The band Building 429 has an unusual name. It caused me to explore what it meant which I am sure is the point. They are named after the passage in Ephesians 4:29 which says "No foul language should come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for needed edification, that it may impart grace to those who hear." Edification is about spiritual growth and also refers to anything that is uplifting. Whenever I hear that word uplift, my eyes naturally turn to Heaven and I think of God. Have you noticed how prevalent foul language has become. It used to be that your television was a fairly safe sanctuary but now with the advent of "reality" shows, that has been obliterated. Sometimes I sit and count the numbers of bleeps in a five minute segment of a TV program. It is unsettling and very insulting. Why does that person think they need to use so many offensive words? Why has language become so littered with the profane? Don't even get me started on movies. I was at a theater recently and had to leave because of the level of profanity. I am not prudish but I really felt like the language was assaultive. I like a story with dialogue. I also like an action picture. Neither of those requires me to be offended five times in one sentence by the use of inappropriate language. I have also noticed that women used to be holding the line but not anymore. If you find yourself in a group with a majority of 18-30 year olds, you will likely hear lots of profanity and it is just as likely to come from the women as the men. The scripture passage from Ephesians instructs us that people will decide what kind of person we are by the way we use our words. So if you edify and build up in a positive manner, people will likely decide that you are decent and kind. They may also consider that you are a Christian or maybe religious. Some may even come to the conclusion that you are well mannered. All of these conclusions are good and things we should aspire to do. It is the little steps in improvement that bring about life-altering changes. So what comes out of your mouth? I encourage you to journal about this scripture passage. Begin to notice how you speak. Even in general situations like in the check-out line at the store or even on the phone when a telemarketer calls. Our world could use a vacation from all of the profanity. Wouldn't it be a nicer place if we spoke to edify rather than to shock?
The spiritual climax of the Gospel of John, as Father John Waiss points out, occurs at the foot of the Cross, where Jesus utters his parting words: “Woman, behold, your son!” and “Behold your mother!” (John 19:26-27). While these words were addressed to the Apostle John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, the Church has long understood this moment as a universal adoption. To truly image Christ, we must share in His parentage; if we embrace God as our spiritual Father but reject Mary as our mother, we treat Christ as a half-brother rather than our "firstborn among many brethren" (Rom. 8:29). As Origen noted as early as the third century, the profound depths of the Gospel are only accessible to those who, like John, rest their heads on Jesus’ breast and receive Mary into their own homes. This maternal role is deeply rooted in biblical typology, positioning Mary as the fulfillment of the great mothers of the Old Covenant. She is the New Eve , the mother of all the living according ...
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