The Three Sieves
Theme: Gossip, Sins of the Tongue, and Respect for Others
A man hurried up to the great philosopher Socrates. "Socrates, I just heard something terrible about one of your students! I must tell you!"
"Hold on a moment," Socrates replied. "Before you speak, your words must pass through the three sieves." "Three sieves?" the man asked.
"Yes. The first sieve is Truth. Are you absolutely, one-hundred-percent certain that what you are about to tell me is true?" The man hesitated. "Well, no. I just heard it from someone else."
"I see," said Socrates. "Then let us try the second sieve, the sieve of Goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about my student something good?" "No, exactly the opposite. It is quite bad," the man admitted.
"So," Socrates continued, "you want to tell me something bad about him, but you aren't even sure it is true. Let us use the final sieve, the sieve of Usefulness. Is this information going to be useful or helpful to me?" "No, not really," the man confessed, looking ashamed.
Socrates smiled. "If what you want to tell me is neither true, nor good, nor useful, then why tell it to me at all? Let it remain unsaid."
Reflection
Gossip is a poison that destroys reputations and divides communities. Respecting our neighbor means fiercely guarding what we say about them. Before speaking about someone else, filter your words through the Holy Spirit: Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary? If not, the most holy thing you can do is stay silent.