St. James and Phillip
One
May 3 is the Feast of the Apostles Sts. Phillip and James the Lesser. This is the St. James who was a cousin of Jesus, not the James who was the brother of St. John. St. James the Lesser (meaning younger) was the first Bishop of Jerusalem and was martyred there in 66 AD. This St. James gives us the letter of James, and warns of sins that are terrible and dangerous, but also easily committed. These are the sins of the “tongue,” meaning sins that come from our speech and thoughts. He says, “Think of how small a flame can set fire to a huge forest; the tongue is a flame like that. Among all the parts of a body, the tongue is a whole wicked world in itself: it infects the whole body, catching fire itself from Hell. It sets fire to the whole wheel of creation. Wild animals and birds, reptiles, and fish can all be tamed by man, and often are. No one can tame the tongue—it is a pest that will not keep still, full of deadly poison. We use it to bless the Lord and Father, but we also use it to curse men who are made in God’s image: blessing and the curse come out of the same mouth.” (James 3:5-9.)
Two
St. James further states that if you can control your tongue, you will have mastery over yourself, although this only happens through grace. To speak ill of others is a sin because it violates the virtue of justice and the Law of Charity. Detraction is the name given to the sin where we share derogatory details with others for the purpose of disparaging someone’s reputation. Calumny is the sin where one makes a false statement about another in order to destroy their character. Both sins are seriously wrong, and if done with sufficient reflection and full consent, can even be mortal sins—meaning, they destroy the life of charity and grace in our soul—when we cause sufficient harm to others. One contemporary example of this is cyber bullying, where social media is used to accomplish these sins. These sins are so easy, but the damage is so severe. This is why St. Francis de Sales likened these sins to murder, “for we have three lives: the spiritual, which consists in the grace of God; the physical, which depends upon the soul; and the social, which consists in our good name…the slanderer, by one blow of his tongue, commits three murders. He kills not only his own soul and the soul of him that hears him, but also, by a spiritual murder, takes away the social life of the person slandered.” (Introduction to the Devout Life, chpt. 29).
Three
The early monks, who practiced very strict Lenten disciplines, said it was better to eat meat during Lent than to eat the flesh of a neighbor through gossip. Because it is so easy, we think it is a light matter to commit. This is why it is so dangerous, because it is so easy yet causes so much harm. Therefore, it’s necessary to practice charity in word and deed. We will not slander one for whom we are praying and sacrificing, and for whom we strive to speak well and assume the best; in other words, one we love. The saints always encourage us to assume the best motive in others, rather than to assume the worst, which is our tendency. Rather than build ourselves up by putting others down with gossip, we actually tear ourselves down. If, however, we practice building others up, we build ourselves up as well. St. Paul offers this, “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.” (Eph 4:29).
Four
St. Phillip was an Apostle of Jesus, whose first act was to evangelize through friendship—he brought his friend Nathaniel (aka Bartholomew) to Jesus. (cf. Jn 1:45). After the Last Supper, Philip requested, “Lord, show us the Father and we shall be satisfied,” to which Jesus replied, “He who has seen me has seen the Father.” (cf. Jn 14: 8-9). Phillip’s request shows us another use of the tongue: to use for intercession and petition from God. Even though God knows what we need and want before we ask Him, He desires us to ask anyway. He solicits from us trust and love by waiting to answer our prayer only after we ask Him. He even waits to answer, or disguises His answers, to teach us perseverance, faith, and confidence. These are all the key ingredients to having a relationship with Him, “Without faith it is impossible to please God. For whomever would draw near to Him must believe in Him and that He rewards those who seek Him.” (see Heb 11:6). Sts. James and Phillip reveal to us the love God has for each of us, that He seeks us out, calls us by name, and gives us a share in His mission and life. He also wants us to petition Him and intercede for one another. As the CCC states, “Interceding for others (as Abraham did) shows a heart attuned to God's mercy. Christians participate in Christ's intercession by praying for the interests of others, even of enemies” (CCC #2635). Lord, inspire us through Sts. James and Phillip to use our tongues wisely and charitably, so to become a channel for your abundant mercies.
Five
The tongue is both harmful and good, depending on the intention of the speaker. These great Apostle/Saints give us great examples by their teachings and deeds of how to live out our Christian life. We must remember that we receive Jesus in Holy communion with the same tongue we can use for slander. Sts. James and Phillip each died martyr’s deaths to not only love fellow Christians, but also their enemies, each rendering praise to God through their life’s work. St. James’ relics are in Jerusalem to this day. I have had the deep and joyful honor of venerating them in the Armenian Basilica named for him. St. Phillip was martyred in Turkey, where his ancient tomb was discovered, albeit empty. Tradition has it his relics are now in Rome in the Church of the 12 Apostles. May their holy example and teaching continue to inspire us to avoid the sins of gossip, slander, and criticism and live instead as agents of Mercy and martyr our sinful tendencies of the tongue on the altars of charity, for God and others.