Sunday, November 20, 2016

Amoris Laetitia - Par. 112



112.  First, Paul says that love "bears all things" (panta stégei).  This is about more than simply putting up with evil; it has to do with the use of the tongue.  The verb can mean "holding one's peace" about what may be wrong with another person.  It implies limiting judgment, checking the impulse to issue a firm and ruthless condemnation: "Judge not and you will not be judged" (Lk 6:37).  Although it runs contrary to the way we normally use our tongues, God's word tell us: "Do not speak evil against one another, brothers and sisters" (Jas 4:11).  Being willing to speak ill of another person is a way of asserting ourselves, venting resentment and envy without concern for the harm we may do. We often forget that slander can be quite sinful; it is a grave offense against God when it seriously harms another person's good name and causes damage that is hard to repair.  Hence God's word forthrightly states that the tongue "is a world of iniquity" that "stains the whole body" (Jas 3:6);  it is a "restless evil, full of deadly poison" (3:8).  Whereas the tongue can be used to "curse those who are made in the likeness of God" (3:9), love cherishes the good name of others, even one's enemies.  In seeking to uphold God's law we must never forget this specific requirement of love.

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