Gossip

Isn’t gossip a funny thing? Gossip is taking strange enjoyment in hearing news about somebody that’s not yours to hear, then taking even more enjoyment (sometimes oddly, delight) in passing that news onto someone else even though it’s not their news to hear either. Nothing, and I mean nothing, good can possibly come from that, which is why every spiritual teacher with any sense has always said, “Don’t do it. Don’t gossip.”

St. Teresa of Avila said “conceal the faults of others as if they were your own.” In other words not only don’t gossip, but participate in a holy cover-up when you learn about your neighbors’ sins. 

Julian of Norwich taught her readers to flee the sins of others as we would the pains of hell. Now that’s coming out strong against gossip!

A long time ago I asked the wife of a bishop I served with about gossip. She said, “Oh, Hendree, I don't throw stones.” I said, “You don’t? Why not?” She said, “Because I’ve had a bunch thrown at me so I know how it feels.” When she said that I thought to myself, “Well, now there’s as good a reason as I’ve ever heard not to gossip.”