BLESSING AND CURSING WITH THE SAME TONGUE

READINGS: PALM SUNDAY OF THE LORD'S PASSION

Today is Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week; the day we celebrate our Lord’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem, and, with joy and excitement, we lift our palms and join the joyful cry: “Hosanna to the Son of David, as we honor, celebrate, and receive Christ our king. But there is an interesting dynamic that happened between this day and Good Friday. The same crowd that welcomed Jesus with praise, turned around, four days later, shouting, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!”

This dramatic shift reveals something uncomfortable about the human heart and tongue. In his letter, St. James reminds us that “the tongue is a world of malice… full of deadly poison.” From the same mouth, he says, come both blessing and cursing. How often do we praise God in worship, but speak with anger, gossip, impatience, or harsh judgment in daily life? How often do we honor Christ with our lips, but fail to honor Him in the people created in His image and likeness? The same mouth that sings hymns is also the same tongue that wounds a spouse, discourages a child, shames a neighbor, or divides a community.

In that same letter, St. James adds a gentle but urgent challenge: “My brothers, this need not be so.” In other words, while such a contradiction may be common in human life, it should not be so for all of us who are called by the name Christian.

Palm Sunday, therefore, invites us to reflect on the use of the power of our tongue in our homes, workplaces, ministries, and online spaces. Our speech can lift or tear down, heal or wound, unite or divide. We live in a culture of quick reactions, sharp criticism, public shaming, and constant commentary. Families are hurt, friendships are broken, and communities are weakened by speech that lacks charity and restraint. As followers of Christ, we are called to be different. The lips that bless God should also be the mouth that speaks life, mercy, patience, and courage to others.

While the tongue has no bones, it is strong enough to break a heart, and while a broken bone can heal, the wound opened by a word can linger forever. The truth is that words can shape the course of people’s destinies. Therefore, as followers of Christ Jesus, let us speak words that are kind, loving, positive, uplifting, encouraging, healing, inspiring, and life-giving; words that can inspire others to do things they couldn’t dream of doing on their own. We always need to be on guard not to mix our words with our moods, because our moods can change, but our words, once spoken, cannot be taken back. Let us stive to leave people with loving words because it may be the last time we will ever see them.

Palm Sunday, therefore, calls us not only to wave palms but also to make sure that our “Hosanna” is not just a passing emotion but a faithful way of life. May the Lord purify our hearts and our tongues, so that the words we speak may always honor Him and reflect the dignity of one another, as people created in the image and likeness of God.