Words Are Weapons

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We continue today to meditate on the teaching of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:33-37. Jesus begins by reminding us of the 8th Commandment: “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”  Then He goes on to warn us against the sin of lying when he states: All you need say is "Yes" if you mean yes, "No" if you mean no; anything more than this comes from the evil one.

The 8th Commandment forbids misrepresenting the truth in our relations with others. Our aim is to be people who live the truth, people who have the virtue of truthfulness where what I say matches what I do. Truthfulness keeps to the just mean between what should be expressed and what should be kept secret. It entails both honesty and discretion.

Now, we don’t always have to tell everyone everything. Sometimes it is better to keep silent, but we can never tell a lie. It is never permissible to deliberately deceive by speaking falsehood.

The only way relationships and society as a whole can work is if there is mutual confidence that we are being truthful to one another. Without truthfulness every relationship and society as a whole will breakdown and fail. So even if the whole world descends into lies, we must be people who are committed to live the truth. Even if it costs us our life.

Martyrdom is the supreme witness given to the truth of the faith: it means bearing witness to the truth even unto death.

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A lie consists in speaking a falsehood with the intention of deceiving. To lie is to speak or act against the truth in order to lead into error someone who has the right to know the truth.

How often do I stretch or twist the truth to fit my purpose? If I am clever enough I could twist anything to make it fit what I want. But that is deceptive.

We hate it when people are not forthright and straightforward with their speech. We can’t trust those types of people because we never know if they are acting for our good or against us. Yet how often do we do the same.

We need to apply the golden rule to what we say: Speak to others the way you want them to speak to you. That is, Honestly.

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Harm to another person’s Reputation falls under the 8th Commandment.

A person’s reputation is almost as valuable as their life – so to kill a person’s reputation is like committing murder.

St Francis de Sales in the Introduction to the Devout Life ch 29:

Slander or Gossip is a kind of murder, for we have three lives: the spiritual, which consists in the grace of God; the physical, which depend upon the soul; and the social, which consists in our good name. Sin deprives us of the first, death takes away the second, and slander robs us of the third. The slanderer, by one blow of his tongue, commits three murders. He kills not only his own soul, and the soul of him that hears him, but also, by a spiritual murder, takes away the social life of the person slandered.

Calumny or slander is to say or suggest something about a person that is not true and harmful to their reputation. It is to lie about a person to destroy them.

The sin of detraction or gossip discloses another's faults and failings to persons who did not know them without an objectively valid reason.

There are times in which it is necessary and just to reveal faults. Those in positions of authority must discuss the behavior or actions of those under their responsibility, not for the purpose of causing harm, but for the good of the individual, the family, the organization or the community so that correction may be made and all may benefit.

Gossip is a kind of terrorism because terrorism is indiscriminate – Gossip has such collateral damage that there is no way of knowing where it will end or who will be harmed. So, I challenge you to try - just for one day - to not gossip.

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In Luke 6:36 Jesus said to his disciples Do not judge, and you will not be judged yourselves; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned yourselves; grant pardon, and you will be pardoned.

Jesus says do not judge and do not condemn. What does He really mean? We can and must judge propositions: this is accurate this is inaccurate. We can and must judge behaviors: this is appropriate and this is inappropriate, this is a right behavior and this is a wrong behavior. However, we cannot judge persons: this is a good person, this is an evil person. We can judge their behaviors, but we cannot judge or condemn them as evil.

That being said, God designed our intellect to make judgements – this is true and good, I should do that; this is false and wrong, I should not do that.  Judgement is a necessary part of decision making. Jesus is not prohibiting using our brain to make good decisions. What we cannot do is condemn people as evil.

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One of the best ways to learn to live the truth is by examining our conscience once a day asking this question: what did I say to people today? Did I tell the truth? Or did I mislead others, or speak in such a way as to cause division to leverage my position and give me greater power or security? Did I speak enviously, tearing others down, to raise myself up. Or did I speak arrogantly,  or did I use flattery to strengthen my position.

At the Last Judgment, every human who ever lived will be gathered together, and at that moment God will reveal even to its furthest consequences the good each person has done or failed to do during his earthly life. This includes every word we have spoken. It will be made known to every person who ever lived.

So, what I say today, when it is revealed at the Last Judgment, will it be a source of joy or extreme embarrassment and sorrow?

The best way to learn to live the truth is to examine one’s conscience once a day by going back and looking at every conversation.

Matthew 12:36, Jesus said: So I tell you this, that for every word men speak that is an offense against the truth they will answer on Judgement Day, since it is by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words condemned.'

The goal is to live the truth for the truth will make you free.