Gifts & Gossip

Today the Church celebrated the Solemnity of Pentecost, and I got to thinking, the Spirit brings us all these gifts…yet what do we do with them? We live in a world that is so dark sometimes, and so scary, how are we neglecting the wonderful, bountiful, gifts of the Spirit…because if we were using them rightly, wouldn’t the world be a better place?

What are the gifts of the Spirit anyhow? They are: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord (wonder and awe). It’s certainly easy to look at the world presented to us in the media and think “well those gifts aren’t being used for sure!” While that’s true, we should also all ask ourselves: how do I use them?

If you think about it, aren’t these gifts the answer to 99% of our own interpersonal struggles? Consider for a moment one of the biggest issues that affect our interpersonal relationships: gossip.

I chuckle when people say “I hate gossip”…I think the more accurate phrase is “I hate when people gossip about me.” Some people are blessed to truly not care for it, but I think it’s safe to say that most of us like having as much information as we can. It’s a flaw that’s built into all of us thanks to the fall of man. Adam and Eve ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil…they thought that if they ate its fruit then they wouldn’t need God to tell them right from wrong, because they would know. They mistakenly thought they had outgrown the need for God’s paternity. Ever since, us human beings have desired, and enjoyed receiving, information.

Gossip, and calumny though, really reject wisdom. Wisdom is about good judgement. There’s that wonderful old saying that “knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, and wisdom is knowing not to put it in fruit salad.” When we grasp onto gossip we neglect good judgement…we are most likely not getting the full story…and for certain, we are failing to discern the most important question of all: “Whether it's true or not, is this information I need to have access to?”

Gossip neglects counsel. It fails to seek advice: the advice of God, the advice of the authority on the information we have received.

Gossip neglects fortitude (which means courage). It takes real courage to say, “I don’t want to hear anymore, because I don’t like gossip.” The devil knows that this is the hardest gift to sometimes engage, and that’s right where he targets us!

Gossip neglects knowledge…because hearsay is never knowledge. It also serves as an unfair substitute for the truth.

Gossip neglects piety. There is nothing about our God that endorses gossip. In fact, piety is often viewed as false when we are caught engaging in gossip. It’s the quickest way for someone to call us out as being a hypocrite.

Gossip neglects fear of the Lord. How so? Fear of the Lord involves the recognition of all that God has done for us. Caught up in that gratitude, we experience wonder and awe in his presence. Engaging in gossip is beneath all of us. God has called us to – and instilled us with- such greater dignity then that!! Our hearts, as much as possible, need to gravitate toward all God has done…not toward whispers about what someone else has done.

It’s so much easier to engage in gossip then to take the steps of searching for the truth. Worst of all, once it’s started it’s hard to get out of!! Very often we engage in gossip about people we may struggle to get along with in the first place. It’s so much easier to add more things to the list, then to work on changing our hearts to recognize the needs of someone else’s heart.

Consider this week where gossip exists in your communities: that morning chat by the cooler at work…at the bar on a Friday night. For my fellows in recovery, doesn’t it kick around during fellowship after meetings? The temptation is everywhere we look: our families, our faith communities, and our social circles. This week, let’s all commit to focusing on using the gifts of the Spirit. Not only will we be armed more effectively in our fight against gossip, but who knows how many other struggles of life we may overcome!! In doing so, we help change our corner of the world. We can’t end terrorism, or being an end to the violence that plagues our cities…but we can spread love, and in doing so, we go light this dark world!!