robert P. Wallman
2-18-12


Ps       WITNESS        5-1-13

“A perverse man stirs up dissension-and a GOSSIP separates close friends”
Proverbs 16:28














WITNESS


5-1-13


TAME THAT TONGUE---gossip


How many of us gossip
How many of us
Have listened to gossip

I would say, virtually, at some point or another,
Every one of us

Yet in both Romans !;29
And in 2 Corinthians 12:20
Saint Paul lists gossip among various sins
And says it is WRONG

And in James 3, James writes,

“Likewise
The tongue is a small part of the body
But it makes great boasts
Consider what a great forest
Is set on fire by a small spark
The tongue also is a fire
A world of evil among parts of the body

It corrupts the whole person
Sets the whole course of his life
On fire
And is itself set on fire by hell”

Once upon a time
A woman went to a confessional and said,

“Father, I am a very good person
I just have one small fault
I talk about my friends and neighbors”

Father said,
“For your penance
I want you to go down to the market
And buy a chicken
And come back next week”

The woman thought to herself,
How sensible---instead of 2 Our Fathers-3 Hail Mary’s
He’s going to use the chicken to feed the hungry

The next week
The woman takes the chicken  back to the priest
And the priest says:

“I want you to go down to the market place
And pluck the chicken
And spread the feathers everywhere
Then come back next week”

The woman thought to herself,
“Now that’s real penance---but I am sure
Father knows what he is doing”

The woman goes back the next week
And Father says,
“Now I want you
 To go and get all the feathers
And put them back on the chicken”

The woman became appalled and said,
“But Father, how can I do that
I don’t know where they are
They have blown here, there, and everywhere”

Father just said, “Exactly”

The woman got the point
And never gossiped again

My friends
We all have a choice
In how to use our tongue
TO BUILD OTHERS UP
Or to tear them down

But if you decide
To continue to gossip
Ask yourself questions

IS IT TRUE?
IS IT KIND?
IS IT NECESSARY?

“Without wood a fires goes out
Without gossip
A quarrel dies down”                                                      Proverbs 26:26

My mother used to say,
“If you can’t say anything good
Don’t say anything at all”

My friends
I think that that is a great philosophy
To follow

BUILD EACH OTHER UP

Robert P. Wallman
2-18-12


Ps        WITNESS        5-1-13


“A perverse man stirs up dissension-and a GOSSIP separates close friends”
Proverbs 16:28











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