A Message From Pope Francis on Lent

What Can I do To Solve a Problem?

Someone offends you: Tell someone about it and the listener thinks less of the offender. They join in negativity. You have succeeded in causing others to sin, creating division in relationships, making yourself more upset by re-hashing details over, directly, knowingly, willfully, disobeying God’s word, by reacting according to the flesh instead of submitting to the Spirit.

Go directly to God in prayer: God listens and gives better perspective. You feel peace and need to vent subsides. You honor God by valuing unity over temporary pleasure of gossiping and gaining sympathy from others.

Shifting response and support responses: Shift response on yourself by beginning sentence with “I not you’. Listen more and talk less, encourage others to continue.

-Barbara Hathaway, CLM