In Word and Deed

Gospel Reflection for April 28, 2024, the Fifth Sunday of Easter - John 15:1-8

I am the true vine; and my Father is the husbandman.

Every branch in me, that beareth not fruit, he will take away: and every one that beareth fruit, he will purge it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

Now you are clean by reason of the word, which I have spoken to you.

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abide in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in me.

I am the vine: you the branches: he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit: for without me you can do nothing.

If any one abide not in me, he shall be cast forth as a branch, and shall wither, and they shall gather him up, and cast him into the fire, and he burneth.

If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, you shall ask whatever you will, and it shall be done unto you.

In this is my Father glorified; that you bring forth very much fruit, and become my disciples. (John 15:1-8 DRA)

“Preach the gospel at all times, and when necessary, use words.”

This is one of the most famous quotes by St. Francis of Assisi. It is used all the time, particularly on the internet. Most people use this quote from St. Francis to mean something like, “Don’t just claim to love people with words but then ignore or mistreat them in actions. It’s more important what we do to others than what we say to them.” The meaning would appear to be the same as what St. John taught in the Epistle: “Children, let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth.”

If something about this doesn’t seem quite right, then your sensitivity to theological error is well-attuned. In fact, this quote is not from St. Francis, nor does it represent what he or any other saint would actually teach. Nevertheless, it would appear to be synonymous with what St. John wrote. So the question is: are our words important? Unfortunately, in modern times this has become a precarious question, since many in the “woke” crowd use the phrase “speech is violence” to mean that anything they disagree with or which attempts to correct their erroneous ideas or sinful behavior is violence and thus should be punished by law. This has caused many who oppose the evils of abortion, homosexual acts or transgender ideology to be fined or imprisoned for their words alone, even while causing no physical harm to anyone.

However, another, perhaps more serious error can also arise from the confusion of this passage with St. Francis’s purported words. Following the Enlightenment understanding of “tolerance,” many Christians today will claim that what we believe is irrelevant; the only thing that matters is how charitably we act towards others. While “tolerance” may have a very limited use in ecumenical cooperation, in order to avoid sectarian violence among Christians, it can also easily obscure the truth and lead to an attitude of indifference and permissiveness which ignores the fact that, as St. Thomas Aquinas taught, act follows being – what we do comes from who and what we are. When we believe a certain way, in general we will intend to act based on our beliefs, even if we sometimes fail to do so. Consequently, the society and civilization of a people is based on their beliefs, the principles and convictions that shape their actions and the culture that results from them.

Some libertarian conservatives, intending to counteract the “speech is violence” extreme of the other side, can also fall into a version of this misconception, asserting that all speech is permissible and only physical violence is a crime. Even if this may be true in a legal sense (though laws against threats, slanders and libel would suggest otherwise), it is not true morally. Many Christians will also use this to teach against so-called “proselytism,” which they use as a label for any form of evangelization or correction. But St. John certainly did not mean that our words carry no moral weight, which is why he also taught: “Those who keep his commandments remain in him, and he in them”. Not reading Scripture verses in isolation, we can connect this to other related passages:

“Every one therefore that shall confess me before men, I will also confess him before my Father who is in heaven.” (Mt 10:32)

“But I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall render an account for it in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.” (Mt 12:36-37)

“For every mocker is an abomination to the Lord, and his communication is with the simple.” (Prov 3:32)

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue: they that love it, shall eat the fruits thereof.” (Prov 8:21)

“He that keepeth his mouth, keepeth his soul: but he that hath no guard on his speech shall meet with evils.” (Prov 13:3)

“Let not thy mouth be accustomed to indiscreet speech: for therein is the word of sin.” (Sir 23:17)

There are many more verses like these in Scripture, all of which, from both the Old and New Testament, prove that our words certainly do matter, both the good and the bad. Like St. Paul in the first reading, we are called to “speak out boldly in the name of Jesus” and to defend the Faith against those, like the Hellenists, who malign or misrepresent it – even if they try to kill us and even if they claim to be Christians themselves. We will be held accountable if we do not try to spread the Gospel whenever prudence and opportunity allow, if we do not encourage, teach and correct others, if we scandalize, mislead, provoke, insult or mock others or blaspheme God, in our vocal speech or in the words we keep in the silence of our hearts – in a word, if in our speech we do not act as images of Christ, the Word of God, to the world, as is our baptismal vocation. In this way, both God and man will know whether we are true branches in Christ, if we obey His commandments not only by loving deeds, but by loving words as well. In so doing, we will bear fruit whose sweetness will testify to the glory of the Vine Himself, but if instead we bear fruit that is false or poisonous, we will be eternally lost. Now is our chance to use the time God has given us to fight against Satan and sin and show the world that there is truth, goodness and beauty to be found in Jesus Christ.