Gossip is a seductive and enticing poison. Many of us fall for its lure and its intoxication. There are many different reasons we engage in gossip. We may think we feel better about ourselves by putting someone else down, we may be jealous of what another has, or maybe someone just rubs us the wrong way. The one reason that we may feel justified in choosing to gossip is when someone has hurt, offended, or wronged us in some way. Even in that instance, Jesus offers a different approach in today’s Gospel.

Jesus said to his disciples: “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone” (Mt 18:15). Jesus is drawing on his Jewish heritage here. Leviticus 19:17 warns against holding hate in your heart and instead encourages seeking to reason with your brother. Jesus is redirecting us from adding fuel to the fire by seeking revenge, or stewing in our own hurt, which will build resentment and hate. Instead he is inviting us to  seek reconciliation.

Pope Francis, in his September 9, 2016 General Audience was very clear: “The gossip is a ‘terrorist’ who throws a grenade – chatter – in order to destroy,” he added. “Please, fight against division, because it is one of the weapons that the devil uses to destroy the local Church and the universal Church.” Let us refuse to be a weapon of the devil in his plot to divide with our thoughts or our words, but instead seek to be a disciple of Jesus by advocating for forgiveness and reconciliation.

May we make a commitment to be more discerning with our tongue. With our words we can cut, wound, or destroy, or we can convict, reconcile, and heal. Let us choose today to lift up and empower one another. Yes, it is much easier to grumble about someone than to approach them in love and hold them accountable. If we are not quite ready for that, Pope Francis invites us to “bite our tongue” instead or we can choose to pray about the situation with someone we trust: “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Mt 18-20). With Jesus in our midst, we will have a better chance of choosing reconciliation over gossip.

Link for the Mass Readings for the Day:

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/081617.cfm

Link for Pope Francis’ comments:

https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2016/09/10/pope-francis-warns-gossip-destroys-church-within/

Image credit: Katherine Brown