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Show 174: The 8th Commandment, Part 1 · The Uncensored Catholic

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Speaker 1: A Hey, y'all, welcome to today's show. We will continue
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on our series on the Ten Commandments from Father Sparago's
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classic work, The Exhaustive Catechism of the Catholic Church. And
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you know, it just occurred to me something rather interesting. Today.
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We'll get to the eighth commandment. But I was thinking
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about that. And you know, the ten commandments are the
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minimum that one must accept and do to be saved.
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The minimum, I mean, that's what you know. When Jesus
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was asked what must I do to be saved? He said,
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keep the commandments, love God with all your heart, and
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love your neighbors yourself. He was asked to that in
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a couple of different ways. He said, thou should not kill,
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Thou should not commit adultery, Love God with all your heart,
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love your neighbors yourself. I mean, keep the commandments and
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love God and neighbor with all your heart. You know
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a lot of Protestants these days, well, actually for quite
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a while, I mean, there was a Billy Graham message.
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It was accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and savior,
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saying say this prayer, and there was a formulate prayer
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he'd give out every event you know you're saying you
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admit your sinner and you accept Jesus as your savior.
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That really goes back to Martin Luther, who advocated repeatedly,
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repeatedly to have the Ten Commandments cut out of the Bible.
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That may shock you, I did a whole show on this,
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but he said repeatedly in his writings that he hated Moses.
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I mean, he literally hated Moses, despised him, said he
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was a representative of the devil, and advocated for the
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Ten Commandments to be stripped from the Bible. He said
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that all it was necessary is faith. He actually advocated
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for murder. He boasted that he had caused many Protestant
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peasants in Germany to be murdered. He advocated for adultery.
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He said one could never keep the keen Commandments because
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one could not keep oneselves from being from coveting. He denied, well,
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he denied the very words of Christ in many many places.
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But he denied what Jesus said that one must keep
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the commandments, and he did it like vocally and vociferously
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and so literally. Protestantism is not merely founded on the
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rejection of the Catholic Church. Or the rejected rejection of
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the priesthood. But on the rejection of the Ten Commandments,
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I mean, Martin Luther said people should lie. He said
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that repeatedly. He actually accused Jesus of committing adultery. He
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encouraged his followers to commit adultery, he said, rather than divorce.
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You know, he wasn't sure about divorce, but he would
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not hesitate to tell I want to commit adultery. Gosh,
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I could go down the list. I mean, he literally
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founded what I would consider to be a Satanic religion.
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I'm sorry that's harsh. I understand that there are many faithful,
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you know, Protestants and Lutherans, but if you read the
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founding words, the words of the founder of Protestantism, it
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is utterly opposed. And he was successful in cutting several
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books out of the Bible that he didn't agree with.
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He also wanted the books of Book of Revelations to
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be stripped from the Bible and the Gospel of Saint James.
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He did change the words of Jesus to say faith alone,
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and so faith and works. I mean, I cannot think
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of a better example of the Antichrist, except perhaps King
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Henry the eighth that formed the Anglican Church, who was
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an adulter and murderer and bigamist and alcoholic and genocidal
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maniac himself. These are the two founders of Protestantism, and
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so much of the errors of Protestanism are still repeating
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those very same heresies as taught by Martin Luther. So
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before we get into the Ten Commandments, we'll go back
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to radio replies. And the first question is interesting, Is
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the church a mythical something apart from the individual components?
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And they answered no. The Catholic Church is the body
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of all the faithful, but not each member of the
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faithful constitutes the whole church, and the vast majority in
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every age has been sufficiently good morally, even though the
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Saints have necessarily been the minority. That's an interesting aside. Yeah,
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I mean, you can think about that a lot. But
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now we're going to begin a long dialogue between a
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communist and the two priests. This is back in the
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nineteen thirties and communism was very popular, especially when the
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educated classes. I'm going to have to put this one
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at least into two parts, maybe three. The person says,
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my difficulty with the Catholic Church, as far as holiness
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is concerned, arises from her avarice, average means greed. Essentially,
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the wealth of the Church is a scandal when one
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thinks of the poverty of Christ. Very common leftist charge.
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That's what communists have been saying, you know, since Marx
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and Engles, and before then with Rousseau and the French Revolution.
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They answer, it may be that your notions of Christ's
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attitude toward wealth and rectifying need rectifying. Before we can
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proceed with this question. A person says, both in practice
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and teaching, Christ condemned wealth. They answer, he did not.
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They say, in practice he did. Did he not live
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poorly aiming at having no means of support? They answer,
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he lived poorly himself, but he never commanded others to
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follow his own example in this matter. Meantime, he did
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not aim at having no means of support. Saint Luke
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no book, Let's see Luke eight three speaks of many
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who minister to his needs and those of his apostles
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out of their possessions. He accepted their offerings. And we
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know that Judas carried the common purse, which held enough
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of almsgiving, but which held enough to allow almsgiving to
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the poor. Person says, he visited only the poorest houses,
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and they answered that it is not so. He was
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dining in the house of a wealthy man when the
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woman who was the sinner came to him and washed
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his feet with her tears. The person says he had
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no magnificent edifice to preach in, but always spoke in
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the open air, and they answer, he did at times
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speaking the open air, but scripture tells us that he
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often spoke in the Temple of Jerusalem, calling it his
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father's house, and he had an immense respect for the
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edifice dedicated to his father. Person says, he drove the
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money changes from the temple, and they answer, that proves
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my assertion of his respect for the religious edifice, but
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it does not prove that Christ condemned money. Christ condemned
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the abuse of the traffickers in the temple. They were
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desecrating the holy place by usury, and also, as we
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know from various sources, by selling dried peas, raisins, grapes,
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and apples which should have been sold in the marketplace.
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Person continues, was not Christ's poor and did he not
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forbid the hoarding up of treasures on the earth. And
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they answered, Christ himself set the supreme example of poverty,
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although as I have said, Judas carried the purse containing
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money for his use and for the needs of his apostles. Apostles,
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but Christ never commanded that his followers should adopt actual
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and absolute poverty. God had sanctioned the right of private
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property when he gave the commandment thou shalt not steal.
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This is what we were talking about yesterday. All this is
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the right to private property is therefore just and not simfl.
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Christ did not forbid. Christ did forbid men to make
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earthly goods their only measure, and to exclude their spiritual welfare.
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In fact, he warned that those who have manon or
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wealth not necessarily to give it up, but to make
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it their friend by giving alms to the poor. And
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as I said, this is gonna be about three parter.
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But hey, have you talked to anybody at a Catholic
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university recently? Recently? This is the communism masquerading in our
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Catholic university's calling itself social justice. It's essentially Marxists at
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its core, and not what social justice was intended to be.
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But you'll hear all these arguments and it's good to
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know how to refute them. Gosh, I remember an old
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episode of The Vicar of Dibley, horribly blasphemous British sitcom.
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Terribly though, I mean, I have to admit, and as
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it was an Anglican based on Anglican Church, I can
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laugh at it. But down French Man she's funny, and
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I mean she's about as left wing as they come.
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Everything she's done has been just hilarious, murder most horrid. Absolutely,
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she and the French and Saunders, she's a very funny lady.
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But they had a whole episode on she's saying that
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Christ condemned wealth and demanded everyone give everything to the poor.
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And you know, in truth, he encouraged people to give
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charity to take care of the poor. But it's he
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said the poor you have with you always. He says,
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blessed are the poor. But the poor also you will
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have with you always. And you know, the wealthy have
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a duty to use their wealth to help the poor,
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and by doing so they give alms. Without that wealth,
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you can't give alms. And without giving all holms, well
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you really can't go to heaven and that's again one
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of those works that you know, without being charitable, without
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love of one's neighbor, both in caring for his physical
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and spiritual needs, you're not loving your neighbor. And again
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we're getting back to those requirements that you know, Martin
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Luther so hated. He didn't believe people should love their neighbor.
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He didn't give a crap about charity. I mean, he
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literally boasted about killing poor people and said it was
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his duty. So now let's get on to the eighth commandment,
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the eighth commandment of God. In the eighth Commandment, God
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forbids us to detract from our neighbor's honor or to
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bear false witness of any kind, the prohibition against injuring
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our neighbor in his honor. A good reputation is a
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precious possession, for it enables us to gain riches for
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time and for any An honorable reputation or a good name,
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consists in being well thought of and well spoken of
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by our fellow men. The opposite of honor is shame.
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A good name is better than great riches, and a
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good favor is above silver and gold proverbs. A good
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reputation is I guess it's Proverbs twenty two to one.
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By the way, a good reputation is the best thing
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on earth. It is a talent entrusted to us by God.
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For he who has a good reputation can do a
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great deal of good because he has influence over others.
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The esteem of others is essential to real happiness. Who
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can enjoy his life if he knows that he is
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despised by his fellow men. A man without a penny
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will often get an excellent post merely because he had
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a good character. And those who are highly thought of
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are more careful to lead an upright life than those
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who have no reputation to preserve an honorable man. An
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honorable name is to a man what appeal is to
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an apple. While it is whole, the apple keep sound
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for a long time, but once the skin is cut,
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the fruit rots quickly. Above all, we ought to strive
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to acquire a good name among men, and for that
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reason we ought to let our good works be known.
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And to we ought to defend our character, if it
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be dispersed to any great extent. It is God's will
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that we should strive after honor, for He implanted within
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us the feelings of honor and the abhorrence of disgrace.
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To suppress this instinct would be an active variance with
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his appointment. Hence, we ought to perform our good works openly.
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Our Lord expressly enjoined this upon us when he said,
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so let your light shine before men, that they may
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see your good works and glorify your father, who is
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in heaven. What will we say about Martin Luther and
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King Henry the eighth, They certainly did not were not
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known for their good works, but should be much better
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known for their evils. They performed very openly. I mean,
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it's really I mean, you can't blame their followers so much,
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who are illiterate. A lot of them just did what
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the king said, and then the rest were pretty much
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swayed by an antichrist, a charismatic preacher. As you know,
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many were swayed by Jimmy Swaggert a few years ago.
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But we can go down that list anyway. Our works
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should be like or Jim Baker. Remember Jim Baker. What
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do we remember about Jim Baker? If we remember anything,
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it certainly wasn't his good works. Unfortunately, our good work
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should be like a sweet odor, pleasing to men and
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as a perfume is to the nostrils Second Corinthians two fifteen.
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Good works for the best means of defending our good
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name and silencing the tongue of detractors. One Peter two twelve.
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We ought to consider that we may be good not
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only before God, but also before men. Second Corinthians eight
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twenty one. Let your modesty be known into all men's
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Philippians four or five. From all appearances evil, refrain yourselves
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for Thessalonians five twenty two. It need hardly be said
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that our good works must not be performed in the
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view of pleasing men in courting their praise, or we
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shall receive no reward from God. Matthew six ' to two.
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It is our du to defend ourselves when our name
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is dispersed. All manner of accusations were brought against early Christians.
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Some of the ablest men published apologies explanations is what
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that means, and sent them to the Emperor, and it
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says it's very true some of our first writings. I think,
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or iron Ais and Justin Martyr of there's another one, Clement,
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Saint Clement of Alexandria, spend a lot of time Polycarp, Yeah, Polycarp.
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They spend a lot of time saying, no, we Christians
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are being falsely accused. This is what we really believe.
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And that's a lot of our first Christians writings from
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the first and second century. Our Lord did not disdain
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to justify himself when, for instance, it was said of
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him that he cast devils by the aid of the
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Prince of devils Matthew twelve twenty seven. Or again when
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a servant spoke with a high when a servant of
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the High priest struck him John eighteen twenty three. Saint
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Paul repeatedly spoke in his own defense before the Council
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and the Governor Acts twenty two twenty six. Yet it
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is not well to be oversensitive about one's honor and
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to go to law about trifles. An amicable adjustment of
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differences and reconciliation is better than quarreling and bringing accusations.
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To be very touchy regards to one honor one's honor
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is likely to give an appearance of truth to the slander,
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for it looks as if we are not quite sure
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of ourselves. Besides, it provokes the calumnator, calumniator, that's the
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hard ones, say calumniator. Calumning, by the way, is the
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Latin word for bitterness. So this is one who is
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making bitter charges against you. Very interesting, you know. I'm
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an herbalist by trade, and we haven't ear called calamus,
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and it was a very popular bitter. It's a root.
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It's the root of a plant, bitter peppery herb in
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ancient Roman, ancient Greece, long I mean ancient, each of them,
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Babylon even, I mean, they all had a lot of
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fondness for this herb, both culinarily and medicinally. And as
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I said, it's bitter and burning to the tongue. So
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when we think of a calumniator, we kind of get
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an idea of what that word means. Don't you love
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how this all kind of comes together? I do. So
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it provokes the calumniator to go to greater links. After all,
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a man's whose life is without reproach need not fear
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the permanent loss of his good name. Only the evildoer
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if the fall, if he fall into disgrace, cannot retrieve
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his character. It is just the same as with one's hair.
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Shave it off and it grows again quickly. But if
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it is pulled out by the roots, the bare place remains.
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David rightly compares the tongue of the slander to a
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sharp razor. In the manner of self defense, one must
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know how to keep the medium strong and generous. Characters
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are not affected by trifles. They bear them in silence,
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only giving expression to their just anger. In matters of importance,
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Saint Francis Desau tells us that or only when grave
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and disgraceful crimes are imputed to us, such as no
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man can allow himself to be charged with, should we
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take steps to clear ourselves. Finally, be it remarked, much
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more can be done by bearing an affront patiently than
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by displaying great anxiety about our good name. Many eminent
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servants of God, by the calmness with which they bore
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the revilings of godless men, were the means of converting
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their accusers. Yet we ought not strive too anxiously to
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obtain the esteem of men, or we will lose the
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friendship of God as well as the esteem of men. Moreover,
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in some cases it is impossible to enjoy at the
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same time the favor of God and the favor of men.
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He who is over suiless. It is sort of anxious
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to obtain honor among men. Makes this and not God
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his chief aim. Such a one as arrogant and ambitious,
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and will consequently be humbled by God. Luke fourteen eleven,
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How deeply and proud Absalom, How deeply the proud Absalom
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was humbled. Likewise the ambitious emperor Napoleon. You know, people
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don't really we're not taught enough about Napoleon and Napoleon's school,
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at least in America. He was not a good guy.
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He became a great general, he wanted to be an emperor,
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and he essentially wanted to either destroy the Catholic Church
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or make it answer to him, and he ended up defeated.
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Really awful things happened to his family, and he ended
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up in exile. We're really not taught a lot about
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the truth about French history, at least in high schools
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that I went to in North Carolina. I mean, he
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was kind of held up as a heroic figure, and
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honestly he was anything but. But anyway, not that he
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had all bad qualities, but he certainly wasn't how he
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was portrayed. And the French Revolution was horrific, and we
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were not taught. We were taught that the French Revolution
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was essentially like the brother to the American Revolution. And
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I mean it was really the first communist revolution. It
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was really horrific. But anyway, Honor is a capricious goddess.
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If we run after her, she flies from us. If
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we fly from her, she pursues us. She allows no
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force to be put upon her. But there is a
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price at which she may be purchased, and that is
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uprightness and humility. It is impossible to serve God and
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please men Galatians one to ten. All who laid a
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truly Christian life were despised and reviled by men First
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Corinthians four thirteen, First Peter four fourteen, and even count
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as fools first Anthian's four to ten. There are some
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silly people who meet out honor or disgrace not by
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not by the standard of virtue, but by things that
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are of no real value riches, position, dress, et cetera.
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But whatever your exertions, you cannot please at all times
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all persons. Furthermore, we ought to refrain from everything that
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may wound our neighbor's honor. Thus suspicion, detractions, slander, and
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abuse are forbidden. Also, listening with pleasure when our neighbor's
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spoken about this is I think probably the well at
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least is important. It's the first point, but probably more important.
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If there's one flaw that you can think of among Christians,
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what would it be gossip talking about one's neighbor. Did
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you see what so and so is doing? Can you
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believe what she said? And how should she dress like that?
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And you know he's been doing this, and do it? It's universal, Okay,
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it's actually forbidden. We're not supposed to gossip. We're supposed
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to mind our own businesses, businesses, yes, and only go
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to the person if we think there's a problem that
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could actually be harmful to them, and address them privately.
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You know, that's what says in the Bible. Go speak
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to the person, and then if necessary, speak to the church.
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But we're not supposed to be talking about It's a
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natural human flaw. I understand it. But the more you
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realize why we shouldn't do it, the more distasteful it
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becomes to you. We should always try to assume the
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best and not the worst, because each person's made in
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God's image. I was actually engaged to a girl one time,
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and I'm not perfect in this regard and not holding
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myself up as an example, and I'm not trying to
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detegrate her. That would be the opposite of what I'm
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trying to do. But she came from a Protestant background
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and they had been taught very strict you know, morals
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and the way it was taught, and this is the
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way it was. It's the reason I bring it up.
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It's the way it was taught when I was, you know,
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Baptist and Methodists was shame. They would point out what
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they considered to be shameful behavior until their children not
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to imitate it. Okay, nothing wrong with shame, obviously, but
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in the way it was done was very condemning of
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a person. And we're just like riding down the road
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one day in my old pickup truck and there's like
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maybe a twelve fourteen year old girl out in or
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a front yard and you know, she's kind of on
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like a I don't even know what you call it,
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a halt top or something. It was a hot day.
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She's in shorts and a shirt. You know that showed her,
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you know, stomach, midriff, whatever you call it, and she's
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water in the garden or something, mine her own business
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and her and her response was look at her. Can
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you believe her out there like a prostitute? What? And
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I actually thought, you know, I don't want my children
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to be raised like this, And that was actually the
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beginning of the end of that relationship. I never, I
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don't think I ever actually explained that to her. Not
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But you're in the American South, You're in southeastern North Carolina,
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and it's like one hundred and ten degree day, and
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I mean, I don't care that girl was out there
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in a bikini, water in her garden or playing with
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her dog or whatever she was doing. She was just
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a child, and I mean it it offended me to
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my core. And we what bothers me is I've heard
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the same thing amun cath flicks. Another girl that I
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dated very seriously about four years ago, was raised very
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much the same way in a Catholic household. And I
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understand modesty and standards of dress, but it's the assuming
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the worst about a person that they're actually seeking attention
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rather than it's just a hot day. I mean, that's
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just one example. Right, We could think of many things,
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you know, San Francis Is South says, you know, if
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you see a man one time once who's had a
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little too much to drink and he's a little drunk,
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don't assume that he's an alcoholic again. That that's you know,
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that's against our Protestant Puritanical culture that has really done
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so much to wreck this country. You know, prohibition of alcohol,
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encouraging divorce. You know, I can go down the list
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on that. And before we should always try to believe
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the best about a person, and if we are, if
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it's proven to us that there's something actually wrong, speak
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with him privately. Don't talk to other people about them.
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What business is it of someone else's. You know, if
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you need to speak with your priest, and the priest
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can then go and talk to someone privately, that's fine.
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Don't talk to your neighbor, your friend, your brother, your sister.
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It's really between that person and God, and then the
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priest has a role in that relationship. And it's unfortunate.
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And that's the thing. It's unfortunate that you have to
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know about it, and it's really better not to know
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about it. Father Sparago at some point, and I may
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even read this in a minute says, don't be looking
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out windows at your neighbors. You know, when you hear
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your neighbors arguing or something walk away close, you don't listen.
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Don't listen in you don't even know what that argument's about. Now,
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if you see signs of obvious abuse, it's a different issue,
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and you may even have to call the police. I mean,
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you know, but gossip is awful, and especially when it's true.
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I mean, it's awful when it's false, but it's especially
27:19
when it's true because in that case, I'm talking about
27:21
someone who may have done something in the past, and
27:24
I've seen this so many times, but then they've reformed
27:27
their lives and they've worked it out with God and
27:29
they've become a better person, and people still talk about
27:31
what they did ten or twenty years ago. That's well,
27:37
I think again, others Barrago say that's essentially murdering someone's reputation.
27:42
We have to and I mean, I'm telling you, I
27:45
see this in especially among Catholic women and girls. Okay,
27:52
this gossip. I mean, they think they're telling their children
27:58
how to live an upstanding, virtuous, modest life. But if
28:04
they're doing so by slandering calumniating. Is that what we
28:09
said another person, even if it's true, and sometimes especially
28:13
if it's true, that's not the right way to do it.
28:16
That is sona. And it's it's really really pernicious, as
28:22
Father Sipiaga would say, really actually evil. So I mean
28:28
it's like the old saying, God save us from the
28:32
righteous people, because they're often the least charitable, you know.
28:36
That's sort of what Christ was always pointing out with
28:39
the the Pharisees. I mean, they look down on everyone
28:45
else and condemn them, you know, rather than seeing the
28:49
the moat in your own eye. You talk about a
28:52
spec and your you know, you know the passages. But
28:54
we'll get into this. And the more you think about this,
28:59
the more you really realize how distasteful it actually is.
29:03
And it's something everyone does. I'm sure I know. I well.
29:06
I used to work in journalism, political journalism, where my
29:10
actual duty, my role in my job was to do
29:15
research into someone's background. That's necessary when it's a politician,
29:20
especially if they have never admitted to it, never been
29:23
punished for it, never mended their ways. I hated it.
29:27
I came to the point where I despised my job
29:29
and I had to stop doing it. So think about it,
29:34
you know, think about it. That's all I'm saying. Consult
29:38
You're examine your own conscious conscience. Why do I keep
29:43
mispronouncing that word? All right? Suspicion implies malice of heart,
29:49
detraction slander, both of which are directed against the absent,
29:54
and abuse, which is directed against the one who is present.
29:58
They are sins at the tongue. This seeing with gratification
30:01
when another is evilly spoken of is a sin if
30:04
it is in the evil speaking that we take pleasure.
30:06
Suspicion consists in supposing evil of one's neighbor without reasonable grounds.
30:12
The Pharisee in the temple took for granted that the
30:14
publican was a sinner, and how greatly he was mistaken
30:17
Luke twenty eight. Job's three friends thought he must needs
30:22
be ungodly merely because he was afflicted by God. Simon.
30:26
The pharisees thought. The mag thought the Magdalene, when he
30:29
saw at our lord's feet, was still a sinner, but
30:32
he deceived himself. She was penitent Luke seven thirty nine.
30:38
When Saint Paul shipwrecked on the island of malta light,
30:41
a fire, a viper coming out of the sticks fastened
30:44
on his hand. It bit him. In other words, in
30:47
consequence of this, the inhabitants of the island instantly judged
30:50
him to be a murderer, pursued by divine vengeance. Acts
30:53
twenty eight. A goldsmith had an apprentice who bore a
30:58
very good character. One day he found two precious stones
31:02
concealed in a hole in the wall close to the
31:04
boy's head. He directly accused him of theft, and chastised
31:07
him soundly, and drove him out of the house. Soon again,
31:10
he discovered two stones in exactly the same place. He
31:13
watched and found they were put there by a magpie,
31:16
which he had in the house, and deeply regretted his
31:18
rast judgment when it was too late to repair his fault.
31:22
If he had detected the boy in dishonesty, he would
31:25
he would not have done wrong in suspecting him. People
31:28
judge others by themselves, for the effectations are apt to
31:32
mislead the understanding. He who is not evil himself does
31:36
not lightly think evil of others, whereas a bad man
31:39
readily take readily concludes his neighbor to be as bad
31:43
as himself. Molten metal takes the shape of the mold
31:46
in which it is poured. So every man's judgment of
31:49
what he sees and hears takes its shape from his
31:51
own feelings. The most wholesome ailments elements, sorry, the most
31:56
whostessome elements I means food. Disagree with the man whose
32:00
digestion is out of order, Thus a corrupt mind. Thus,
32:06
a corrupt mind always takes an evil view of things,
32:08
while a good man puts the best construction on everything.
32:12
I would far rather er, says Saint Anselom, by thinking
32:16
good of a bad man than thinking evil of a
32:19
good man. Charity thinketh no evil. First Corinth, the Ends
32:22
thirteen to five. The just man, in whom dwells the
32:25
spirit of love, even when he sees an action which
32:28
is unquestionably reprehensible, does not allow his thoughts to dwell
32:33
upon it. He leaves the judgment to God. That is
32:36
what Saint Joseph did in regard to his spouse, the
32:39
Blessed Virgin Mary. Matthew one nineteen. Let none of you
32:42
imagine evil in your heart against your friend Zachariah eight seventeen.
32:47
Trust others if you would have him trust you trust
32:51
in gender's confidence, and mistrust the want of it. Detraction
32:55
consists in disclosing the faults committed by another without necessity.
33:00
This sin, the lessing of our neighbor's reputation, is an
33:03
act of injustice towards him, For if he is really
33:07
guilty of some secret sin, still he has not lost
33:10
the good opinion of others, And of this we rob him.
33:14
If we publish his misdeeds. We are not justified in
33:17
robbing a man of the esteem he enjoys, even though
33:20
he has no right to it, any more than taking
33:22
from him money which he has gained unjustly. Nor must
33:26
we speak evil of the dead. Let nothing but what
33:30
is good be said of the departed. Some people, like hyenas,
33:33
who tear from their graves and devour the dead bodies,
33:36
to face the memory of the dead by their malicious words,
33:39
and bring to light faults long since forgotten. Like insects,
33:44
which alike not on the sound part of the apple,
33:46
but on the decayed portion. Detractors do not enlarge on
33:50
the virtues of the decease, but they piteously dwell on
33:53
their faults. They may be compared to dogs who prefer
33:56
carry into fresh meat, for they pass over the good
33:59
which they can cannot help seeing in their neighbor, and
34:02
care to keep alive the remembrance of his failings. The
34:06
sin of distractions one most frequently met with. Rarely, says
34:10
Saint Jerome, do we find anyone who is not ready
34:13
to blame his neighbour's conduct. This comes from pride, for
34:17
many people imagine they exalt themselves in the proportion as
34:20
they decry others. Attraction is a hateful sin. It is
34:24
an ugly and shameless thing to do. If one goes
34:27
to a stranger's house and spies into every corner, how
34:30
much more so to scrutinize and criticize our neighbour's life.
34:34
Mud should be covered over, not stirred up, for no
34:37
one can touch it without defiling himself. Old fool, exclaimed
34:41
Saint alfonsis thou dost a claim against the sin of another,
34:45
while meanwhile, by evil speaking, dost commit a far greater
34:49
sin than thou blamest thy neighbor. Besides, the detractor, in
34:53
disclosing the faults of another, discloses his own, for he
34:57
shows that he has no charity to speak of another
35:00
man's sin is not wrong unless one has the intention
35:04
of lowering him in the eyes of others. It is
35:06
not an attraction to tell someone else of it in
35:10
order to prevent a repetition of the sin. One may
35:13
also blame the fault of another if this may be
35:16
useful to a third person, but it must be done
35:18
from a sense of duty, and the sin, rather than
35:21
the sinner, be condemned. The crime of any malefactor that
35:25
has been brought to justice may be freely spoken of
35:29
and has already made public. Tail telling, from the form
35:32
of attraction, is a form of distraction. It consists in
35:36
repeating to another what a third person has said to him.
35:39
Tail telling ruins the piece of families and is a
35:42
fruitful source of feuds. It is worse than ordinary distraction
35:46
because it not only destroys the reputation of one's neighbor,
35:49
but it puts an end to friendly relations and brotherly love. Therefore,
35:53
God says, the whisper and double tongued are accursed. Slander
35:59
consists attributing to one's neighbor faults of which he is
36:02
not guilty. If the accusation is made publicly, is called libel.
36:06
Slander or calumny is taking away a man's good name.
36:10
Potiphar's wife accused Joseph to her lord of having attempted
36:14
to lead her astray Genesis Is at thirty nine. I
36:18
believe the Jews accused our lord before Pilot of having
36:21
perverted the nation and forbidden to give tribute to the
36:24
Emperor Luke twenty three to two. Exaggeration of another's faults
36:29
also comes under the head of calumny. The motives that
36:32
actuate the slanderer generally revenge, hatred, or ingratitude. The sin
36:37
is twofold, for he lies at the same time he
36:39
destroys his neighbor, his neighbor's reputation. He that backbiteth secretly
36:44
is like a serpath that biteth in silence. Some slanderers
36:48
accompany their calumnies, would jest or accentuate them with a
36:52
witty or amusing speech. This is the greatest cruelty of all,
36:56
for the slander, which might have passed into one ear
36:58
and out the other, is in firmly lodged in the
37:01
mind of all we hear it again. Slanderers that are
37:07
again slanders that are prefaced by words of eulogy, make
37:10
more impression on us and on the hear, just as
37:13
an arrow flies with more force and penetrates some more deeply.
37:17
The boby drawn back first. Of such persons, David says,
37:22
the poison of asps is under their lips from psalms.
37:27
Abuse consists in making public the low opinion which one
37:31
has of another, and speaking evil in evil speaking. In
37:35
evil speaking, one makes known a man's faults behind his back.
37:39
Abuse utters it in his presence. Abuse therefore stands in
37:43
the same relation to distraction as robberty to theft. While
37:48
distractions slander undermined the good opinion others have of a man.
37:51
Abuse seems that depriving him of the outward respect that
37:54
is being shown to him. Semi reviled King David. He
37:58
called him a man of lyle and threw stones at him.
38:02
Second King's sixteen five. The Jews reviled our Lord. They
38:07
called him a Samaritan and said that he had a
38:11
devil John eight forty eight. If two men quarrel, the
38:14
one who is in the wrong usually resorts to abuse.
38:18
The one who's in the right does not need such weapons.
38:20
Truth conquers of itself. Sneers and sarcasm are a form
38:24
of this sin. Their object is to make command ridiculous
38:28
before others, and put him into confusion. By such unkind speeches,
38:34
one may deeply wound one's neighbor and fill him with
38:36
bitter resentment. The stroke of a whip maketh the blue mark,
38:40
but the stroke of the tongue will break the bones.
38:43
He who takes pleasure in listening to the distraction commits
38:47
the same sentence the speaker to whom he listens. He
38:51
who disperses his neighbor's good name kindles a fire, and
38:54
he who listens to him throws fuel on it. Were
38:57
it not for the latter, the former would soon be silent.
39:00
Saint Ignatius says, we should not talk about our neighbor's faults.
39:03
Did we not find eager listeners? Saint Bernard says that
39:07
he cannot decide which is more blameworthy, the man who
39:09
slanders his neighbor the one who lends his ear to
39:12
the slander. The only difference is that one serves the
39:15
devil with his tongue and the other his ear. What
39:18
do I care? What do I care to know that's
39:21
such a one as a wicked man? The knowledge only
39:23
does me harm. How much better to spend one's pains
39:27
on scrutinizing one's own conduct. Our Lord exhorts us to
39:30
do this, casts first the beam out of thine own eye,
39:34
and then thou shalt see clearly to take the moat
39:36
from thy brother's eye Luke six forty two. It is
39:40
those who are blind to their own faults who are
39:43
most keenly alive to the faults of others. Never listen
39:46
to detraction. Saint Augustine had these words inscribed upon his
39:51
dining table. There is not a place at this table
39:54
for those who love to defame their neighbor hedge in
39:57
thy ears with thorns. Here not the wicked tongue. Slander
40:02
is a three edged sword. At one blow it inflicts
40:05
three wounds. It wounds the slanderer, for he commits a sin.
40:08
It wounds the slander because he is robbed of his
40:11
good name. It wounds the hearer, for he falls into sin.
40:16
And since the slander injures the soul of him who
40:19
listens to his calumny, he imitates the serpent, whose poisoned
40:24
words were the means of driving Eve out of paradise.
40:29
He who has injured his neighbor's reputations strictly bound to
40:32
restore his good name, either by apologizing if the offense
40:35
was committed in private, or by publicly retracting his words
40:39
if they were spoken before others. Anyone who has unjustly
40:43
diminished his neighbour's reputation is bound to make satisfaction according
40:46
to the nature of the offense. It is not enough
40:49
to draw the arrow out of the wound. The hurt
40:51
must be healed, nor is enough to desist from evil speaking.
40:54
The injury done must be set right. That is bitter
40:58
to the human nature, for it requires no oh slight
41:00
self humiliation. Moreover, it is almost impossible fully to amends
41:05
for calumny. It is easy to break a seal, but
41:09
difficult to repair it so that no one can perceive
41:11
that it has been broken and eats ink. Spot is
41:15
soon made on a sheet of paper, but no efforts
41:17
to remove all traces can remove the blot. Those who
41:21
do not endeavor to repair the harm they have done
41:24
by slanting their neighbor cannot obtain pardon from God nor
41:27
absolution from the priest. How often do we think of
41:31
this when people are gossiping. Oftentimes you know, after mass,
41:36
or before Mass, Sir, just talking about can you believe
41:39
so and so said this, I can't believe he said that,
41:42
d you know? So? You know serious mortal sin. Actually,
41:49
what are the reasons which should deter us from injuring
41:52
our neighbor's good name? He who is severe in his
41:55
judgment of his neighbor will in his turn be judged
41:58
severely by God. My Lord says judge not that you
42:01
may not be judged Matthew seven to one. For with
42:05
what you measure you meet, it shall be measured to
42:08
you again. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned.
42:12
Luke six point thirty seven, a monk who, on account
42:15
of delicate health, had not been very regular in the
42:17
performance of his religious duties, displayed great cheerfulness when his
42:21
death threw near. On being asked what caused this, he said,
42:25
I have never judged anyone, even when I had just
42:28
cause for complaint. Therefore, I hope God will not judge me.
42:32
To judge one's fellow man is committed an offense against God,
42:36
for it is a usurpation of his rights. There is
42:40
one lawgiver in judge. But who art thou that judges
42:44
my neighbor. James what four twelve. I believe who art
42:49
thou that judges another man's servant? Romans fourteen to four.
42:53
Only he who is omniscient can claim the right to
42:55
judge others. For the intrinsic evil of an action depends
42:59
upon the intention of the heart, and that is hidden
43:02
from man. He who robs another of his good name
43:06
is often severely punished by God on earth. Not unfrequently
43:09
he is overtaken by the same calumny, But the same
43:12
calamity which he sought to bring on his neighbor. A
43:16
man of evil tongue shall not be established upon the earth.
43:19
That's from Psalms. Jezebel, the wife of King Ahab a
43:23
chib I can't remember well. He spells it the old way,
43:26
and I'm having trouble with it. Saborne. The two wicked
43:29
men to false accused Naboth, who would not give up
43:32
his vineyard to the king of blasphemy. Retribution eventually fell
43:36
upon her, and she was run from a palace window,
43:38
trampled under by horses, and eaten by dogs three Kings
43:41
twenty one. It is now no uncommon thing for the
43:45
slanderer to meet with the same fate, which he prepared
43:48
for another. As the following story shows, Saint Elizabeth, Queen
43:51
of Portugal, had a favorite page she used to distribute
43:54
her arms. One of the king's servant, who was jealous
43:56
of the large share of the queen's favor, he enjoyed
44:00
him to the king, and one day when he was out.
44:03
One day when he was out hunting, the King believed
44:05
the calumny, and going up to the lime kiln, which
44:08
he saw in the forest, he said to the proprietor, tomorrow,
44:12
I shall send a young man hither, who will ask
44:14
you whether you have executed the King's orders. Seize him
44:18
instantly and cast him into the kiln. On the following morning,
44:22
the king dispatched the queen's page to the lime burner,
44:25
with the message agreed upon. On his way hither thither, actually,
44:30
the young man passed a church, and as the bell
44:32
was ringing for Mass, he went in and assisted the
44:34
holy sacrifice. Meanwhile, the servant who had slanted him, curious
44:38
to know his fate, followed him as he thought to
44:41
the lime kiln, and, on arriving eagerly asked of the
44:45
King's orders have been executed? Almost before he had uttered
44:48
the question, he was thrown into the furnace. When the
44:51
queen's page shortly made his appearance, he was told that
44:54
the royal behest had been observed, and the workman expected
44:57
a reward. On his return to the palace, the king
45:00
was astonished and horrified, and saw clearly that he had
45:03
been foully deceived. He hath opened the pit and dug it,
45:06
and he has fallen into the hole. He made songs
45:11
seven sixteen. I believe he who indulges in the habit
45:14
of attraction is in danger of losing his soul. The
45:17
poultse does not always correctly indicate indicate the progress of
45:20
a fatal disease, but if the tongue becomes black, it
45:24
is a sure sign of approaching dissolution. So many people,
45:27
or as an herbalist, let me just say it's not
45:30
always the case. Sometimes a sinus infection or a head
45:33
cold can cause your tongue to turn dark. So don't
45:36
freak out. Okay, seriously, don't freak out. So many people
45:41
are assiduous in their prayers and diligent church colors, and
45:46
are also considered to be pious, but their tongue, where
45:49
would they blacken the character of others infallibly indicates the
45:52
immortal disease their soul. To blast a man's reputation is
45:56
a great sin, because his good name is better than
45:59
great riches proverbs. It is a kind of murder because
46:03
it destroys a man's life as a citizen, i e.
46:05
His social standing, which he depends on, and the repute
46:09
in which he is held. It is also simple, because
46:12
thereby one causes distress to one's neighbor. The man of
46:16
honor values his good name above everything. He would rather
46:19
part with his money in all his possessions, with life
46:22
itself than to lose his honor. Hence we may conclude
46:25
how grievous a sin is distraction Railers shall not possess
46:30
the kingdom of God First Corinthians six ' ten Detractors
46:33
are worthy of death Romans one, p. Thirty two. Who
46:37
shall ever say to his brother thou fool shall be
46:39
in danger of hell fire Matthew five twenty two. The
46:43
magnitude of the sin against one's neighbor depends on the
46:46
harm that is done. On this account, it matters greatly
46:49
who the individual who slanders his neighbor is. If he
46:52
be a man of great position and respectability. The sin
46:57
he commits his grievous for the esteem in which he
46:59
is held gives weights to his words. In the case
47:03
of one who is known to be a tattler, on
47:04
the heather hand, the sin is slight. Again, it makes
47:07
a difference who the individual is whose name is dispersed.
47:10
The higher his position and the greater respect do him
47:13
the worst of sin. But it is a venial sin,
47:15
speaking against one who has already lost his character. But
47:19
let the evil speaker beware, for if he has not
47:21
already fallen into mortal sin, he is on the high
47:24
road to it, all right. And it looks like we're
47:27
going to have to wrap that up here today. It's
47:30
a long chapter. There's a lot to be said on this,
47:32
and there's a lot to be said on it because
47:33
it's one of the most common mortal sins that we
47:37
fall into, and we don't understand the gravity and the magnitude.
47:42
And so Father Sparaga is doing a great deal of
47:45
help in showing this. So we do part two tomorrow,
47:48
God willing, and y'all remember the words of Saint Padre Pio, Pray, hope,
47:53
and don't worry and I'll talk to you next time.