Monday of the
Third Week in Ordinary Time
(II Samuel 5:1-7.10; Mark 3:22-30)
In the movie “Doubt” a priest gives a homily about gossip. He says that gossip is like cutting a pillow
with a scissors in the open air and letting all the feathers fly out. As it would be impossible to gather up every
feather, so it is impossible to make up for the harm done by gossip. The scribes in today’s gospel are guilty of
gossip, and Jesus has his own way of describing the harm done.
In order to discredit Jesus, the scribes say that his
healings are the work of the devil. Being
respectable, these men will be believed by the people. Jesus says that this vicious gossip is tantamount
to blaspheming against the Holy Spirit. First,
the gossipers can never make amends for the breach of confidence in Jesus which
they cause. Their sin is infinitely culpable
because it undermines the work of God which Jesus is doing.
Our conversations often encounter vacuous spaces. We are tired of talking about the weather or
the upcoming sports event. We want to
turn to people as a topic. We are
entering a minefield. We must be sure
that what we say is not only true but fair.
That is, we must seek to avoid misinterpretations that would harm
another’s well-being. We may not be
committing an unpardonable sin, but it still may be a serious one.
