Congregation of Jesus Mary Joseph

Rev. Fr. Mathias Wolff says, “What of those who are not ashamed to speak ill of their fellow sisters, and thereby sow discord in the house? The Apostle James rebukes such and says that they are impelled by the devil. St. Chrysostom compares them to Cain, who murdered his brother Abel, and says that the devil uses them as soldiers to disturb others, to disturb the peace that reigned in the house. St. Bernard says that such a tongue is worse than the lance that has opened our Lord's side. He continues, the lance hurts only a dead body, but that contagious tongue hurts a living member of Christ, for we all make up a body, of which Jesus Christ is the head. Such a tongue is sharper than the thorns that crowned our Lord’s head and the nails that fastened him to the Cross. From this, one can see how greatly the superiors are obliged to remove so serious an evil. St. Basil insists that such a person should be separated from the company of others and that their work should in no way be used for the benefit of the house, so that they may feel ashamed and thus quickly recover from their fault. He requires that silence be imposed on them and even prefers to dismiss them rather than allow such a grave disorder, which drags along with it so many other sins.” (Mathias Wolff, Overwegingen en Grondregels, ter Beoefening der Volmaaktheid, Opgedragen aan het Gezelschap van Jesus, Maria, Joseph, no. 99, p.120-122)