Paul’s Burden for his Brethren (Rom. 9:1-5)
Saint Paul, by Peter Paul Rubens The state of online discourse today is in a very real sense – I almost hesitate using this word, but I think here it is appropriate and fitting – toxic . People on the internet, on Facebook, on X, and other places throw their weight around using words that are clearly thoughtless, off the cuff, propelled far more by emotion than careful thinking. Most of all, love of God and love of neighbor has very little to do with the way people talk to each other. And increasingly what is on the internet spills out into everyday life and conversation and the results for neighborliness are devastating. As our Lord put it to his disciples, when iniquity and wickedness abound, the love of many grow cold, and that is happening in our day. But as I say, one of the problems is that people are not careful with their words. The Bible, however, teaches us to be very careful with the way we use our speech. Our Lord put it this way: “...
