‘‘Our Lady does not want us to talk in church.”
– St. Jacinta of Fatima. .
Jesus said that for every idle word we shall give an account in the day of judgement, that is, at our death in the particular judgement. St. Matthew “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. 12:36-37. St. Bonaventure said an idle word is a word that has no value in the sight of God. How many words do we say each day that are mundane in the sight of God. If they are idle and useless, and we will have to give an account of them, think of all the things we will have to answer for on the day of judgment! Do we ever confess our idle talk? St. Joseph was the holiest of men, yet there is not one recorded word of his in Scripture. “Where words are many, there shall not lack sin, but he that refraineth his lips is most wise.” Proverbs 10:19.
Idle talk can involve venial sin or grave sin, depending on the matter spoken of. If it gets into profanity or gossip, it can quickly turn into serious sin. Or if it is in the House of God where Jesus Christ is present on the altar in the tabernacle, in the House of Prayer as it is called, and we begin disrespecting him in His own house by carrying on conversations as if He isn’t there, then it can become very serious. This disrespect was forbidden in the Old Testament: “But the Lord is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him.” Habacuc 2:20. It is forbidden to talk casually in church before the Blessed Sacrament. Novus Ordo Catholics are notorious for this, before and after Mass. You don’t see these aberrations in the traditional church.
In the old days before we got progressively worse, children were taught by their parents, teachers and pastors to observe sacred silence in the church. Several years ago there was a relic display at one of the local churches, and after the Mass the good Father made an announcement and when it ended, the crowd quickly turned into a social hall. The good Father immediately returned to the podium and admonished and reminded the people they were still in church before the Blessed Sacrament and to remain quiet until they had left the church. The crowd suddenly became quiet again.
Another problem with talking in church is a lack of charity towards our neighbor who is trying to pray and raise their heart up to God. Recently a man and woman were at a church after Mass trying to pray and as usual, the church turned into a social hall right after Mass, people standing in the isles carrying on useless conversations, people in the back doing the same, and it was so noisy and distracting the good lady said, “It is so noisy I can’t even pray.” Cardinal Corsi said, “It is a sin to talk in church, and it is a much more serious sin when we are distracting others who are trying to pray.” This lack of charity to our neighbor and disrespecting Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament on the altar will not go unpunished on the day of judgement. St. Anthony Mary Claret said, “The earth compared to the universe is very small but in of itself, it is a very big thing. Venial sin compared to mortal sin is small but as it is an offense against Almighty God, it is a very big thing.” And he goes on to say, “If you saw someone apprehended and they built a big fire and thrust that person into the fire, and you asked them, ‘What did he do?’ and they said, “Oh! He told a little lie,” would you then think venial sin was a small thing? Souls are burning in purgatory right now for having told a little lie or an indecent smile.”
Now let us look at the stories from Fr. F.X. Shouppe’s book, PURGATORY, EXPLAINED BY THE LIVES AND LEGENDS OF THE SAINTS.
“He that useth many words shall hurt his own soul.” Ecclus. 20:8.
When the dreaded Durand, who in the eleventh century, shed lustre on the Order of St. Dominic, was yet a simple Religious, he showed himself a model of regularity and fervor, yet he had one defect. The vivacity of his disposition led him to talk too much, he was excessively fond of witty expressions, often at the expense of charity. Hugh his Abbot brought this under his notice, even predicting that, if he did not correct himself of this fault, he would certainly have to expiate it in purgatory. Durand did not attach sufficient importance to this advice, and continued to give himself without much restraint to this disorder of the tongue. After his death the prediction of Abbot Hugh was fulfilled. Durand appeared to a Religious, one of his friends, imploring him to assist him by his prayers, because he was frightfully punished by the unmortification of the tongue. In consequence of this apparition the members of the community unanimously agreed to observe a strict silence for eight days, and to practice other good works for the repose of the deceased. These charitable exercises produced their effect: some time after Durand appeared again, but now to announce his deliverance.
“Let your speech be yea, yea: no, no: and that which is over and above that is evil.” From the very mouth of Jesus Christ, St. Matthew 5:37. Note, He says it is evil. A sin.
We have just seen how immoderation in the use of words is expiated in purgatory. Father P. Rossignoli speaks of a Dominican Religious who incurred the chastisement of Divine Justice for a like defect. This Religious, a preacher full of zeal, a glory to his Order, appeared after death to one of his brethren at Cologne. He was clad in magnificent robes wearing a crown of gold upon his head, but his tongue was fearfully tormented. These ornaments represented the recompense for his zeal for souls and perfect exactitude in all the points of his Rule. Nevertheless his tongue was tortured because he had not been sufficiently guarded in his words, and his language was not always becoming the sacred lips of a priest and Religious.
“In many things we all offend. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man.” St. James 3:2.
The following instance is drawn from Casarus. In a monastery of Citeaux, says this author, lived two young Religious named Gertrude and her sister Margaret. The former, although otherwise virtuous, did not sufficiently watch over her tongue. She frequently allowed herself to transgress the Rule of silence prescribed, sometimes even in choir before and after chanting the Office. Instead of recollecting herself with the reverence due to that holy place, she addressed useless words to her sister, who was placed next to her, so that, besides her violation of the Rule of silence and her lack of piety, she was a subject of disedification of her companion. She died while still young, and a very short time after her death, Sister Margaret, on going to Office, saw her come and place herself in the same stall she had occupied while living. At this sight, the sister was almost about to faint. When she had sufficiently recovered from her astonishment, she went and told the Superior what she had just seen. The Superior told her not to be troubled, but should the deceased appear again to ask her in the Name of God why she came.
She reappeared the next day in the same way, and according to the order of the Prioress, Margaret said to her, “My dear Sister Gertrude, whence do you come, and what do you want?” “I come,” she said, “to satisfy the Justice of God in this place where I have sinned. It was here, in this holy sanctuary, that I offended God by words, both useless and contrary to religious respect, disedifying to all, and by the scandal which I have given to you in particular.” “The Lord is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him.” Habacuc 2:20. “Oh if you knew,” she added, “what I suffer! I am devoured by these flames, and my tongue especially is dreadfully tormented!” She then disappeared after having asked for prayers. Let us take heed from these warnings given to us, sent from God. In his book Father Shouppe says it was revealed that the average stay in purgatory was 30 to 40 years, and one little nun who came back and asked for prayers, to show how hot she was, put her hand on the door and burned her imprint on the door! “He shall be saved, yet so as by fire.” 1 Cor. 3:15. St. Padre Pio once told a man, “Today your father has gone to heaven,” and the man replied, “But Father, my dad has been dead 32 years.” To which St. Pio replied, “My son, in Gods sight, everything must be paid.” As Our Lord said, we shall not come out of that prison until we have paid the last mite, St. Luke 12:59.
“By what things a man sinneth, by the same also is he tormented.” Wisdom 11:17.
When St. Hugh, who succeeded St. Odilo in 1049, governed the fervent monastery of Cluny, one of his Religious, who had been careless in the observance of the Rule of silence, having died, appeared to the holy Abbot to beg the assistance of his prayers. His mouth was filled with frightful ulcers, in punishment, he said, for idle words. (Shall a man full of talk be justified?” Job 11:2). Hugh imposed seven days of silence upon the community. They were passed in recollection and prayer. Then the deceased reappeared freed from his ulcers, his countenance radiant, and testifying his gratitude for the charitable succor (help), he had received from his brethren. If such is the chastisement of idle words, what will be that if words are more culpable, especially in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament? “He that keepeth his mouth and his tongue, keepeth his soul from distress.” Proverbs 21:23. “Who will set a guard before my mouth, and a sure seal upon my lips, that I fall not by them, and that my tongue destroy me not?’ Ecclus. 22:33. “But the tongue no man can tame.” St. James 3:8. So what shall we do? Call on the Lord through much prayer. “It is the part of man to prepare the soul, and of the Lord to govern the tongue.” Proverbs 16:1. By His grace only can this fault be overcome. Especially by praying the rosary each day and wearing the Brown Scapular of our Lady of Mt. Carmel. A man in his youth had the habit of profanity, and his brother gave him a letter about praying the rosary and wearing the brown scapular, which he began to do. Then one day, a few months later about 5 o’clock in the evening he told his brother, “I’ve gone all day now without saying a cuss word.” As the Blessed Mother said in her 3rd promise: “The rosary shall be a powerful armor against hell, it will destroy vice, decrease sin, and defeat heresies.” And she asked all of us to pray it daily when she appeared to the children of Fatima.
“Except they do penance, they shall be in very great tribulation.” Apoc. (Rev.) 2:22.
St. Alphonsus explained that if we do not do sufficient penance here, we shall have great tribulation in purgatory. This is taken from his book THE 12 STEPS TO HOLINESS, the chapter on mortification. “If in the present life we neglect to make atonement, we shall have to suffer for it in the fire of purgatory. St. Antonine relates that a choice was offered to a sick man (by his guardian angel) either to suffer three days in purgatory, or to remain two years longer on his sickbed. The patient chose the three days in purgatory. He had hardly been there an hour when he complained to the angel that instead of a few days, he had already spent several years in great torment. “What is it you say,” replied the angel, “your body is still warm on your deathbed, and you speak of years?” If therefore, Christian soul, you have anything to suffer, say to yourself, “This can be my purgatory. I shall bear this suffering patiently to atone for my sins, and to gain merit for eternal life.”
There are many sobering stories related in Father Shoppe’s book. You will not take sin lightly if you decide to read this book. All are encouraged to read it. Very few of us will have the happiness of avoiding it. “Therefore I say to you: Every sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven men, but the blasphemy of the Spirit shall not be forgiven. And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but he that shall speak against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, nor in the world to come.” St. Matthew 12:31-32.
Where shall a man be forgiven in the world to come? In heaven? There is no sin in heaven. In hell? There is no forgiveness in hell. Therefore, there must be a purgatory, a third place where unforgiven and unatoned for sins must be cleansed from the soul, because, “Nothing defiled shall enter heaven.” Apoc. 21:27 (Revelation). I am thinking of a man who is riding down the road, a man in the grace of God, who is ran over and killed instantly. No time to confess, no time to even say “I’m sorry Lord for all the sins of my past life.” Being not a perfect man, he dies in the grace of God yet, with sins still to be atoned for and cleansed from. We cannot believe that everyone who dies suddenly is lost, nor can we believe that all those who do are perfect when they die. Therefore, there has to be a place for cleansing, and that place is called purgatory. Not in the Bible? No, but neither is the words, Holy Trinity, three in one, but it’s described there.
[32] “Nor in the world to come”: From these words St. Augustine (De Civ. Dei, lib. 21, c. 13) and St. Gregory (Dialog., 4, c. 39) gather, that some sins may be remitted in the world to come; and, consequently, that there is a purgatory or a middle place.
Let us pray much for the poor souls in purgatory, make sacrifices, give alms, hear Masses and have Masses offered for them, for we too may be one day among them, and if we are merciful to them now, God will be merciful to us. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” St. Matthew 5:7