Good Speech Comes from a Humble Heart

 (Sunday Homily for March 1st)

1.  “When a sieve is shaken, the husks appear; so do one’s faults when one speaks” (Sirach 27:4) “A good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good, but an evil person out of a store of evil produces evil; for from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45). Good speech comes from a good heart. What is a good heart? “In tribulation is the test of the just” (Sirach 27:5). A good heart is a crushed heart, a contrite heart, a heart experienced in suffering, humiliations and failure. A good heart is a humble heart, a heart that is aware of its own sinfulness, its own weakness and its own limitations. A good speech comes from a heart like that: a person who is aware of his or her own limitations is able to speak in the right way.

Lack of this awareness is pride, which could rightfully be compared to a wooden beam: pride is a big sin. Once pride is taken away, the faults of our brothers and sisters seem lighter, like a splinter. When we know that we have sinned, other people’s faults are seen with more mercy.

2.  In the Gospel, Jesus refers, firstly, to what happens in one’s own heart and, secondly, to what a person says. “Why do you notice (i.e., in your heart) the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own?” (Luke 6:41). Because of pride: pride makes us attentive only to the faults of others, perhaps because we need to convince ourselves that we are better than them. Jesus then adds: “How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me remove that splinter in your eye,’ when you do not even notice the wooden beam in your own eye?” (Luke 6:42). The proud person could respond: “I say it because this is what I have in my heart. From the fullness of my heart my mouth speaks. I am full of myself, so full that I cannot see my defects and, in order to reaffirm my own excellence, I need to put down other people, pointing out their defects.” Jesus tries to correct the proud: “You hypocrite! Remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter in your brother’s eye” (Luke 6:42). Once the wooden beam of pride is taken away from our heart, once our heart is humble, our speech becomes more objective, clear and even sweet.

The awareness of our own weaknesses makes our perception of our brother more objective: we relate better to the situation of our brother because we’ve been there. And the experience of our own limitations softens our speech and makes us compassionate. A humble heart speaks mercy because it has received mercy.

3.  How is the wooden beam of pride removed from our heart? Let me say three things.

a) Sometimes it is by humiliation, a circumstance in our lives that allows us to see our own weaknesses. Other times what helps is a blunt correction from someone who loves us: “You hypocrite!” says the Lord. In general, suffering is many times the best way to know ourselves and to purify our perception of ourselves. “As the test of what the potter molds is in the furnace, so in tribulation is the test of the just” (Sirach 27:5). Suffering is not vain in the Lord’s plan: “Be firm, steadfast, always fully devoted to the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 1:58).

b) When we are not suffering, exercising poverty of spirit helps us against pride. We need to remove from our hearts all those things that God does not want for us. This means taking away from our lives those things, thoughts, actions or conversations that do not lead us to God. The things that make us rich apart from God are usually the ones that make us proud. Poverty of spirit includes surrendering to God even the good things we have. In fact, sometimes it is not a matter of getting rid of something, but of realizing that that something is a gift from God and should be used in the way He wants. This gift belongs to God first, not to me. This is spiritual poverty.

c) Exterior penance, now that Lent is coming, also helps in obtaining humility. Experiencing a little bit of hunger and remembering our sinfulness helps to get a more balanced, objective perception of who we are as human beings.

Let me finish with a few questions for reflection. Today’s Gospel made us reflect on the relationship between what we think of ourselves and what we think of others. Am I sorry for my sins? Am I aware of them? How do I see myself in front of God? How do I see my brothers and sisters? How does God see them? How do I treat my brothers and sisters who sin, or who suffer? How does God treat them? May God grant us a humble, merciful heart, so that we may better help our brothers and sisters in need.