What our words reveal

“Language is the dress of thought; every time you talk, your mind is on parade.”

Samuel Johnson

The coarsening of discourse (angry rhetoric, snarkyness, profanity, etc.), or what might cause my Texan relatives to ask, “are you bein’ ugly?”, lamentably reflects the mindset of this age. But instead of throwing up our hands or sinking to the level of “giving as good as we’re getting,” our Lord encourage us through St. Paul to” 5 Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. 6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.” (Colossians 4:5-6).

This is certainly with a proclamation of the Gospel in mind. But I’d have to think it should guide all of our speaking, so that eventually we will have the standing before others to share the message of Christ Jesus, crucified, risen, and ascended for the forgiveness of all. That is the mind of Christ (Philippians 2:5-11) which should always be on parade.