St. James the Less

Today is the Feast of the Apostle St. James the Less (Not to be confused with James the Greater, the brother of St. John). This James was a cousin of Jesus and the first Bishop of Jerusalem and died a Martyr in 62 AD. He gives us the Letter of James in the Bible where in chapter 3 he writes of the great power and danger of gossip.

Think how small a flame can set fire to a huge forest; the tongue is a flame like that. Among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a whole wicked world in itself: it infects the whole body; catching fire itself from hell, it sets fire to the whole wheel of creation…nobody can tame the tongue - it is a pest that will not keep still, full of deadly poison. We use it to bless the Lord and Father, but we also use it to curse men who are made in God's image: the blessing and the curse come out of the same mouth.

Gossip can be a violation of justice, even if what you are saying is true, to speak truths without legitimate cause. And if done knowingly and willingly Aquinas says this can be mortal sin – because it is a grave matter. Why? Because it is mortal sin to kill someone unjustly and one’s reputation is almost as valuable as their life – so to kill a person’s reputation is like committing murder.

Instead we should practice the following:

a. Want good for others: even competitors, even enemies

b. Think good of others: give them the benefit of the doubt, make excuses for them

c. Speak well of others: every person has the right to a good reputation

Because St James says, if you can control your tongue; you will have mastery over yourself.

So, I challenge you to try - just for one day - to not gossip. See how you do, then reflect on envy.