March 3, 2023

Guest Column / Richard Etienne

When you speak, try to keep a healthy, holy perspective

Richard EtienneDoes darkness ever enter your mind? Does profanity ever slip from your lips before your filter can stop its utterance?

I believe that when an increase in cursing emerges in people’s speech, they should mentally stop and take notice.

It is not just because cursing can be bad. It has been my experience that at these times there is often an issue, situation or emotion of which he or she may not be fully cognizant, and the individual cannot deal with it at the time.

Is there an unidentified sadness that needs to be acknowledged? Is there some experience that has recently brought some previously unrecognized anger closer to the surface?

A person would be wise to first identify this and then take the time to deal with the issue that has generated the unresolved feelings.

In my personal experience, I have found the urge to use profanity is usually a symptom of an undiagnosed matter and that I would benefit greatly from attempting to identify its underlying cause.

Once identified, I can then determine what options are available for processing it more appropriately rather than beating myself up for using inappropriate language.

In the Gospel of Matthew, we read, “… from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks” (Mt 12:34). There is much wisdom in this verse of Scripture.

A person can offer much pretense to others, but his or her words will eventually reveal the true issues with which they wrestle.

Once again we come full circle: awareness and mindfulness are at the heart of a healthy, holy perspective.

We would be wise to pay attention to clues that indicate how the various pieces of our life are integrating. In the end, it isn’t about the things that we acquire over our lifetime that will ultimately matter. Instead, ask yourself: “What is stored in your heart?”
 

(Richard Etienne has a degree in theology from Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology in St. Meinrad and resides in Newburgh, Ind.) †

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