March: Day 14: Venerable Benedict of Nursia

March: Day 14:
Venerable Benedict of Nursia
 
(On the Careful Handling of Human Words)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The Venerable Father Benedict, whose memory is celebrated today, lived in the 5th century. He knew two maidens of noble birth, distinguished by their modesty and innocence. They had one fault: those maidens loved to gossip and reproach others, i.e., they greatly abused the gift of speech. The Venerable Father warned them, saying: "Give up this bad habit, otherwise I will excommunicate you from Holy Communion." But the maidens did not improve, and so they died; they were still buried with honor, in the church. Later, some of the nuns who were present in that church saw the following: at the cry of "All catechumens, depart," the maidens came out of their coffins and went out of the church. And only through the prayers of the Venerable Benedict, who offered a prosphora for their repose, did the maidens stop appearing.

II. This story from the life of Venerable Benedict gives us an opportunity to talk about the careful handling of the human word.

The human word is very important and is very worthy of being held accountable.

a) Our word is the imprint of the creative word. In God is the word, and in man is the word. It is true that the word in God is not the same as our word; in God it is the most imprinted image of His being, the only-begotten Son of God; but in us the word is not an idle sound, and in us it is the imprint and image of our spirit, so that if we were to collect all our words, we would see our own image in them.

b) Then, in a word, man is visibly and predominantly distinguished from all the creatures that surround him. This is the main sign and the main means of our dominion over the world, as was shown at the very beginning through the naming of names from our forefather to all animals.

c) The word, further, holds the whole human race in strength and union: it is the conductor of our mutual thoughts, feelings, needs, joys and sorrows, enterprises and improvements. The word mysteriously connects the past with the present, the present with the future; those who have never seen each other come into close contact. Take the word away from people, and everything in the human world will stop.

d) The consequences of the human word are very important. Every word that comes out of your mouth will never return to you; no, it will go through minds and lips, through years and centuries; it will produce an innumerable multitude of thoughts and feelings, deeds and actions, and, having grown into a huge tree, laden with all kinds of fruits according to its kind and species, it will meet you, its creator, at the Dread Judgment.

And in the present tense, on the one who speaks the word, it will not remain without effect. According to our words, first of all, everyone judges us; our lips either bring us respect, or instill disgust and contempt for us. "The wise man," notes the ancient sage, "in a few words will make himself pleasant, but he who multiplies words will be abominable" (Sir. 20:8, 13). Idle talk is sometimes tolerated for entertainment, but will never deserve respect. If you are listened to when you speak empty words, and do not show disgust, then be sure that this disgust is not only on the face of the listeners, but in the hearts of many it is.

Idle talk punishes itself. A person who talks idle becomes empty inside: his mind becomes shallow, his judgment incoherent, his views empty, his assumptions insignificant or reprehensible. Such a person is not capable of anything important and truly useful, as was noted in ancient times, where sages did not accept as students those people who, by prolonged silence, had not proven their ability to do something.

Idle talk is harmful to life itself and to actions. It should not be overlooked without special attention that the emptiness of the soul and the groundlessness of the mind that comes from idle talk do not stop at the lips and words alone, but, according to the law of our nature, pass into our very actions and life. Saint James wisely noted that if anyone does not sin in word, he is able to bridle also the whole body (James 3:2): this is a natural reward for bridling one's tongue. On the contrary, one who is accustomed to sin in word will soon begin to sin in life.

III. How should we use the word so that it does not one day serve to condemn us?

a) Use it with extreme frugality, as required by the high origin of the word, its great purpose in the world, and its extremely important effects on other people and on ourselves.

b) To use it for worthy things, for the glory of God, for the benefit of others and for our own improvement, and in no way to use it for shameful things, for impious thoughts, for harmful feelings; not to use it for lies and deceit, for slander and gossip, for abuse and quarrel.

c) Watch the use of your word and from time to time demand an account of it from yourself - best of all before going to bed, every day.

d) To turn with prayer to the Lord, that He Himself would place a guard on our lips, that He Himself would protect us with His grace from the spirit of idle talk, which now infects the whole universe with such ferocity. For if the holy men of God like David, Sirach, Ephraim, did not see in themselves sufficient strength to fight with this seductive and malicious spirit, then can we expect victory over it without help from above? When we act in this way, our word will gradually be freed from all shortcomings and will finally become what it should be – a life-giving echo in us of the Creative word, a bright imprint of our pure being, a powerful organ of our dominion over creatures, a sacred chain connecting us with all humanity, a faithful mediator for communicating to others what is good in us, and for receiving from others what we lack – a constant instrument and pledge of our success in every perfection. Amen. 

Source: A Complete Annual Cycle of Short Teachings, Composed for Each Day of the Year. Translated by John Sanidopoulos.