Civil Discourse

08-08-2021Weekly Reflection© J. S. Paluch Company

“Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God.” These words bring us up short! What could we be doing to grieve the Holy Spirit? Alas, the same things that the Ephesians were doing in the time of Paul, that is, fighting, shouting, reviling each other with fury, anger, and malice.

Just tune in to talk radio some day or observe some “road rage” on the expressway. If we who are partakers of the Body of Christ can treat one another this way, what does that mean about our belief in Christ’s message of peace and reconciliation? The Eucharist is the sacrament of unity. It is communion with God and with each other. A good first step would be to speak civilly to each other, even in disagreement!