Discerning when to shut-up and when to speak-up?

[Robert_Sock]

*Let all mortal flesh keep silence

Let all mortal flesh keep silence,
and with fear and trembling stand;
ponder nothing earthly minded,
for with blessing in his hand
Christ our God to earth descendeth
our full homage to demand.*
And then there’s the following Biblical quote and I often feel torn between the two:
“What I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the housetops.” --Matthew 10:27

 

[Tarpeian_Rock]

“Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silent” is a hymn; it doesn’t have teaching authority. Those words also describe the silent awe surrounding the birth of the Christ Child. This is “apples and oranges” versus the Scripture quote.

 

[PelagiathePenit]

There are many quotes in the bible about when to speak and when not to speak. The proverbs are especially helpful.

James 1:19
1 Peter 3:15-16
Proverbs 10:19
Proverbs 17:28
Proverbs 2:18
Proverbs 21:23

If you fully trust in the Lord, everything will be fine.

 

[John_Lazarus]

There are many quotes in the bible about when to speak and when not to speak. The proverbs are especially helpful.

James 1:19
1 Peter 3:15-16
Proverbs 10:19
Proverbs 17:28
Proverbs 2:18
Proverbs 21:23

If you fully trust in the Lord, everything will be fine.

Ecclesiastes:
37 [sup]1[/sup]All things have their season, and in their times all things pass under heaven.
[sup]7[/sup]A time to rend, and a time to sew. A time to keep silence, and a time to speak.

 

[PelagiathePenit]

Ecclesiastes:
37 [sup]1[/sup]All things have their season, and in their times all things pass under heaven.
[sup]7[/sup]A time to rend, and a time to sew. A time to keep silence, and a time to speak.

That has to be my favorite book in the Bible.

 

[Casilda]

Luke 19
37 And when he was now coming near the descent of mount Olivet, the whole multitude of his disciples began with joy to praise God with a loud voice, for all the mighty works they had seen,
38 Saying: Blessed be the king who cometh in the name of the Lord, peace in heaven, and glory on high!
39 And some of the Pharisees, from amongst the multitude, said to him: Master, rebuke thy disciples.
40 To whom he said: I say to you, that if these shall hold their peace, the stones will cry out.

In defense of our faith in Christ, we must always speak out.

 

[Robert_Sock]

Luke 19
37 And when he was now coming near the descent of mount Olivet, the whole multitude of his disciples began with joy to praise God with a loud voice, for all the mighty works they had seen,
38 Saying: Blessed be the king who cometh in the name of the Lord, peace in heaven, and glory on high!
39 And some of the Pharisees, from amongst the multitude, said to him: Master, rebuke thy disciples.
40 To whom he said: I say to you, that if these shall hold their peace, the stones will cry out.

In defense of our faith in Christ, we must always speak out.

I will always speak up for Christ, but where I need discernment are the “secrets” revealed to me through the Holy Spirit. Do keep in mind that there were secrets revealed at Fatima that was kept a secret!

 

[Sirach2]

In St. Faustina’s Diary, #1164, we read:

My daighter, when I was before Herod, I obtained a grace for you; namely, that you would be able to rise above human scorn and follow faithfully in my footsteps. Be silent when they do not want to acknowledge your truth, because it is then that you speak more eloquently.

Here’s the scripture where Jesus was before Herod:
Lk. 23: 8-11 When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had long desired to see him, because he had heard about him, and he was hoping to see some sign done by him. 9 So he questioned him at some length, but he made no answer. 10 The chief priests and the scribes stood by, vehemently accusing him. 11 And Herod with his soldiers treated him with contempt and mocked him.

There comes a time when we feel we are beating our heads against a wall, and that is NOT the time to continue efforts to dialogue with someone entrenched in their opinion. Best to walk away and cast your care upon the Lord to handle it.

Words alone will never change such people.

 

[DebChris]

When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say. You will be given at that moment what you are to say. For it is not you who speak but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.[Matthew 19-20]

In my conversations with people that I don’t know, I find that when it is time to speak up, the words flow easily. There comes a point where I have to start searching for words, and I know it is time to stop.
Another sign that is time to stop is when continuing will only lead to argument, as has already been stated. If somebody is already entrenched in their thinking, what I say or any points I make will not add to the conversation. It is as I read from St. Theresa of Lisieux, “Leave them in their error.” Place the matter in God’s hands.

Many times in conversation, people don’t listen to the other person. What they do instead is simply wait to make their own point. Part of discerning when to be silent and when to speak up to develop a listening ear. In my travels, I have found that often a person simply wants an empathy, and not sermon. They want somebody who will listen to their story without comment.
If they have questions about the Catholic Faith, they will ask. I have taken out my Christian Prayer and been asked if it was the Bible. I have been asked why Catholics pray the Rosary. The opening for when to speak up do come.

 

[Sirach2]

DebChris:

Another sign that is time to stop is when continuing will only lead to argument, as has already been stated. If somebody is already entrenched in their thinking, what I say or any points I make will not add to the conversation. It is as I read from St. Theresa of Lisieux, “Leave them in their error.” Place the matter in God’s hands.

As I reflect on Jesus’ encounter with Herod, His silence provoked mockery and contempt. Can you imagine what entering into conversation might have produced when they did not appreciate what He had to say?

Many times in conversation, people don’t listen to the other person. What they do instead is simply wait to make their own point. Part of discerning when to be silent and when to speak up to develop a listening ear. In my travels, I have found that often a person simply wants an empathy, and not sermon. They want somebody who will listen to their story .

That is very true. I agree that we need to develop a “listening ear” to the Holy Spirit. As you mentioned, when we respond with His inspiration, the words simply flow without effort. When we have to probe for words, I find that it is seldom an “inspired” response.

I looked up some words of St. Therese, since you referred to her. I recalled that she wrote, “A king’s secret should be kept secret, but one must declare the works of God and give thanks with due honor.” Tobit 12:7

Yet in another paragraph, she referred to this same scripture, saying, “There are others like St. Teresa who have enriched the Church with their lofty revelations, having no fears of revealing the secrets of the King, in order to make Him more loved and known by souls. Which of these two types are pleasing to God? It seems to me, Mother, they are equally pleasing to Him, since all of them followed the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.”

May we intensify our listening ear and learn to respond rightly to these inspirations. St. Teresa regretted having revealed her supernatural experience with Our Blessed Mother, who appeared to her and healed her of her sickness. “Without any doubt, if I had kept my secret, I would also have kept my happiness, but the Blessed Virgin permitted this torment for my soul’s good, as perhaps without it I would have had some thought of vanity …Ah! what I suffered I shall not be able to say except in heaven!”

 

[Sirach2]

May we intensify our listening ear and learn to respond rightly to these inspirations. St. Teresa regretted having revealed her supernatural experience with Our Blessed Mother, who appeared to her and healed her of her sickness. “Without any doubt, if I had kept my secret, I would also have kept my happiness, but the Blessed Virgin permitted this torment for my soul’s good, as perhaps without it I would have had some thought of vanity …Ah! what I suffered I shall not be able to say except in heaven!”

Excuse me for mistyping “St. Teresa” when I was actually referring to St. Therese, who wrote about this in Story of a Soul.

 

[DebChris]

Excuse me for mistyping “St. Teresa” when I was actually referring to St. Therese, who wrote about this in Story of a Soul.

Story of a Soul is one of the books by various Saints that I have read.
Our ability to discern God’s will in our lives develops over time, just as does our ability to listen to His voice and the promptings of the Holy Spirit.
Most of us know the story of St. Francis and his literal interpretation when God gave him the mission to rebuild His Church. Who is to say the literal interpretation was wrong? Did it not start him in the right direction? If Francis had not laid the first brick, would anybody have followed him?

 

[Sirach2]

I recently thought about St. Francis’ literal understanding, since I, too, felt called to repair the landscaping at my parish Church. The weeds were embarrassing and dishonored God’s Temple, so to speak, and nobody seemed to step up to the plate, despite Father’s pleas in our bulletin… I wonder if some day my literal call might mean something more also?

 

[Nap66]

There comes a time when we feel we are beating our heads against a wall, and that is NOT the time to continue efforts to dialogue with someone entrenched in their opinion. Best to walk away and cast your care upon the Lord to handle it.

But what happens when the Lord says to go back and try again? I’m in that situation right now with a certain person that I know God wants me to bring to the faith. But I don’t think I can do it, and nothing has come of it yet. God keeps pushing me on this even when I tell him I can’t do it. Maybe pray for help and strength in this task? I know God does not want me to walk away because I’ve tried many times and he always brought me back even when I didn’t want to come back.

 

[Nap66]

I recently thought about St. Francis’ literal understanding, since I, too, felt called to repair the landscaping at my parish Church. The weeds were embarrassing and dishonored God’s Temple, so to speak, and nobody seemed to step up to the plate, despite Father’s pleas in our bulletin… I wonder if some day my literal call might mean something more also?

Beautiful! What wonderful gardens, you did a great job. Funny that I saw this since tomorrow I too am repairing the gardens at the business of the person I spoke of in my previous post (the person that God wants me to bring to him). I call the task, Gardens for God (GFG). Before, I was wavering in whether I should go and maybe I was pushing myself too much on this person. But now I know God wants me to do the gardens for this person. God really does help us discern, but we have to really know how to hear his voice.

 

[Sirach2]

Beautiful! What wonderful gardens, you did a great job. Funny that I saw this since tomorrow I too am repairing the gardens at the business of the person I spoke of in my previous post (the person that God wants me to bring to him). I call the task, Gardens for God (GFG). Before, I was wavering in whether I should go and maybe I was pushing myself too much on this person. But now I know God wants me to do the gardens for this person. God really does help us discern, but we have to really know how to hear his voice.

Awesome! Yes, there are no coincidences when God is guiding us, and it seems that this is His timing and direction to you. When I was dog-tired, I used to say, “All for your glory, Lord.”

I would think that, in the same way that God provided this direction today, He will give you words to speak, and anoint them with His Holy Spirit so that “His word will not return to Him void, but accomplish the end for which He sent it.” (Is. 55:11) If you lose your peace and become agitated, that would suggest maybe the timing is not right to continue. Best to await the unction of the Lord sending you forth in His name. God be with you and stir up your faith.

 

[DebChris]

But what happens when the Lord says to go back and try again? I’m in that situation right now with a certain person that I know God wants me to bring to the faith. But I don’t think I can do it, and nothing has come of it yet. God keeps pushing me on this even when I tell him I can’t do it. Maybe pray for help and strength in this task? I know God does not want me to walk away because I’ve tried many times and he always brought me back even when I didn’t want to come back.

Cursillo talks teaches evangelization in terms of a small e and large E.
We can turn people away using the large E type of evangelization. There are people who have been “preached to death” and they don’t want to hear any more Bible passages. I’ve been in situations in which I have a scripture passage in mind. What God has given me is an updated version of the same passage. The parables and stories that Christ taught were geared to the people of that day. They were familiar with agriculture and how to care for sheep, etc. Those stories made sense. I been able to take a more modern story with which the person could relate, and tell that story instead.
Back to what Cursillo teaches in terms of evangelization. It’s about developing the relationship first before trying to convert the person. “Make a friend. Be a friend. Bring a friend to Christ.” The words will come when the time comes, when the person is ready. There is no need to push. Simply answer the questions as they come, without apology, and with the words the Lord gives you.

I was visiting my mother once when the televangelist asked,“How many people have you brought to Christ?” We are not in competition in this matter. My mother’s simple answer was “at least six.” They didn’t come from her preaching, but from observing our family, and from outside Christianity. You never know how loudly actions speak.
I’ve been asked for prayers in the middle of a busy city.

 

[crenfro]

Hello.

Always have wondered about this one too.

My opinion/answer is motive. What are you getting when you speak, what do you get when you stay silent?

There’s that quote

All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing

which sometimes involves speaking of unpopular things.

Staying silent around people who simply want to pontificate and “hold court,” to me, is an example of when it’s best to stay silent. Speaking up around people who are talking positively about something evil like abortion is a good example of when it’s good to speak up, with tact.

I think it depends on what is most helpful for everybody in the situation.

I love to pontificate so I have to work to keep my mouth shut and listen.

My two cents…