Taming the Tongue

Homily for Saturday of the Sixth Week of Ordinary Time

I have often wondered about the notion that people feel that it is better to receive the Eucharist on one’s tongue than in one’s hand. They think of their hand as unworthy to hold the body and blood of Christ. Yet if we are honest about our body parts, the tongue is often the most sinful part of the body as we use it to speak ill of our neighbor, to spread falsehoods, to slander and calumniate others, to curse and to use foul language. St. James goes into great detail about the damage that an unbridled tongue can do. He maintains that no one can tame the tongue.

Sometimes the tongue can simply be used inappropriately as it was in today’s Gospel. When faced with the transfigured Christ, Peter asks Jesus if he can erect some tents on the site of this wonder. In other words, he wishes to remain there. He fails to understand that they must return from the top of the mountain. As lovely as it would be to remain in the presence of Moses and Elijah, their task lies at the foot of the mountain where they are to continue the work of evangelization. Having listened to Jesus, they must now spread the news.

Like all of our human capabilities, speech can be used for good or for ill. We often hear others say that sin happens when we are weak. Actually, it is the other way around. We sin most often using the powers that God has given us in ways that are destructive or mean-spirited. We take our human strengths and use them to hurt others. The gift of speech is just one example. Only human beings can communicate through language. The human strength is often the source of sin in our lives.

We pray with the psalmist today in asking that God destroy smooth lips and boastful tongues, especially when they are our own.