A Saint's Strategy for Gossip

Therefore, encourage one another and build one another up. // 1 Thessalonians 5:11

Some friends and I often quip about Saint Thérèse of Lisieux's strategy for avoiding sin in conversation. 

In her autobiography, The Story of a Soul, Thérèse tells the story of a time in which she and some of her sisters in the convent were chatting in the hallway. The conversation took a less-than-noble turn. How did one of the greatest Saints of modernity handle this temptation? She ran away. She literally fled the scene! 

After reading this, my friends and I joke that we pull a “Thérèse” when we need to control our tongues but can’t apart from dismissing ourselves from a situation.

While the visual of this departure is humorous, there is wisdom in training ourselves to engage in speech that is uplifting and encouraging, as Saint Paul tells us in today’s First Reading (see 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6, 9-11). We know we should not tear down through speech, but how often do we truly examine our days and our conversations to identify problems and pitfalls? 

In today’s Gospel (see Luke 4:31-37), we see that Jesus’ Word has power. His Word brings freedom and healing. We are made in God’s image and likeness. So we should strive to be like Him. Do the words we use toward others speak freedom, healing, and encouragement? Do the words we use about others do the same?

Most of us have experienced the gift of receiving encouraging or kind words from another. Take a moment to remember how that felt in your soul. Don’t we want to offer that same gift to other people? Or, at the very least, avoid robbing someone of it through hurtful or careless words?

This week, be intentional about your words. Model our Savior. Try to build up someone else through your words at least once a day. If a conversation is littered with gossip, say something kind about the person being spoken about or change the subject. And, of course, you can always pull a Thérèse!