The rule of St. Benedict for a daily life, learning to listen to God with a discerning heart.

I'm Chris McGregor.

The Ninth Degree of Humility, Episode 24.

With the ninth degree of humility, St. Benedict turns to restraint in speech. By this point,

humility has already been formed through obedience, endurance, honesty, and a willingness to live

within the common life. Now it begins to show itself in the way a person speaks and in the way he chooses not to speak.

The Benedictine Way understands that words matter. They can encourage, clarify, and strengthen.

They can also wound, unsettle, and darken a soul. What we say affects not only the one who

hears it, but also the one who speaks it.

Humility grows when speech is governed and not driven by impulse.

From Chapter 7 of the Rule of Saint Benedict.

The ninth degree of humility is that a monk restrain his tongue and keep silence, not speaking unless asked.

St. Benedict isn't saying that speech is bad. He is speaking about speech that is unnecessary, impulsive, or poorly timed.

This degree can sound severe at first, but its wisdom becomes clear quickly.

We often speak too soon, or say more than the moment requires.

St. Benedict is teaching a restraint that gives words their proper weight

and keeps speech under the guidance of charity and prudence.

Words carry real power. They can steady someone, encourage them, and help lift a burden.

They can also confuse, provoke, and injure. A sharp word can stay with a person for years.

Careless speech can wound deeply the heart of both the one who hears it and the one who speaks it.

Thoughtless speech, angry speech, and ignorant speech can do real harm.

We often forget that gossip can become sinful and and that comity and detraction are sins,

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