Listen

May 17, 2008

Saturday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time

In the same way the tongue is a small member and yet has great pretensions. Consider how small a fire can set a huge forest ablaze. The tongue is also a fire. It exists among our members as a world of malice, defiling the whole body and setting the entire course of our lives on fire, itself set on fire by Gehenna. James 3:5-6

Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them; then from the cloud came a voice, "This is my beloved Son. Listen to him." Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone but Jesus alone with them. As they were coming down from the mountain, he charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone, except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead. Mark 9:7-9

Piety

God, help us to listen to you as carefully and as closely as you listen to us. Make us like your sheep that recognize the voice of the shepherd. Help us to hold our tongue so that we might not lash our in judgment but rather hold back until we have a comforting word to say. Amen.

Study

http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/051708.shtml

“We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.”

This is a quote from the Greek philosopher Epictetus which is historically dated in the same general time period as the Letter of James in the New Testament. When we pair the message in James today with the Gospel reading in Mark, the line above presents a nice summary.

James explains that the use and abuse of the important role of teaching in the church) are related to the good and bad use of the tongue, the instrument through which teaching was chiefly conveyed. This admonition also echoes the writings of Ben Sirach in the Hebrew Bible.

Winnow not in every wind, and start not off in every direction. Be consistent in your thoughts; steadfast be your words. Be swift to hear, but slow to answer. If you have the knowledge, answer your neighbor; if not, put your hand over your mouth. Honor and dishonor through talking! A man's tongue can be his downfall. Be not called a detractor; use not your tongue for calumny; For shame has been created for the thief, and the reproach of his neighbor for the double-tongued. Say nothing harmful, small or great; be not a foe instead of a friend; A bad name and disgrace will you acquire: "That for the evil man with double tongue!" Sirach 5:11 – 6:1

As you hedge round your vineyard with thorns, set barred doors over your mouth; As you seal up your silver and gold, so balance and weigh your words. Take care not to slip by your tongue and fall victim to your foe waiting in ambush. Sirach 28:24-26

After the awesome experience of the Transfiguration, Jesus knows that the natural instinct would be for his companions to come down off the mountain and tell their friends what happened. The message from God sets this up. God tells us to listen to Jesus. He wants us to follow the words and the way that His son shows us. “Listen to him.”

And what is the first thing recorded that Jesus says after the mystery of the transfiguration? “He charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone, except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead.” He told them not to speak about it.

Action

By one estimate I read this week, the due to the rising energy and production costs, the price of feeding a family of four increased $53 per week. Please consider giving $53 to your favorite non-profit organization that is working to alleviate hunger. If you don’t have a favorite program, then consider So Others Might Eat (www.some.org).