So, what do you talk about when you have the chance to catch up with friends? With some friends we might talk about a whole different list of topics than with others. Most of the time, however, conversations can stay on the surface-level and avoid what’s really on our minds or what may be challenging us. We ought not talk about our most personal thoughts, feelings and desires with strangers, but sometimes being able to enter into substantive conversations is just what the other person might need, as well, though many people are afraid to “go there,” that is, to take the risk of being a bit vulnerable.
In the first reading at Mass yesterday, from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, the prophet speaks of the Lord as “doing something new” and all of this so that “they will announce my praise.” Of all the things you talk about with others, do you ever “announce the praise of God” for his goodness in your life? Frankly, that should be almost routine for those who are baptized in Christ. A recent theme for our Diocesan Appeal has been “Blessed and grateful.” Someone in our office, whenever you ask how they are doing, reports: “Blessed and grateful!” Really, it’s that simple. I believe there is more that each of us might say in order to announce the praise of the Lord.
The fact is, most of us talk about what’s on our minds, what we’re thinking about and what’s taking place in our lives and the lives of others. If we NEVER talk about the Lord or our experiences of faith, or what we read in sacred scripture or listen to on the radio or in podcasts, would it be fair to say that those things are rarely on our minds? Ask yourself what topics get the most “play time” in your thoughts, and subsequently in your conversations? Are topics of faith, passages of scripture, the sacramental life or religion in culture considered too risky to put out there on the table?
More recently, athletes in various sports including pro-football, the NBA, and on the college-level have been thanking God for his Lordship in their lives, his greatness and giving much credit to Him for their victories. Personally, I think it’s great to hear them “announce the praise of the Lord.” We might take their lead and “give credit where credit is due” in our own lives as well. Daily we might “count our blessings” so as to acknowledge the Lord’s tender love and mercy and then bring up in our conversations from time to time the goodness of the Lord in our lives.
This might be a good spiritual exercise, especially if we are prone to complaining. If we took time at the end of each day and reflected upon who we encountered and what we talked about, we might be surprised by the patterns in our speech. For many of us, complaining is a common pattern. It seems like there is always something about which to grumble. The weather is this or that. The prices of commodities are going through the roof. There are never enough hours in a day. The roads are torn up with construction but most of the time no one is working on them. The list of common complaints is endless.
But what if we pushed the reset on all of this grumbling? What if we decided to talk about insights from our prayer, themes from a good book we have been reading or a podcast we heard, acts of kindness we have witnessed in others, experiences of healing and hope in our lives or those we know? In all this we might stop grumbling and raise the standard a bit on public discourse. By engaging in positive conversation, announcing the praise of God, talking about things that matter and various aspects of our faith, we set ourselves (and others) free from the trap of negativity.
Consider, then, the substance of your conversations and what people know about you based on what you talk about. Are you “a light in darkness for the upright” as Psalm 112 says, or one who drags the conversation down by whining and complaining? St. Paul in his Letter to the Philippians, our second reading on Sunday, noticed this about himself: “I consider everything as a loss because of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” How could we keep ourselves from sharing that same experience in our own lives with others?
The next time the conversation you are in seems to be going nowhere you might bring up some type of “higher mysteries” with those around you. Change the topic to some good news you have, or some blessing received and lead the conversation into something positive and hopeful!
