Feast of Saint Stephen, first martyr

When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say. You will be given at that moment what you are to say. For it will not be you who speak but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

It is so tempting to talk back to someone who is pushing our buttons, to explain ourselves to others when they question us, or otherwise speak without thinking first. However, it is important for us to hold our tongues and give God a chance to speak through us. When we are in the heat of the moment, we can say or do things we might regret later and so it is important for us to bring God into our thoughts during these moments of trial. We need to learn to have patience with others, especially when they are persecuting us in some way. The best way to do this is by allowing God to form the words of our response with mildness and love. Of course taking a step back from these heated exchanges isn’t easy, it takes time and practice to foster a spirit of calmness in the face of our troubles. But when we succeed at letting God speak through us, we can see the grace-filled results in the reactions of those around us. So the next time we are tempted to speak without thinking, let us take a deep breath and let the inspiration of the Holy Spirit fill us with the right words.

Do we speak before we think? Do we bring the spirit of God into our conversations with others? How can we make God present in all of our relationships?

O Lord, speak through us.

Amen.