Speaking as Children of Light

At his homily this morning at Santa Marta, Pope Francis, reports the CNA, “turned his reflection to the day’s first reading from Saint Paul, calling on Christians to be children of light, rather than children of darkness. In order to know which sort of children we are, the Pope said, we should consider whether the words we use fall into one of four categories: hypocritical, empty, frivolous, or obscene.”

Here’s the text of that part of the homily from Vatican radio:

Are our words hypocrisy? Taking a little from here, a little from there, to fit in with everyone?  Then they are vacuous, of no substance, empty.  Are they vulgar words, trivial, or worldly? A dirty, obscene word? These four [types] of words are not of the children of light, they are not the Holy Spirit, they are not of Jesus, they are not words of the Gospel . . . this way of talking, always talking about dirty things or of worldliness or emptiness or hypocrisy.

Paul says: “Be imitators of God, walk in love; walk in goodness; walk in meekness.” . . . “Be merciful, says Paul, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ. Be, then,  imitators of God and walk in love,'” that is, walk in mercy, forgiveness, love. And these are the words of a child of light.