The Pilgrim's Rule
Chapter 7
The Tongue and the Government of Words
Speaking as Citizens of Heaven
If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man.
Among all the members of the body, few appear so small and yet accomplish so much as the tongue. It possesses no great strength. It cannot lift a burden, walk a mile, or behold the beauty of creation. Yet with it man blesses God, teaches truth, comforts the afflicted, encourages the weary, professes the Faith, and offers prayer. The same tongue, however, may also wound more deeply than a sword, spread falsehood more quickly than disease, and destroy in a single moment what years of have built.
Thus God teaches another lesson.
Great power is often hidden within little things.
The tongue itself is small, yet no member of the body more quickly reveals the condition of the heart. Our Divine Lord declared, "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh." Words do not create the interior life; they uncover it. A grateful heart speaks differently from a bitter one. A soul speaks differently from a one. Long before a man's actions are fully known, his speech often betrays the direction of his soul.
How wisely the Creator fashioned the mouth.
He gave man two ears but only one tongue.
He surrounded the tongue with the barrier of the teeth and enclosed it behind the lips, as though nature herself quietly counseled restraint before speech. Every word must first pass these guardians before it enters the world, for once spoken it cannot be recalled. An arrow may be recovered after it has fallen. A spoken word continues its journey through hearts and memories long after the voice has grown silent.
The pilgrim should therefore remember that words are never without consequence.
The Book of Genesis begins not with human speech but with the Word of God. "God said: Be light made. And light was made." By His Word He created. By His Word He revealed His law. By His Word He called the prophets. In the fullness of time, the Eternal Word took flesh and dwelt among us. If God has chosen words as instruments of truth, the enemy has likewise sought to corrupt them into instruments of confusion.
False doctrine begins with words.
begins with words.
Flattery begins with words.
begins with words.
So too do the preaching of the Gospel, the of sins, the vows of religious life, the promises of marriage, and the prayers of the faithful begin with words rightly spoken.
The tongue, therefore, stands continually at the crossroads between blessing and destruction.
There is another lesson hidden within speech.
Words once spoken cannot be gathered back.
A feather carried by the wind cannot easily be reclaimed, nor can a rumor be called back after it has spread from ear to ear. How many friendships have been wounded by one careless sentence. How many families have suffered because anger spoke before . How many souls have been discouraged because encouragement remained unspoken while criticism flowed freely.
The Christian pilgrim learns to govern his tongue before it governs him.
Silence is often its first teacher.
The world fears silence because it mistakes silence for emptiness. Yet Holy has always loved holy silence, for within silence the soul learns to listen, to pray, and to judge rightly before speaking. The saints were not silent because they had nothing to say. They were silent because they desired that every word should serve God.
Not every truth must be spoken at every moment.
Wisdom asks not only, "Is it true?" but also, "Is this the right time? Is this the right manner? Will these words lead another soul nearer to God?" governs truth without diminishing it. It neither flatters nor wounds needlessly. It seeks always the salvation of souls.
This does not mean the Christian remains silent when truth must be defended.
The Apostles spoke before rulers.
The martyrs confessed Christ before their persecutors.
The saints rebuked error when fidelity demanded it.
Our Divine Lord Himself drove the buyers and sellers from the Temple and denounced hypocrisy with holy courage.
There is a silence born of .
There is also a silence born of cowardice.
The pilgrim must learn the difference.
Likewise, there are words born of zeal.
There are also words born of .
One builds the Kingdom of God.
The other seeks only to triumph over an opponent.
The Christian speaks not to win arguments but to win souls.
There is yet another lesson in the tongue.
No member of the body so quickly reveals whether the heart has been at prayer.
The soul that frequently speaks with God gradually learns to speak differently with men. Harshness softens into . Complaint gives way to thanksgiving. Idle conversation yields to profitable speech. The tongue becomes accustomed to blessing because the heart has become accustomed to worship.
At the end of life, many words shall be forgotten.
The applause they received shall fade.
The arguments they won shall matter little.
The wit that delighted companions shall be remembered no more.
Yet every word spoken for the glory of God shall remain precious before His throne. Every encouragement offered in , every truth spoken with , every prayer uttered in faith, every confession of Christ before men shall accompany the pilgrim into eternity.
Thus the tongue teaches that speech is a sacred stewardship.
God has entrusted to every man the power to build or to destroy, to heal or to wound, to bless or to curse.
Blessed is the pilgrim who so governs his words that, when his earthly voice falls silent, he shall join forever in the eternal hymn of praise sung by the citizens of Heaven.
For Meditation
Before speaking today, pause for a single moment and ask whether your words will glorify God, strengthen your neighbor, or preserve peace. Many regrets have followed hasty speech; few have followed holy silence.
Rule for the Pilgrim
Let your words be few, truthful, charitable, and seasoned with wisdom. Speak only in such a manner that, were Christ visibly standing beside you, you would not wish to recall a single word.