On Speaking, and First, How We Ought to Speak of God.
Physicians gain great knowledge of a person’s health or sickness by examining the tongue; and our words are likewise true signs of the qualities of our soul. “By thy words,” saith the Saviour, “thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.”
We swiftly lay our hand upon the pain we feel, and our tongue upon the love we bear. If, then, Philothea, you truly love God, you will often speak of God in the private conversations you have with your relations, your friends, and your neighbours. Yes, “for the mouth of the righteous shall meditate wisdom, and his tongue shall speak of justice.” And as the bees always have a little of the honey they distil upon their tiny tongues, so too shall your mouth retain the taste of the good thoughts it has uttered; your sweetest delight will be to let the praises of God flow from your lips, and you will experience something of that delicious sweetness which, they say, Saint Francis had in his mouth whenever he pronounced the name of the Lord.
But always speak of God as God, that is, with reverence and devotion; not by putting on airs of authority and playing the preacher, but with a great spirit of gentleness, charity, and humility; distilling, like the Bride of the Canticles, the delicious honey of devotion, and pouring it drop by drop, now into one person’s ear, now into another’s, praying God in the depths of your soul that it may please Him to let this holy dew pass into the hearts of those who listen to you.
Physicians gain great knowledge of a person’s health or sickness by examining the tongue; and our words are likewise true signs of the qualities of our soul. “By thy words,” saith the Saviour, “thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.”
We swiftly lay our hand upon the pain we feel, and our tongue upon the love we bear. If, then, Philothea, you truly love God, you will often speak of God in the private conversations you have with your relations, your friends, and your neighbours. Yes, “for the mouth of the righteous shall meditate wisdom, and his tongue shall speak of justice.” And as the bees always have a little of the honey they distil upon their tiny tongues, so too shall your mouth retain the taste of the good thoughts it has uttered; your sweetest delight will be to let the praises of God flow from your lips, and you will experience something of that delicious sweetness which, they say, Saint Francis had in his mouth whenever he pronounced the name of the Lord.
But always speak of God as God, that is, with reverence and devotion; not by putting on airs of authority and playing the preacher, but with a great spirit of gentleness, charity, and humility; distilling, like the Bride of the Canticles, the delicious honey of devotion, and pouring it drop by drop, now into one person’s ear, now into another’s, praying God in the depths of your soul that it may please Him to let this holy dew pass into the hearts of those who listen to you.
Above all, this angelic office must be performed gently and pleasantly, not by way of correction, but by way of inspiration; for it is wonderful how gentleness is a good way of proposing things and a powerful bait for attracting hearts.
Therefore, never speak of God, or of devotion, as a mere formality or in idle conversation, but always with attention and devotion. I say this to guard you against a dangerous vanity found in many persons who profess piety, who utter holy and fervent words at every turn as a mere manner of speaking, without giving them the least thought; and who, after saying them, think themselves to be what their words seem to imply, which is unfortunately not the case.
Therefore, never speak of God, or of devotion, as a mere formality or in idle conversation, but always with attention and devotion. I say this to guard you against a dangerous vanity found in many persons who profess piety, who utter holy and fervent words at every turn as a mere manner of speaking, without giving them the least thought; and who, after saying them, think themselves to be what their words seem to imply, which is unfortunately not the case.