The eight commandment of God- Part 2
Out of greed, the poor often become hypocrites, because by diligently going to church and praying devoutly, they show that they are pious, because they want others to see them and consider them good believers in order to receive greater support or help from them.
Also, various vices such as theft, fraud, usury, and impurity make many people hypocrites. To further conceal these vices of theirs, they pretend to be good believers, to work for the faith, enroll in brotherhoods, travel on pilgrimages, and often go to confession and communion. Such hypocrisy is presented to us by the Lord with a beautifully whitewashed tomb, inside of which there is nothing but rot itself.
After all, hypocrisy has its reason in seduction!
We must know that the Devil has a very common and quite effective habit of taking the form of an angel of light when he wants to deceive unwary people, including believers.
It is known that he approached Eve under the guise of his best friend and seduced her. It is also known that he used the Holy Scriptures for evil purposes when he tempted the divine Savior in the desert. This false behavior of the Devil is taken as a model by seducers and false prophets, because they know that everyone would despise them and turn away from them if they appeared and presented themselves in their true form. Therefore, they take the form of a saint in order to carry out their devilish false work more easily.
It is known that almost all heretics were hypocrites. They presented themselves as zealous servants of God and prided themselves on extraordinary graces and revelations from God, and in this way they succeeded in misleading many people. The Lord calls heretics hypocrites and warns us against them with the words: "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves" (Matthew 7:15).
Likewise, those evil people who seek to seduce someone's innocence and chastity have no more convenient means than hypocrisy to achieve their goal. The people they want to seduce evil people know how to win them over with their good behavior. When they visit them, they speak to them only about pious things and are pious before them like saints of God. As such, they gradually gain the trust of these people and thus achieve their goal.
If we look at the consequences of hypocrisy, it is even more uglier. It deprives good deeds of any supernatural value and causes them to achieve no reward in the next world. Kneeling for hours and praying with outstretched hands, fasting every day for bread and water, giving large gifts to the poor, practicing the virtues of meekness, obedience and purity are all in vain and do not bring the slightest reward for eternity if these virtues and good deeds are not done out of love for God but out of pretense. The Lord reminds us of this with the words: "Be careful not to practice your righteousness before men to be seen by them; otherwise you will have no reward from your heavenly Father. Therefore, when you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, to be praised by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. When you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be in secret. Your Father who sees in secret will reward you in secret. "When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. Truly, I tell you, they have received their reward." (Matthew 6:1-5)
A hypocrite is blinded and does not see that all the good he tries to do is in vain and that he will not benefit from it. He is like a worker who has thrown away his hard-earned and well-earned wages. He not only loses the merit of his works, but also loses the grace of God, because he does not seek God's honor but only his own, and his heart is full of self-righteousness or vanity and a desire for glory and human praise, and this is precisely the main reason why God withholds his grace from him, as confirmed by the apostle Peter: "For God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." (1 Pet 5:5).
A hypocritical person is full of deceit and cunning, and as such he is not pleasing to God, and therefore God closes the source of His grace to him, as can be seen from the Proverbs: "For only the righteous will inherit the earth, and the blameless will remain in it. But the wicked will be cut off from the earth, and the blasphemers will be rooted out of it." (Proverbs 2:21-22).
A hypocrite is often the Devil in human form and works for the destruction of souls; he cannot hope for any mercy, but is subject to the curse that the Lord pronounces upon seducers and those who cause offense.
The Lord was full of love and mercy towards the greatest sinners, for: Mary Magdalene, the adulteress in the temple, the woman at Jacob's well, Zacchaeus the tax collector, the sick man, the thief on the cross found mercy with him. However, he acted completely differently towards the scribes and Pharisees who were hypocrites. He threatened them again and again and with terrible expressions he announced their eternal destruction.
Therefore, hypocrisy is a terrible sin that deprives man of God's grace and brings damnation, and almost always the hypocrite remains unrepentant or unrepentant.
Holy Catholic doctrine and faith teach that for conversion, first of all, true knowledge of oneself is necessary, because until the sinner recognizes his misery, he will not and cannot improve. This very condition of repentance is lacking in the hypocrite, because he is completely blinded and does not see the abyss of his wickedness, and therefore he rejects all attempts at self-improvement and remains in sin.
Furthermore, humility is also required for penance!
And this condition is not fulfilled by the hypocrite, because he does not want to humble himself before God and men and does not want to show himself as a poor sinner and therefore remains in his sin.
Also, true contrition or repentance is especially necessary for penance. The sinner should hate all evil above all and should be sorry that he has so often and so grievously offended God, the greatest and most lovable good. The hypocrite does not do this either, because he does not know repentance because his heart is completely evil and therefore remains in sin.
For these reasons, the Pharisees remained in their arrogance and impenitent, while even some of the greatest sinners converted and saved their souls through persistent repentance. It is clear that the Pharisees were hypocrites, and hypocrites do not convert. Therefore, from the example of the Pharisees, it can rightly be said that hypocrites also bear the mark of their own ruin.
It is also worth mentioning the evil that such people do among their fellow men. Many hypocrites pretend only to deceive and ruin others, and very often they succeed in doing so. Their fellow men, who suspect nothing of evil, fall into their destructions and evil nets and perish with them.
The hypocrite seeks his victim where he knows that people live according to faith and in the fear of God. He pretends to be a friend of faith who prays fervently and goes to church. By behaving in this way, he wants to gain the trust of his victim, on whom he then imposes his principles and thoughts. Pretending to be the greatest friend of truth and virtue, he greatly praises and spreads his faithless principles and corrupt doctrine.
From the above, it can be seen that hypocrisy is evil not only in itself but also in its consequences. Therefore, we should rightly agree with these words of the Lord: "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy!" (Luke 12:1).
We must guard against all pretense and lies, lest we fall into the trap of what the Lord threatened the Pharisees with. We must truly be pious and virtuous, for what good is it to please our neighbor if we forget God in the process? Each of us will not be judged by the proud world, but by God one day. God will reveal every human shame before angels and men and justly condemn us to the terrible torments of Hell. Therefore, we must be honest with everyone, because we are obligated to fulfill the Commandment of love, which hypocrisy most opposes.
In order not to fall into the sin of hypocrisy, we must strive for piety and the fear of God, because hypocrisy cannot survive with these virtues.
Blessed are we if we do good to our neighbors without pretense and if we strive for true righteousness. God will look upon us with grace and favor and will one day call us as his faithful servants to the eternal joys of Heaven.
About gossip and slander
"When the Advocate comes, whom I will send from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, he will testify about me." (John 15:26)
Why does the Lord in this part of the Gospel call the Holy Spirit the Spirit of truth? Well, precisely because the Holy Spirit was to enlighten the apostles so that they could know the truth and as such grant them the boldness to proclaim that truth without fear.
Before the Holy Spirit descended upon them, the apostles could not fully understand Jesus' teaching, they were very timid and did not dare to testify to the truth they had come to know.
It is known that the apostle Peter denied the Lord three times and thus committed a shameful lie. Only when they received the Holy Spirit did their ignorance and fear disappear because their hearts were strengthened and they were able to go out into the world to testify to the truth before the Israelites and the Gentiles at the cost of their own lives.
The Holy Spirit or the Spirit of Truth descends in the holy sacrament of baptism, and especially in the sacrament of confirmation, and therefore it is our duty, like the apostles, to bear witness to the truth, guarding against all lies. We should be honest with our neighbor and remove all deceit and hypocrisy from our hearts.
Now it is necessary to say something about the other two sins against the eighth commandment, namely, gossip and slander, and to answer the questions:
How we sin by slander and gossip
What are the sins of slander and gossip?
What are we obliged to do when we offend against the honor of our neighbor?
How we sin by slander and gossip
Slander and gossip are different from each other, and therefore it is necessary to first explain how we sin by gossiping, and only then by slander.
How we sin by gossiping
We sin by gossiping when we unnecessarily reveal the faults of our neighbor, or gossip occurs when the real faults of our neighbor are unnecessarily recounted!
There are those who believe that it is not a sin to tell of the faults of others, provided that they are told truthfully. In thinking and acting thus, they forget that they are greatly sinning. Whoever tells of the faults of his neighbor without need is thus sinning against love, for it demands that we do not do to others what we do not want others to do to us.
Furthermore, whoever unnecessarily divulges the secret faults of his neighbor also sins against justice. The question arises, what does justice require?
Justice requires that one should not take what belongs to another! A thief sins against justice by unjustly infringing on another's property. Likewise, if the secret faults of one's neighbor are unnecessarily revealed, then one robs one's neighbor of what one has no right to and becomes like a thief. By robbing one's neighbor of his honor and good reputation, one sins against justice even more than a thief, because honor and good reputation are of greater value than money and possessions.
No one has the right to say that the one who has committed a mistake has lost the right to respect and that he is not wronged by the public disclosure of his mistake. While the mistake is secret, the one who committed it still has the right to respect, and this right is lost only if his mistake is generally known or if he has committed it publicly to the scandal of people. If it is assumed that the neighbor who has committed a mistake has truly lost the right to respect, he still has no right to be deprived of honor. This is evident from the Holy Scriptures, which forbid the public disclosure of the mistakes of his neighbor: "If you have heard anything, be like a grave. Do not be afraid; it will not tear you apart. When he hears something, the fool is seized with pains like a woman in labor. Like an arrow stuck in the thigh, so is a word in the heart of a fool." (Sir 19:10-12).
In some cases we are permitted to speak about the mistakes of others. It is permissible to speak about them with those persons who are already aware of these mistakes. In such a case neither love nor justice is offended, because only what is known is spoken and no harm is done to the honor and reputation of our neighbor.
Likewise, it is not a sin, or at least not a grave sin, if someone, without the intention of depriving his neighbor of honor and reputation, reveals to his friend the injustice he has suffered, just for the sake of consolation. Therefore, he who tells the authorities about the injustices that have been inflicted on him is freed from mortal sin, because the one who has caused the injustice cannot object to the offended person seeking necessary advice and consolation. However, we are obliged to be careful not to tell the authorities about the person who has made a mistake more than is necessary to obtain the necessary advice or consolation.
We can also speak about the mistakes of our neighbor if they are already quite well known to everyone. A mistake can be known either by the act itself, if the evil act was committed publicly in the presence of many and can no longer be concealed, or by the fact that someone has been convicted by a secular or spiritual court for a transgression or crime. In the first case, the offense may be disclosed in the place where it occurred, even to those who do not know about it, because a public sinner no longer has the right to a good reputation, and because those who do not yet know anything about the offense will find out everything in another way. In the case where a court has convicted someone, the crime or offense may be narrated even in those places where the conviction is not known, because the purpose of the conviction is to punish the guilty person so that he loses his good reputation and to protect others from him.
We may also and should in some cases reveal the secret faults of our neighbor, especially if it is necessary to correct the one who has erred. If someone has committed a serious mistake and it is concluded that he will not correct himself if left to himself, he should first be admonished privately. If this cannot be done for valid reasons or the admonition remains fruitless, then it should be reported to the one who has the right and duty to seek his correction, as the Lord confirms: "If your brother sins against you, go and rebuke him between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. If he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that everything may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. If he does not listen to them either, tell it to the church. But if he does not listen to the church either, let him be to you as a pagan or a tax collector!" (Matthew 18:15-17).
Therefore, anyone who has become convinced of a serious mistake in their neighbor is obliged to report it to the authorities, all for the purpose of punishing and correcting it. Secret mistakes must also be reported when it is necessary to prevent a greater evil. Someone may make a mistake in something that harms the good of individuals, families, communities, the Holy Church or the state. If mistakes are reported to those who are harmed by them, the right is done, and if they are not reported, one would sin against love. The Lord Jesus Christ gave a very clear example of this. He publicly exposed the wickedness of the scribes and Pharisees to protect people from being seduced by them. For the same reason, the apostle Paul revealed to his disciple Timothy the wickedness of Alexander the blacksmith when he wrote to him: "Alexander the blacksmith did me much harm; the Lord will repay him according to his works. Beware of him too, for he greatly opposed our preaching." (2 Tim 4:14-15).
So, if a worker were to steal from his employer or cheat him, the one who notices it is obliged to tell the employer so that he does not suffer greater harm. Likewise, if someone were to spread writings against the holy Catholic faith, it is the duty of the believer to report it to the priest, because if he failed to do so, great harm would result. However, reporting the secret mistakes of our neighbor should always be done with good intentions, which we should remember well and always keep in mind. If the reason for reporting the mistake of our neighbor is simple gossip, self-interest, dislike, hatred, envy, then we sin because of evil intent. Reporting the mistakes of our neighbor should always be done in love and only with the intention of improving our neighbor or preventing harm.
Furthermore, we should only reveal the secret faults of our neighbor to those who can prevent the harm or to those who have been harmed. It is also injustice to gossip when we tell the secret faults of our neighbor in front of people who do not need to know anything about them, because it is pointless.
Furthermore, when reporting, we should be conscientious and strictly adhere to the truth. When an error increases or when something is narrated that is not certain for sure, then we sin against love, justice, and truth and become guilty of the slander committed. When we have doubts about whether we are obligated and at the same time to whom we are obligated to reveal a mistake of our neighbor, it is best to ask the confessor in or outside the confessional and he will be the best person to advise us on what to do.
How we sin by slander
We sin by slandering when we invent wrongs against our neighbor that he did not commit, or when we magnify the true wrongs of our neighbor, and that is the difference between gossip and slander.
The gossiper sticks to the truth and does not say anything bad about his neighbor that he did not actually commit, nor does he magnify the wrongs, but speaks of them as they truly are.
He who gossips does not sin because he speaks untruth, but because he speaks the truth where love and justice forbid it. On the contrary, the slanderer speaks untruth and he imputes evil to his neighbor for which he is not guilty, or he magnifies his faults so that he becomes more worthy of punishment than he really should be.
Therefore, a slanderer robs his neighbor of his honor and lies because he knowingly and intentionally speaks a falsehood. Accordingly, slander is opposed to virtue:
Love, because the slanderer offends the Law of Love, which speaks of how we should behave towards our neighbor.
Justice, because a slanderer unjustly and against all rights takes away the honor and good reputation of his neighbor.
The truth, because the slanderer lies recklessly.
Slander is a great evil, because it truly requires a person's corrupt and malicious heart to invent mistakes and attribute them to their neighbor, or to greatly magnify real mistakes.
So, it can be said that the one who slanders is:
Who attributes some evil to his neighbor, for which he is not guilty!
Whoever magnifies the true faults of his neighbor exaggerates the matter, portraying it as even uglier and more deserving of punishment than it really is!
Holy Catholic love requires us to minimize the faults of our neighbor when we are allowed and should speak about them, not to magnify them and to excuse or justify them if possible.
Who recounts the mistakes of his neighbor that are doubtful as true or definite?
When there is still doubt whether his neighbor did this or that, honor still belongs to him until the mistake is permanently proven. To recount doubtful mistakes as certain is true slander, because then the slanderer presents the matter differently than he knows about it.
What good deed of a neighbor is interpreted as evil, or rather, is attributed to him with evil intent!
This is one of the most terrible slanders and shows the great malice of a person's heart. Such is usually the one who is ruled by pride, revenge, envy, and similar things. He does not want to give his neighbor any honor, and if it is not possible for him to deny the good that his neighbor does him, he tries at least to belittle it.
Who denies and diminishes the good qualities or virtues of his neighbor!
When such a person hears that his neighbor is praised, he tries to deny it and prove that he is not so good and that his behavior is not as good as he presents himself to be. Such a person belittles the qualities and good deeds of his neighbor and tries in every way to weaken them.
He who remains silent when the good deeds of his neighbor are praised!
This is a silent slanderer, because by his silence he shows that he does not agree with the praise expressed. Such silence harms his neighbor, because those present may have the worst doubts about the praise expressed.
Who praises his neighbor so coldly and forcedly that it seems more like a rebuke than a praise!
Such praise gives those present the impression that the person in question is not worthy of praise. Among these slanderers are also those who first praise their neighbor and then immediately begin to criticize him, thus wanting to diminish his praise.
From all that has been said, it is clear that we can sin by gossiping and slandering. Revealing the faults of our neighbor without apparent need is the sin of gossiping, and inventing a fault for our neighbor that he did not commit or exaggerating his real faults, or adjusting our speech and behavior so that his honor is innocently suffered, is the sin of slander.
What are the sins of slander and gossip?
Gossip and slander are serious sins by their very nature!
However, not every sin committed through gossip or slander is immediately a grave sin. Slander is a greater sin than gossip, because the slanderer sins not only against love and justice, but also against the truth, and clearly demonstrates particular malice when, without conscience, he invents against his neighbor mistakes that the latter did not commit.
By their very nature, backbiting and slander are grave sins, because both insult the honor of one's neighbor. The honor of a Catholic, which is lost through backbiting and slander, is worth much more than all other earthly goods. That is why it is written in the Book of Proverbs: "A good name is better than great riches, and favor is better than silver and gold." (Proverbs 22:1).
The greatest and most serious loss for a person is when their good name and honesty are taken away from them. There are examples of those whose honesty was taken away because of this, being sad until their death and in such a state, they took their own lives. No one wants to be dishonest, and even the worst person tries to cover up their evil deeds in order to save their honesty.
Often, not only is honesty lost through gossip and slander, but other harms are also suffered. It is known from the Holy Scriptures that Joseph of Egypt lost his freedom because of the slander of his mistress and spent several years in prison. And what else led the Savior to the cross than the slander of his enemies?
Many people have lost their jobs and their honors through slanderous language and have never been able to advance, and as such have fallen into the greatest misery.
Also, many people have never been able to achieve their desires because they have been slandered. Worldly and especially spiritual leaders cannot act if evil tongues have taken away their honor and good reputation. If we look at the consequences of gossip and slander, it is clear that these are very serious sins that God punishes very severely.
It should also be noted that gossip and slander are not always grave sins. If the harm is small or insignificant, gossip and slander are only venial sins. Likewise, it will not be a grave sin if a word is said carelessly that will only slightly harm the honor of a neighbor. However, there are certain circumstances by which one can know whether gossip and slander are grave or venial sins. Here are those circumstances:
The greater the mistake, or the more reputable the person being spoken about or the person speaking, the more serious the sin!
It is quite clear that those who report a major transgression of their neighbor sin more severely than those who report something minor. Likewise, the sin is more serious if the person who is gossiping or slandering is a more reputable person. A person who holds a higher position in the community or a person who has a particularly good reputation is greatly harmed if he loses his honesty or good reputation. Also, the gravity of the sin depends a lot on who is doing the gossiping or slandering. If a reputable person does it, it leaves a greater impression on the listeners than when an ordinary person does it, because if something is narrated by a reputable person, then it is considered that it must be true.
The sin of gossip and slander is all the greater the greater the damage caused by that sin!
Often a person's honesty is closely linked to the other assets they own, so if they suffer damage to it, they suffer damage to their other assets as well. If a merchant's honesty is taken away, his business will soon fail; if a worker's honesty is taken away, no one will give him a job; if an official or priest's honesty is taken away, he will no longer be able to perform his duties.
Furthermore, how many times does it happen that gossip and slander prevent a happy marriage or that someone does not get a position for which he is capable and where he could do a lot of good. Of course, such talk can also harm the soul of his neighbor. When a man finds out that he has lost his honor and good reputation, he no longer cares about anything, gives in to passions and falls into all kinds of evil.
To determine the greater or lesser sinfulness of gossip and slander, one must pay attention to how many people and to what kind of people they were uttered!
If honesty is taken away in front of many people, it is a greater sin than if it were done in front of one person. It is also worse if it happens in front of respected people. Many people do not care if people who are of little value do not judge them well, but they are hurt when those who are respected do not hold them in high regard.
The more evil the intention behind the gossip or slander, the greater and more serious the sin committed!
It is true that gossip and slander can be a grave sin if they occur even from ordinary chatter, but they are certainly more serious if they occur from hatred and envy or from some other evil intention. Gossip, which is in itself a minor sin, can become gossip, which carries a grave sin, because of a particularly evil intention.
The above are the circumstances by which the severity of gossip and slander is judged. Unfortunately, there are few sins that are as serious as those mentioned, because many people begin their conversation with gossip or slander because they do not know any better. They then speak of the evil that they know about their neighbor or have heard from someone else, and add many more. Of course, even those who otherwise live in the fear of God also slander and gossip. Those who sin by this sin should watch themselves and should decide that they will only reveal the evil that they know about their neighbor if they can thereby prevent some evil and achieve some good. They should decide that they will always speak of the virtues and beautiful qualities of their neighbor, so that they will be like bees that select only honey from poisonous plants and leave the poison behind.
They should also decide not only not to speak against their neighbor, but also to try not to listen to such speech, because often the very act of listening to such speech is sinful. Anyone who listens to gossip or slander with sympathy is making a great and serious mistake. We should never listen to those who gossip and slander with sympathy, because that would encourage them to give even more freedom to their evil tongue. We should show by our facial expressions, and understand by our words, that we do not approve of such speech and that we do not want to listen to it.
Also, by listening to gossip, one who does not prevent gossip even though he could do so, sins.
Everyone is obliged, out of love, to prevent harm to their neighbor as much as possible. This also applies to gossip and slander, because they insult the honor of their neighbor. Whoever does not do this greatly sins out of holy Catholic love for their neighbor. We should be very careful not to take away the honor of our neighbor and never listen to those who gossip, because both are sinful and punishable before God, who will hold a strict account for every unnecessary word.
What are we obliged to do when we offend against the honor of our neighbor?
Whoever has gossiped or slandered another is obliged to restore his honor and compensate for all the damage done!
Just as in the case of theft, what was stolen must be returned and the damage done must be compensated, so those who have gossiped or slandered another must first of all restore the honor they took from him. It is more important to restore honor than temporal goods, because it is of much greater value. This is such a duty that neither a bishop nor a priest can exempt anyone from it.
Regardless of the fact that the one who slanders or gossips in the confessional receives forgiveness, it has no value if there is no serious will to restore the stolen honesty to his neighbor.
Whoever has unjustly taken away the voice of his neighbor, in addition to the sin he has committed, is obliged to make restitution to his neighbor, which depends on the extent of the damage done. There is no doubt about this duty, the only question is how it should be fulfilled. In answering this question, we should pay attention to whether the good name of our neighbor has been damaged by gossip or slander.
The one who only gossiped, or who narrated true mistakes, cannot revoke them to restore honesty to his neighbor and say that they are not true, because he would be lying. But, as such, he has a duty to forgive his neighbor and, if possible, to restore his honor in another way. He can do this by saying that his neighbor did it out of human weakness, passion, or thoughtlessness.
He can also say that another in his place would certainly do the same or even worse, because we are all weak people. As an addition, he can emphasize his good qualities, such as that he repents for what he did and is sure to improve.
Therefore, in this and similar ways, one should restore one's neighbor's honor and good name. However, it is different with a slanderer who has told a lie about one's neighbor. Here, it is not enough to simply tell the neighbor, but the slanderer must retract what was said, that is, one must say that what he said about the neighbor is not true, and only in this way can one restore one's honor. However, in this retraction, it is not always necessary to publicly acknowledge the evil slander, because it is enough to say that the neighbor did not commit the mistakes with which he is accused. If the honor of the neighbor cannot be restored in any other way than for the slanderer to admit his slander and publicly present himself as a liar, then he must do so, because justice demands that the innocent regain their honor, regardless of the fact that this cannot be otherwise than for the guilty party to lose their honor.
Justice demands that if the slander was public, then it should also be publicly retracted. If the one who gossips or slanders does not or does not want to do this, all those who caused or supported the gossip or slander are obliged to do so. This is the same case as with theft, because if the thief does not return the stolen goods, then all those who participated in the theft must do so.
Therefore, all those who caused gossip or slander by their approval or did not prevent it, and could and should have prevented it, are required to compensate their neighbor for honor and integrity, especially if the person who committed the gossip or slander is unwilling or unable to do so. Respect is not required to be compensated by someone who only listened to the gossip, who did not cause the gossip, and who was not required to prevent it.
Reasons that excuse the compensation of integrity to one's neighbor are:
If the discovered transgression became known in some other way!
An example of this is a judicial conviction, because in that case it is impossible to establish a good name for one's neighbor, and if something is impossible then it does not obligate anyone.
If we assume that everyone has already forgotten about the revealed offense due to the long time and that no one thinks about it anymore! Then it would not be prudent to mention it because that would remind us of the offense again.
If the mention of a transgression were to be combined with endangering life, because life is a greater good than honesty and a good name!
He who has endangered the life of his neighbor through gossip or slander must, at the risk of his own life, revoke the gossip or slander, because the innocent must be saved rather than the guilty.
If it is impossible to compensate for the honesty due to the distance of the place, or if the slanderer cannot reach the place where he slandered or the people in front of whom he slandered! Then he can and should be recalled in writing in the newspaper if it is not possible orally.
If we have sufficient reason to believe that the listeners of the gossip did not believe what was said!
In that case, the one who gossips or slanders resembles a thief who wanted to steal but was prevented from attempting it.
If a neighbor forgives the compensation of honor, if he is allowed to do so!
He may not do so in that case if the loss of his honor has caused scandal or harm to the common good.
These are all reasons that excuse the obligation to compensate for one's honor. If none of these reasons exist, then anyone who has harmed the honor of another through gossip or slander is obligated to compensate for that honor without question.
Furthermore, we must compensate for all damage caused by gossip or slander!
Often, when gossip or slander is committed, not only is honesty lost, but various other damages are caused to our neighbor that must be compensated. Sin is not forgiven to someone who only wants to restore honor to their neighbor, but does not want to compensate for the damage done. Compensating for damage is a duty that passes to the heirs of the person who committed gossip or slander. The heirs are not obligated to compensate for the honor of their neighbor, because it is the personal fault of the person who gossiped or slandered, but they are obligated to compensate for the damage done, because they are the heirs of the material goods of the person who gossiped or slandered.
About incitement
Incitement is a sin that occurs very often, and it occurs when we inform someone, that is, we tell them what someone else has said bad about them or done something unpleasant to them. In this way, the inciter sows unrest and discord and separates people, often achieving the result that those who loved each other and lived in peace completely part ways and become bitter enemies.
A slanderer and a gossiper are similar in that they both speak ill of their neighbor. They differ in that a slanderer seeks to undermine the honor and good name of his neighbor, while an instigator destroys harmony among neighbors.
A slanderer diminishes the honor of his neighbor, while an instigator robs his neighbor of the affection and love of another, that is, an instigator sows discord among people who have lived in peace with each other. To achieve this, an instigator tells such things about his neighbor that can especially put him in disfavor with the other and rob him of love. With such speech, an instigator sows discord and hatred, separates spouses, brothers, companions, neighbors, takes away the love of his subjects for their superiors, and sows only evil and misfortune.
Incitement is usually accompanied by other sins such as insincerity, pretense, flattery, self-love, envy, hatred, and revenge. The inciter often makes up everything, and his envy and revenge lead him to resort to slander if it seems to him a convenient means to achieve his evil purpose.
Such wicked people incited against David in order to deprive him of the favor of King Saul. They falsely reported to the king that David was his enemy, which is why David himself complained to Saul: "Why do you listen to the words of men who say to you, 'David seeks your ruin?'" (1 Sam. 24:10).
In the eyes of God, incitement is a heinous and cursed crime, as confirmed by the Holy Scriptures: "There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to his soul: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are in a hurry to run to evil, a false witness who pours out lies, and a man who sows discord among brothers" (Proverbs 6:16-19).
This seventh thing, or "a man who sows discord among the brothers ," speaks of a man who incites and sows discord among the brothers. If he wants to obtain forgiveness of sin from God, such a man should make restitution for the harm he has caused his neighbor, just as one who has gossiped or slandered his neighbor. A man who knows how much harm this sin carries in itself and in its consequences should avoid it with all his heart. He should not be a sower of discord, but should everywhere seek peace and harmony among the brothers. He should keep silent about what he has heard about his neighbor from another. Only if his duty requires it can and should he say what he has heard without bias. He should be careful with those who incite and be careful not to fall into their traps. Those people who, out of flattery or some other evil intention, tell him something about his neighbor should be chased away and show them that he does not like their chatter. A parent who has children should teach them how harmful incitement is and severely punish them if they commit it.
About reproach
Reproach or mockery is a sin that occurs very often and that we should beware of. The sin of reproach or mockery is committed by someone who, although he has no right to do so, reproaches someone to their face or accuses them of something that embarrasses them in front of others.
Reproach differs from gossip, because it happens to their face and in the presence of their neighbor, while the one who gossips about their neighbor does so in their absence. Gossip is like theft, and reproach is like robbery.
Gossip differs from reproach in that gossip undermines respect, while reproach or mockery destroys the honor of one's neighbor. Mockery can occur either by omission or by deed. Omission occurs when one fails to do what one should do out of respect for one's neighbor, and deed occurs when one does something to one's neighbor in front of others that does not serve their honor.
Ridicule and mockery also fall under reproach or mockery. Ridicule is when someone is made to laugh and ridicule in front of others by their speech. This is what Saul's daughter Michal did when she mocked David from the bottom of her heart, who was dancing in the celebration of the transfer of the Ark of the Covenant, full of holy joy, before the people, when she clearly said to him: "How honorable the king of Israel behaved today, uncovering himself in the eyes of the maidservants of his servants, as one of the common people uncovers himself!" (2 Sam 6:20).
The Lord hated the mockery that Michal allowed herself towards David, and therefore He punished her with infertility for the rest of her life. Innocent jokes that do not offend anyone are permissible. Sometimes it is necessary and not evil to mock a vain and proud person in some way if the intention is to free him from his foolish pride. However, it is always a sin, and can be mortal, if priests, pious persons, religion and things consecrated to God are publicly mocked, and if parents and other persons who are due respect are ridiculed.
Those who with their impious tongues make a mockery of the most sacred and honorable things are the most disgusting people who place a heavy responsibility on their conscience. Even more sinful is mockery when someone is mocked by signs and gestures. Thus the soldiers mocked Jesus when they put a red military cloak on his back instead of the royal scarlet robe, or when they put a reed in his hands instead of a scepter, and then knelt before him and greeted him as a king. If one thus mocks God, a consecrated person, rulers, or the unfortunate such as the blind, deaf, mute, or insane, then this is especially sinful, because it shows a wicked heart in which the last spark of fear of God, compassion, and love has been extinguished.
A terrible example of how God punishes such mockery is found in the people of Antioch. A large part of these people, at the instigation of the impious governor Asterius, attacked the most venerable bishop Gregory with mockery whenever he appeared on the street, and often threw mud and stones at him and his companions, and in the theater and on the stage they sang the most shameful insults about him. For this behavior, Asterius was removed, but after a while he returned to his office.
On the day of his return, October 31, 589, he also married a prominent and wealthy heiress. The entire city attended the wedding ceremony and celebrated the celebration. However, at around three o'clock in the night, a terrible earthquake suddenly struck, destroying churches, palaces, public and private houses. Two-thirds of Antioch became ruins, and in the midst of the joy of the wedding feast, Asterius, along with his fiancée and all the guests, died under the rubble of his collapsed palace. More than 60,000 people lost their lives in that disaster.
This case shows how terribly God avenges insults inflicted on his faithful servant. Therefore, we should always be careful not to insult anyone close to us.
Reproach or mockery can extend to the physical or moral faults and shortcomings of one's neighbor.
It is also mockery if we reproach someone for their low status, the crimes of their parents or relatives, their ugly body, or other physical and mental flaws.
It is also mockery if we reproach someone for the evil they have committed, that is, it is mockery to call someone a liar, a cheater, a thief, or an adulterer.
It is also mockery when we call someone names and curse them. It often happens that in anger we throw something in our neighbor's face, insult him and curse him, and because of this, fights, injuries and murders often occur. Then long-term enmities and quarrels arise, which cost large sums of money in court and often ruin entire families. For this reason, we need to beware of swearing and mockery.
As the Gospel shows, speaking evil and cursing is also very sinful, and that is why the Lord clearly says: "Whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' will be liable to the council. And whoever calls him 'fool' will be liable to the fire of hell." (Matthew 5:22).
The sin of mockery is more serious the greater the fault that is being accused of, the higher the position and honor of the person to whom the mockery is directed, and finally the worse the intention from which the mockery is made.
It is understood that it is not a sin for a superior to rebuke his subordinate for some mistake with the intention of correcting him, but even then he must not exceed permissible limits.
Of course, it is permissible and a duty for parents to admonish their children, just as it is for superiors to admonish their subordinates seriously, in order to save them from temporal and eternal ruin.
Anyone who has insulted his neighbor in any way is obligated to make amends. This satisfaction should be made publicly or privately, or according to whether the insult was made publicly in front of several people or in private. The method of satisfaction should be appropriate for the person who was offended. If the insult was directed at a superior, then forgiveness must be prayed for, especially if he requests it. If the insult was directed at a subordinate, then it is quite polite to apologize to him, visit him, or show him respect in some other way. When the offended person takes revenge on the one who insulted him, then satisfaction is no longer necessary, because the offended person has obtained his right for himself. If the insult was accompanied by slander, or if the mistake and reproach were fabricated and false, then in addition to satisfaction, the honor of the neighbor should also be restored and the false reproach should be revoked.
It is not permissible to reproach our neighbor and thus expose him to ridicule. We are commanded to bless, not to curse and revile, that is, we are commanded to be gentle and to receive insults in a spirit of love. We have an example in the Lord, who did not revile when he was reviled, but prayed for his enemies and those who reviled him. In this we should follow him and, according to the admonition of the apostle Peter, not to return evil for evil or insult for insult, but on the contrary, according to the Lord's example, we should bless our enemies in order to achieve God's blessing: "Do not return evil for evil or insult for insult, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may inherit a blessing!" (1 Pet 3:9).
About false or false suspicion
False or false suspicion and evil or false judgment are by their nature internal sins against the eighth commandment that can also be manifested externally if they are said in the presence of others, in which case they become like gossip or slander. A person who sins by false suspicion without sufficient valid reasons thinks evil of his neighbor, suspects and holds that someone has done evil or intended to do it.
Therefore, doubt is not a firm judgment that something is true, but merely an opinion that what is doubted could be true.
Doubt can be without reason.
Doubt with reason is when we have sufficient reason to suspect evil about our neighbor. This doubt is reasonable and is not a sin.
Doubt without reason is when we suspect evil about our neighbor without sufficient reason. This kind of suspicion is false or false suspicion. Even if it is not a mortal sin, false or false suspicion is always sinful because it is against love and justice. It is against holy Christian love, which says that we should not do what we do not want done to us. If we do not want someone to doubt our virtue and justice without reason, then we must not do that to our neighbor either.
False suspicion also opposes justice, which requires that one not take from one's neighbor what is lawfully his. We should respect our neighbor as others respect them. Just as one sins against one's neighbor if one takes away his honesty before others without reason, one sins against another if one loses a good opinion of him without a valid reason. God, through the prophet, warns against false suspicion, saying: "Do not devise evil in your hearts against one another; do not love a false curse. For all these things I hate, declares the Lord!" (Zech. 8:17).
False suspicion often leads to many sins. If we suspect our neighbor of having done this or that evil, then we have little respect for him, we are cold towards him and often express our suspicion to others, thus gossiping or slandering him. And, it often happens that suspicion, which at first seems reasonable, is in the end false. It follows from this that one should not immediately suspect wrongly even if there are some reasons, because one's neighbor may be unnecessarily wronged. One should think well of and judge one's neighbor until the opposite is proven, that is, until guilt is proven.
However, we should not blindly trust our neighbor, because God's word and experience teach that many neighbors are not completely honest and try to deceive and harm our neighbor both physically and spiritually. We should behave cautiously towards those we do not know, and such behavior is not sinful but is even recommended. The Lord Himself says: "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and innocent as doves" (Mt 10:16).
Parents, rulers, and masters are right not to trust their children and subjects too much, for great evil can result from this. Young people in particular should not trust everyone they come into contact with, for wolves in sheep's clothing often come to destroy them. We should be on guard against everyone, but we should also have a good opinion of everyone until we are convinced otherwise, so that we do not sin by false or wrong suspicion. We should also be even more careful of wrong or evil judgment, which is reflected in the fact that evil is held to be true and certain even though there is no sufficient reason for it.
So, the difference between false suspicion and false judgment is that the one who falsely suspects only has an evil opinion and still doubts whether their neighbor did this or that and still considers their innocence possible, while the one who judges falsely or evil holds their evil opinion as certain and no longer has any doubts about it.
False or false suspicion and evil or false judgment agree in that they are always made without sufficient reason. Just as doubt is, judgment is only sinful if it is without sufficient reason. If someone who is generally known as a thief is judged to be a thief, it is not sinful, because there is enough reason for it. If someone who is not known and about whom no evil has been heard from others were to be held and judged evil solely on the basis of appearance, then the judgment would be completely wrong, because there would not be enough reason and evidence for it.
On wrong or evil judgment
A wrong or evil judgment is even more contrary to truth and justice than a wrong or false suspicion, because the honesty of one's neighbor is more seriously offended when the evil spoken is considered certain than when one only doubts it, that is, doubts whether it was done. This judgment is very unjust and destructive because the one who judges one's neighbor wrongly infringes on the rights of God, because only God has the right to judge people. That is why the apostle Paul says: "Who are you to judge another's servant? Whether he stands or falls is his master's business; and he will stand, because the Lord is able to keep him so." (Rom. 14:4).
With these words, the apostle Paul wants to say that we have no right to judge our neighbor, regardless of whether he is good or bad, because for everything that our neighbor does, he is responsible only to God, who will judge him according to his deeds. The apostle James also expresses the same truth: "There is only one lawgiver and judge, the one who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?" (James 4:12).
He who wrongly judges his neighbor sets himself up as a judge in matters of which he does not know enough. His judgment concerns either the intention or the act of his neighbor. If he judges the intention, then he goes further than he is allowed to go, because the intention is that which is internal and hidden, and it can only be fully known by the omniscient God who searches hearts and reins. Therefore, neither worldly nor spiritual judges may and cannot judge the internal intentions and thoughts, because their judgment extends only to the external acts of the neighbor. Likewise, he who judges the external acts can easily be deceived, because he does not know the true intentions of his neighbor. An act that at first glance appears evil because of the good intention from which it was done represents good. Such an act resembles the Ark of the Covenant, which was outwardly unsightly and ugly, because it was covered with goat skins, and yet contained within it everything precious and holy.
Therefore, injustice is committed when one immediately thinks evil of the act of one's neighbor, which at first glance seems evil. In that case, one becomes like a judge who, without proper investigation, condemned someone on the basis of someone's irresponsible chatter. Such a judge would turn out to be passionate and unjust, because he judges his neighbor wrongly.
Indeed, he who is truly good and honest also considers others to be good and honest. A good man judges his neighbor the least, while a bad man judges him the most, because pride, envy, hatred, partiality, and dislike always lead to wrong judgment. Whoever gives in to these passions judges the good deeds of his neighbor as evil, and his neighbor can never please him.
A righteous man judges even the greatest sinners gently, and if he cannot forgive their deeds, then he forgives at least the person. That is why we need to have true, holy Christian love so that false suspicion and false judgment will disappear from us. We need to adhere to these words of the Lord: "Judge not, and you will certainly not be judged; condemn not, and you will certainly not be condemned!" (Luke 6:37). Amen!
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