From The Bishop

Words are incredibly powerful. They can be used to build up or to tear down; to encourage or discourage. The Readings for the Fifth Sunday of Easter remind us of this fact. In the First Reading from the Acts of the Apostles, we are told that Paul and Barnabas went to Iconium and Antioch and “There they strengthened the souls of the disciples and encouraged them to continue in faith…” Scripture tells us that the name Barnabas means, “son of encouragement”. In the Gospel of St. John we are reminded that the greatest motivation to speak words of encouragement is love. Jesus states, “Just as I have loved you, you should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” It is interesting to note that Jesus offers these words in the context of the Last Supper which was the first Eucharist. Here we come to know God’s love for us. We hear it in His Word and experience it in the reception of His Body and Blood. Encouraged and strengthened we are then sent forth to do the same for one another. One of the ways we can do this is to think before we speak. Will my words encourage or discourage? A good measure for this is our motivation. Like Jesus, our motivation should always be love. We all know people who say things in order to tear down rather than build up. Out of anger, frustration or a desire to get even, words become a weapon of mass destruction. Let us all be very careful how we use words. Once they pass our lips we can never take them back. Like our Lord Jesus Christ, St. Paul and St. Barnabas, let us use the power of words to encourage and strengthen our brothers and sisters. “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”