I feel God calling me into my inner sanctum now as I progress in my life with Him and missionary calling.  The time for diatribe is past, and what has needed to be said has been said time and time again.

I am actively going to work on leashing my tongue now, with Jesus’ help and strength.  I notice that the tongue is indeed tied to the temper, and ire is something I have been ‘blessed’ with in large measure, giving me much to work on as I attempt to tame my nature in this way.

I love the book of James.  He speaks eloquently about the tongue in Chapter 3 of the book named after him:

James 3New King James Version (NKJV)

The Untamable Tongue

3 My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment. ² For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body. ³ Indeed,^[a] we put bits in horses’ mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body. ⁴ Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires. ⁵ Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things.

See how great a forest a little fire kindles! ⁶ And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell. ⁷ For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. ⁸ But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. ⁹ With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. ¹⁰ Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so.¹¹ Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? ¹² Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh.^[b]

Heavenly Versus Demonic Wisdom

¹³ Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. ¹⁴ But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. ¹⁵ This wisdom does not descend from above, but isearthly, sensual, demonic. ¹⁶ For where envy and self-seeking exist,confusion and every evil thing are there. ¹⁷ But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. ¹⁸ Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

Nuns are called to be silent after evening prayers through nighttime until after communion with Jesus in the morning, so that they will be ever more ready to accept his body into them.  Since I often talk aloud at night and in the morning, I feel called to put this into practice.  I also take morning communion with my unleavened wafer as I recite the Lord’s Prayer, adjuring Jesus to make me more like Him.

But silence also means speaking with chastity; saying only necessary and important things, eliminating small talk and chatter, which is fine by me.  Anything that detracts us from God is idolatry, after all.