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Today’s Offering: “The victory over all afflictions that befall you, is to keep silence.” -St. Poemen
Yesterday was the feast of Blessed Therese Couderc, foundress of the Sisters of the Cenacle. Out of humility, she resigned as Mother Superior, and endured silently years of false accusations. She was put to hard manual labor, and not even acknowledged as the foundress of her own congregation. She practiced a perpetual patience and forbearance, doing whatever she was asked. Only towards the end of her life was she exonerated and restored to honor.
A modern spiritual writer reflects thus on the lesson of her life:
“Some people have never learned to keep their mouths shut. Their brains seem to be directly attached to their tongues. They blurt out whatever pops into their heads, with little or no regard for the consequences. Learning to govern our tongues may be one of the most difficult lessons any of us has to learn. Our tongue gets us into more trouble than does any other part of our body. ‘However large (ships) are…they are directed by very small rudders on whatever course the steersman’s course may select. The tongue is something like that. It is a small member, yet it makes great pretensions,’ says St. James. If we can learn to keep our mouth shut when our words would be hurtful or harmful we will have gone a long way toward learning the self-control and self-discipline we all desire to have.”
Multiply the above admonition by infinity (far beyond the feathers of St. Philip Neri or St. Francis De Sales) and you will have some idea of the evil of which the ill-regulated use of the internet is capable.
-Bishop Dolan