Jan. 26, 2010 – Sirach 27

You cannot judge someone until you hear them speak.  And when I think of this I think of Obama and what we mean by speaking.  I don’t think it means reading off of a teleprompter.  Same goes for anybody we listen to that just reads what someone else puts in front of them.  Good speech writing is a skill, but it doesn’t mean you get to know who the person is speaking is.  I have given enough talks to know when I speak from the heart and when I am just trying to get by.  It usually is based on how much I can read what is in front of me and how much I say without looking.  And I don’t mean memorizing something, but just talking. 

This also goes to the whole idea of meeting and dating online.  It is so easy to come across as a different person when typing.  I know couples who have done this and it has worked, but to think you can really get to know someone without speaking to them and having a face to face conversation, I don’t agree with.  In this day in age we are losing that personal interaction. 

I just recently gave a talk about surrounding yourself with good people and how much people and our environment influence us.  Do people really think that in this day in age that with all the sex and junk that we surround young adults with on a daily basis they are going to grow to become adults that aren’t warped in their sense of what is morally acceptable.  It just boggles my mind what is seen as acceptable and what isn’t. 

It is true how hard it is to trust once you have been betrayed.  I have lost trust in people and betrayed trust.  It is something that no one should take lightly.  Remember that when we are casually gossiping about other people’s personal matters and think about how you would feel if others talked about you.  I have in my notes that this reading is set for today because the Gospel tomorrow talks about how you will know someone by their fruits.  The whole “actions speak louder than words”.  We can all think about that as we reflect on this reading and prepare for tomorrow.