“Guide my tongue, O Lord, and set a watch upon my lips, that my speech may neither wound nor deceive. Purify my heart, that my words may proceed in charity and truth. Grant that I may speak wisely, restraining every impulse that leads to idle or harmful talk. Let my mouth be an instrument of Your praise, my counsel a comfort to the weary, and my conversation a witness to Your light. Strengthen me to avoid all falsehood, and to confess Your goodness with a humble and steadfast voice.”
–Saint Bonaventure (1221 – 1274)
Source: Bonaventure, Opera Omnia, vol. 12 (Quaracchi: Collegium S. Bonaventurae, 1898), 579.
Reflection: Where might God be inviting me to restrain, refine, or redirect my speech so that it becomes a clearer witness to truth and charity?