The tongues of the Internet

Today’s first reading (James 3:1-10) focuses on the human tongue, i.e., the power of speech – a power so often abused.

It does not take much imagination to see how these concerns can apply very easy to the Internet and the words that people post online in the blogosphere.

For every kind of beast and bird,
of reptile and sea creature,
can be tamed and has been tamed by the human species,
but no man can tame the tongue.

It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

With it we bless the Lord and Father,
and with it we curse men
who are made in the likeness of God.

From the same mouth come blessing and cursing.

My brothers, this need not be so.

Indeed, we should resolve to use our tongues and our blogs and our comments to give glory to God and to help build up others in faith and truth.

But today’s first reading begins with another warning that needs to be heeded.

Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers,
for you realize that we will be judged more strictly,
for we all fall short in many respects.

I myself am keenly and painfully aware of how I fall short in so very many respects. I am penitent. I am no saint. I am a sinner. I am very imperfect.

We are indeed sinners and yet as people of faith we must nonetheless speak out the truth of Christ: in our lives, in the public square, and on the Internet.

We must speak the truth of Christ because Christ commands us and we must speak the truth of Christ because the world needs it.

To be sure, we need to heed the warning of today’s first reading.

We do this first by seeking God’s grace to be every more virtuous and free from sin: for our own good and the good of all who see and hear us.

We do this also with proper prudence and humility.

If personal perfection were a prerequisite for proclaiming the truth, then only error and lies would be spoken in this world.

On the other hand, if there is a substantial “disconnect” between the godly truth one espouses and the life one lives, it would be prudent not to put oneself too far forward as a teacher or messenger of godly things. (Again, the proper and prudent thing to do would be to repent, seek God’s grace, and embrace the virtuous life.)

For those of us who are faithfully struggling in various states of moderate imperfection, our watchwords in proclaiming the truth of Christ should be humility, penitence, and fidelity.

We need to be honest about the truth.

We need to be honest that the truth does not originate from us, but from Christ.

We need to be honest about our personally falling short of that truth.

And we need to be honest about our reliance on God’s grace.

As the first and last verses of Psalm 115 remind us:

Not to us, O Lord, not to us;
but to thy name give glory.
For thy mercy, and for thy truth’s sake.

But we that live
bless the Lord:
from this time now
and for ever.

non nobis Domine non nobis
sed nomini tuo da gloriam
super misericordia tua et veritate tua

sed nos qui vivimus
benedicimus Domino
ex hoc nunc
et usque in saeculum