Bishop Tobin on the Power of Our Words

"Two recent experiences illustrate the power of words.

"The first. While walking through the church after a Funeral Mass a lady stopped me to ask: 'Bishop, are you feeling okay?' 'Yep, I'm fine,' I said. 'Why do you ask?' 'Because you look awful,' she explained. (Not her exact words but we can't publish what she said.)

"The second. While visiting Rome recently, a man whom I didn't know approached me and said, 'Bishop Tobin, it's great to meet you. I'm one of your biggest fans. I'm a college professor and I tell my students all the time, "If you want an example of how to live as a Catholic today, look at Bishop Tobin from Providence."'

"You can imagine the different feelings I had after each encounter. After the first, I actually started to feel a bit ill. And after the second, I walked away with a spring in my step, my spirits uplifted."

In a recent commentary, Bishop Thomas J. Tobin, of the Diocese of Providence (RI), reflected on the power of our words to build up others or to tear them down.

To access Bishop Tobin's complete essay, please visit: 

The Imitation of Christ: Words Can Help or Hurt (21 NOV 19)