favorite pastiMe
Have you spoken ill of someone lately? Too straightforward, huh? But if we’ll go by this joke that has been going around—gossiping or even slander has been fast becoming the favorite pastime of Filipinos— then the question should hit us hard. So, has it become our favorite pastime? There are indications that it has. How else would you explain the mushrooming of TV shows that feed on this desire of the people to hear famous people bad-mouth each other on air?
A famous actress was asked on national TV, “What occupies much of your spare time?” She immediately blurted out matter of- factly, “Panglalait!” Then she laughed till she almost choked, finding her own response very thrilling. The station was so roused by her response that it made use of that scene in their advertisement to drum up more interest in the show.
It is very unfortunate that every so often our mind tends to entertain thoughts on what is bad in people. What is contained within translates externally, so we tend also to enjoy listening more to disparaging stories than those that extol others.
Let us consider our own tendencies. How often have we engaged in talks during coffee break about what we see as bad in our bosses? To how many people have we shared some defamatory stories about people whom we dislike? How many people have fallen prey to our “panglalait”?
When we see ourselves falling into this propensity remember that Jesus was not spared from the slanderous minds of His time. To do it to others now is to continue to malign the presence of Christ in others. Let us pray that we may be more unsullied in our thoughts of others and virtuous in our actions toward them. Fr. Sandy Enhaynes
Reflection Question:
Do you enjoy gossiping about others?
Lord, let me be prudent in speaking about others. Give me the grace to speak only of what is good and gives honor to another.
St. Hilary, pope, pray for us.
