'A MyCatholicSource.com Exclusive'

Home | 'MyCatholicSource.com Exclusives' | User-Submitted Articles

'A MyCatholicSource.com Exclusive' Article:

Against Swearing and Cursing

Important Notice: We make no guarantees regarding any item herein. Use of site is subject to our terms of use. By using this site you indicate agreement to all terms. For more terms information, see "Important Notice" below and click here.

Against Swearing and Cursing

By: John Seiler

It's all around us: Vile words spoken by people, often maliciously, sometimes inadvertently. It's in movies we shouldn't see, in books and articles we shouldn't read. It's even in cars that go by, a hideous "song" blasting out profanity after profanity.

It seeps into our minds, even our souls. It's difficult to resist saying the words ourselves – hard to resist even thinking them. Yet resist we must. Goodness has to start somewhere.

If you're old enough, you can remember when profanities were banned from movies, radio and TV, and people rarely said them. Certainly, no one would say them in front of children. What a happy day!

That all started changing for the worse, along with so much else, in the late 1960s. The point is we once actually had a decent society, and can have one again.

Moreover, such as society was, and can be again, just more decent in other ways – in all ways.

God's instructions to us are clear:

"Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain: for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that shall take the name of the Lord his God in vain." (Exodus 20:7; Douay-Rheims Version)

That's the Second Commandment.

And:

"[S]o every one that sweareth, and nameth, shall not be wholly pure from sin. A man that sweareth much, shall be filled with iniquity, and a scourge shall not depart from his house." (Ecclesiasticus 23:11-12; Douay-Rheims Version)

That helps explain why our modern society is in so much distress. Many, many people "sweareth much," and have brought innumerable scourges everywhere – with more to come.

Yet vile swearing and cursing is not only a modern problem. In the 13th Century, the Albigensian heretics denied the Divinity of Jesus Christ, and often used his name blasphemously. At the Second Council of Lyon in 1274, Pope Gregory X urged the new Dominican Order to take the lead in fighting for the purity of language concerning the Holy Names. Shortly after, he wrote to Blessed John of Vercelli, master general of the Dominicans:

"We have also judged it proper to persuade the faithful to demonstrate more reverence for that Name above all names, the only Name in which we claim salvation – the Name of Jesus Christ, Who has redeemed us from the bondage of sin. Consequently, in view of obeying that apostolic precept, in the Name of Jesus let every knee be bent; we wish that at the Holy Sacrifice, everyone would bow his head in token that interiorly he bends the knee of his heart."

An exemplary group promoting the protection of our tongues is the Confraternity of the Most Holy Names of God and Jesus, also called the Holy Name Society. It's dedicated to protecting the use of the names of God, including that of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Although inspired by Pope Gregory X's words, it was officially founded two centuries later.

The Holy Name Society commendably has advanced keeping these Holy Names themselves holy. The Society's Holy Name Pledge is provided below.

In addition to avoiding the most vile types of swearing, especially taking the Lord's Name in vain, we should be careful not to use the milder substitutes for profanities people often use, and which unfortunately are "acceptable" even among many religious people. The reason is such words clearly are meant to be something else – something much worse. So it's easy for the mind to transfer from the "mild" word to the horrible one.

It also should be mentioned that we should shun not only the abuse of divine words. We also should shun other profanities of all types. This is because a civilized society requires the proper use of language and the careful setting of verbal boundaries.

Breaking any bad habit is not easy. Yet in this case it is not just changing something irritating, such as saying "you know" too many times. Instead it's shunning a vile practice and advancing a holy practice – that is, reverencing the Holy Name of Jesus.

Some suggestions:

1. If you swear or curse, immediately "catch" yourself and say a prayer, such as the Hail Mary [and an Act of Contrition]. Resolve not to do it again.

2. Attend Mass every week.

3. Go to Confession – and confess the number of times you have taken the Lord's Name in vain.

4. Stop watching or listening to all things with profanities: TV, Internet, movies, podcasts, radio, books, etc.

5. In a nice way, if someone around you takes the Lord's Name in vain, request he (or she) not do so.

6. Pray for yourself and others to keep all your words clean and pure. Jesus promises: "If you shall ask me any thing in my name, that I will do." (John 14:14; Douay-Rheims Version)

7. Read one chapter of the Gospels every day. Read about Jesus Most Holy.

Holy Name Pledge

Blessed be God.

Blessed be His Holy Name.

Blessed be Jesus Christ true God and true Man.

Blessed be the Name of Jesus.

I believe O Jesus.

That Thou are the Christ.

The Son of the Living God.

I proclaim my love.

For the Vicar of Christ on Earth.

I believe all the sacred truths

Which the Holy Catholic Church

Believes and teaches.

I promise to give good example

By the regular practice

Of my faith.

In honor of His Divine Name

I pledge myself against perjury,

Blasphemy, profanity and obscene speech.

I pledge my loyalty

To the flag of my country.

And to the God given principles

Of freedom, justice and happiness.

For which it stands.

I pledge my support

To all lawful authority

Both civil and religious.

I dedicate myself

To the honor of the Sacred Name of Jesus Christ

And beg that He will keep me faithful

To these pledges

Until Death.

May God bless your resolutions; may His holy angels and saints assist you to keep them.

Laboring during your whole life for the glory and honor of the Holy Name of God,

may you merit to share in the glory of the apostles, martyrs and confessors,

who labored and died for the Name of Jesus Christ.

Amen.

Signature: John Seiler

John Seiler is a California writer

Also Try...

Click Link Below To View:

'MyCatholicSource.com Exclusive Articles'

User-Submitted Articles

Submit Your Own Article

More About User-Submitted Articles

Read User-Submitted Posts

Submit Your Own Post

For Information Related To This Topic Try:

The Ten Commandments (Topic Page)

Sin (Topic Page)

Evil / Satan (Topic Page)

Current Issues (Topic Page)

Obscenities / Foul Language / Cursing / Swearing (Topical Scripture)

Catholic Information (Topic Page)

Catholic Q & A (Topic Page)

More Information / Resources:

Click Here For Help => 10,000+ Topics!

Click Here For Thousands of Quotations From Popes, Saints, Scripture, Etc. Categorized By Section

Looking For a Great Catholic Home Page? Try the MCS Daily Digest™ (click here)

Didn't find what you were looking for? Try Here

Important Notice: 'MyCatholicSource.com Exclusive Articles' (also called 'MyCatholicSource.com Exclusives', 'MCS Exclusives', etc.) may refer to articles 'exclusively' commissioned for the MyCatholicSource.com website. We cannot promise that articles will not appear elsewhere. Authors may have been paid for their contributions. We may have made additions / edits / deletions, items may have been shortened / re-titled / re-punctuated / renumbered / formatted / etc. (with or without notations). Note that views of authors do not necessarily reflect our views, even if we have commissioned/paid for/edited/published/etc. the articles. Content of articles may NOT be shared, except for very small quotes, and all sharing must reference both the author's name and include a functioning link to the MyCatholicSource.com website. We make no guarantee whatsoever regarding any item herein. We are not liable for any occurrence which may result from using this site. By using this site you agree to all terms. For more terms information, click here.

We make no guarantees regarding any item herein. By using this site you indicate agreement to all terms. For terms information, see "Important Notice" above and click here.

Help | Terms of Use | Other FAQs