Watch what you say !

I heard a quote once which may sound crude, but it so true when you think about it. ‘Some people have constipation of thought and diarrhoea of words.’ It is so true, because some people can talk, and talk, but no sense comes out of their mouths.  Jean-Jacques Rousseau, a Swiss philosopher once wrote that ‘those who know much, speak very little, and those who know very little, talk nonstop, usually nonsense.’ Yes, it is so true, he who speaks much, thinks very little. A Maltese proverbs says that when you meet a person, you’ll get to know half of him. When you speak to him, you’ll get to know all of him. I like to say to penitents who come for confession that we can do much good by what we don’t say in a heated argument, than by what we say in anger or in frustration. St Teresa of Calcutta used to say ‘Words which do not enlighten with the Light of Christ, usually add to the darkness. While sweet words are easy to say them, but their echo has no limits.’ It’s important to watch what we say. In my homilies I often mention the notion of using the THINK Method. If something is True, Helpful, Important, Necessary, and Kind, then say it. If it’s none of  these, then don’t say it!