From the Editor
Now more than ever ... Words matter
Those of us who are parents are charged with an enormous responsibility to raise our children in an ever changing world, which sometimes isn’t so pleasant. We have the task of guiding them from infancy, to childhood, through their adolescent years and into adulthood. One of the keys to great parenting is having honest and open communication with your children. Parents give their children words of wisdom, guide them through the difficult teenage years, all the while using words of love, providing protection and fostering a loving environment, reminding them with words that they are part of a family. Parents would never intentionally use words that would steer their children into harm’s way. Words matter. If you are of the age where school days are well into the rear view mirror, you might have to try hard to remember when you were in school and a teacher gave you words of encouragement. That teacher may have even praised you for your efforts or even challenged you to do your best. Teachers give us words to encourage us, affirm us and challenge us throughout our school years. Our teachers used words that helped us realize we could attain our dreams and become productive citizens. Words matter.
Throughout life we develop friendships with people. Some friendships last for a long time, others are situational. You will find for friendships to last there has to be two-way communication. There are many one-sided friendships where someone thinks that they are just along for the ride while the other person mostly dominates the activities, interests and conversations. However, the best friendships are those where people have shared interests and communicate honestly with one another and respect each other. Each person is careful to respect the other and not use words to quickly judge the other and is respectful of the other person’s feelings. In conversations real friends don’t hurt each other with hurtful words. A real friend would not persuade you with words that would put you in jeopardy or in a dangerous situation. Words matter. Anyone who is married knows that it takes time and effort to make a marriage work. Once again communication is the key to success. It is okay to disagree with one another. What is not okay is when arguments become so heated that words used are difficult to take back. Couples should know each other well enough to know when to stop and pull back from an argument before damage is done by hurtful words. Loving couples would never use words to manipulate one another into doing something that would be harmful. Words matter. Social media has given us the opportunity to reach millions of people with a simple keystroke. It has the ability to be used as a great communication tool to inform, entertain, and bring people together
6 • Bayou Catholic • Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux • February 2021
and connected to many social outlets. It is sad though when people use social media as a platform to sew division, hatred and prejudice. It is easy to hide behind a computer screen anonymously spewing words of anger, sowing seeds of racism and division. A responsible, honest and respectable person would never use words on social media to enrage others to the point of violence. Words matter. Over 2,000 years ago Jesus Christ walked this Earth preaching love, goodwill toward all and healing people of their illness and sins. Today, his words are still remembered when we read the Bible. His words come to life when we celebrate Mass. Jesus’ teachings included words of love, compassion, healing and forgiveness. Words matter. As each of us look back we all have people in our lives who have guided us on a path in the right direction, where everyone is treated as our neighbor, where everyone is treated with respect and dignity no matter their differences. During this time of great unrest in our nation, a time that none of us have experienced in our lives before, let us remember the words of Christ: “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40). Words matter. Remember, after reading Bayou Catholic, pass it on to a friend or relative who might not be attending Mass. It’s one of the great ways to do your part in spreading the Good News. BC
Lawrence
Lawrence Chatagnier Editor & General Manager
