“Grant, O Lord, that our words may be seasoned with truth and gentleness, that in speaking we may neither wound nor deceive, but bear witness to Your wisdom. May our tongues be instruments of peace, and our speech a mirror of the Word made flesh, so that in all discourse we glorify You.”
–Athenagoras of Athens (c. 133 – 190)
Source: Athenagoras of Athens, Supplication for the Christians, in Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 2, ed. Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1885), 129.
Reflection: In what ways does Athenagoras’s prayer challenge us to consider the ethical weight of our words in both public and private communication today?