Quotes of the Day for April 29, 2026 – Thoughts on the holiness or lack thereof of our words
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“The gift of speech is the greatest gift and corresponds to man’s need for expressing feelings, for exchanging thoughts, impressions, and conversations. But nothing can do more harm to one’s neighbor and nothing can so easily destroy as verbosity, which the enemy uses cunningly and especially successfully to catch people in his nets.” (St. Seraphim Chichagov)
“We live in a remarkable and frightening time—the age of an information flood. Every day, through the screens of our smartphones, terabytes of opinions, news, and advice pour down upon us. It would seem that there are more words today than at any other time in human history. Yet why does the world around us remain so desperately thirsty? Why, in this ocean of words, does the human soul feel like a dried-up desert? The answer is given to us by the wise Solomon. He offers not merely an ethical recommendation, but a spiritual diagnosis. He divides all human speech into two categories: that which gives life, and that which carries violence within it. Solomon says: The mouth of a righteous man is a well of life (Prov. 10:11). Imagine a traveler who has walked for many hours across burning sand. His lips are cracked, his thoughts are confused, his strength nearly gone. At that moment he does not need a lecture about the chemical makeup of water. He needs a clear mountain spring. Such is the speech of a righteous person.” (Metropolitan Luke Kovalenko)
“The modern world has turned its attention to language. Mass communication has raised the power of the lie to new levels. Marxist theory (which holds a treasured position in many corners of our culture, particularly in academia) insists on the re-working of language as a tool for social change (and control). In this model, culture itself becomes a lie and a tool of the lie. Advertising and propaganda have long used language in this distorted manner. Language is the gift of God, uniquely human. Within it is borne a power to reveal, indeed a power that is deeply related to the act of creation itself. In Genesis, God creates with speech. It is the means by which we pray, the primary means of communion with others. Words are physical objects, passing from our mouths to the ears of others. We touch each other with words. Speech has been made worthy to serve as a sacrifice before God.” (Father Stephen Freeman)
“We are free to speak but there is still a being held accountable for what we say. Some inflammatory voices think they should be able to get away with anything they say. They want to impact the lives of others but then want it to have no impact on themselves. Shamelessly and blindly self-centered. It seems more reasonable to me that if we can say what we want then we should also expect that we will be held accountable for our words as they do have impact on people, society, friends and enemies. It is a tricky balancing act. We are free to speak but should also expect to be held accountable for what we say and even to suffer the consequences for what we believe.” (Fr. Ted Bobosh)
“…being spiritual “entails being humble in our lifestyle, steadfast in our faith, modest in our words, just in our actions, merciful in our dealings, disciplined in our conduct, incapable of inflicting a wrong but able to bear one inflicted on us; keeping peace with our brothers; loving God with all our heart; cherishing Christ . . . [and] clinging tenaciously to His love; standing brave and confident by His Cross; and whenever His name and honor are involved, displaying in our speech the constancy to confess Him, or under torture the courage to fight for Him, and in death the patience for which we shall be crowned.” (St. Cyprian, Dynamis 6/14/2021)