Ponder with me the wonder of words and language. Through the gift of speech, we can verbally articulate and share with others the thoughts in our minds and the feelings in our hearts.
Tag: words
Words of Saint John Paul II lit a fire in me
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Forty years ago this week, Saint John Paul II energized and inspired our country during his epic first Pastoral Visit to the United States.
Saint Paul VI had visited New York City in 1965 during a visit to the United Nations, but that short encounter was the extent of any papal presence in this country. Arriving directly from his remarkable pilgrimage to Ireland, Saint John Paul landed in Boston on a Monday afternoon and electrified all of us.
Listening to the pope
I was 16 at the time, thinking of priesthood, struggling to discern the mystery of such a call. I was also working my first restaurant job; having graduated from washing dishes to frying chicken, I was making $2.32 an hour, which even then was a terrible wage.
Words can indeed hurt us
“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me” is an old adage many of us have heard. It means that someone can hurt another by physical force, but not by insults.
In the Bible, we find Jesus encouraged his followers to “turn the other cheek.” In the Sermon on the Mount, he urged them to respond to injury without revenge and allowing more injury to occur.
Still, I don’t agree with the “sticks and stones” adage, because words can indeed hurt people. These days, many use words to bully others.