George Matulaitis Journal

74 own soul and its spiritual life, then we will no longer properly minister to the spiritual needs of others, nor will we care about the welfare of the Church or the greater glory of God; we will be seeking only ourselves, our own comfort and vainglory. As we ourselves sink downward, our plans and our work will crumble as well, and then all our efforts will come to naught. We are determined to work for the Church with the help of people of good will who are organized for this purpose. To be more effective, we must learn to moderate meetings and to speak in public. We have to learn to listen to what people are saying and to grasp their line of thought, discern their intentions, and deduce their aims. We should listen calmly and with composure, without betraying emotion or irritation—not even obvious pleasure so that no one would be able to read our thoughts and opinions in our facial expression. We should be careful not to repeat in different words what others have already said. Our speech should be brief and to the point. In evaluating a suggestion, we should offer arguments for and against, indicating the worth of each, so that we do not appear biased. We must never deviate from Catholic doctrine and principles. If it becomes clear that we cannot defend our Catholic convictions publicly because this may arouse bad feeling and make matters worse, then it is wiser to remain silent and in spirit to pray to God to repair the damage But, wherever we can and as much as we can, we should not miss the opportunities to proclaim what is Catholic, to defend Catholic teaching and the life and organization of the Church. While speaking, we should be very careful not to attack or offend anyone; we must remain very courteous. We should maintain our own convictions, but at the same time display the greatest charity toward people of opposing views. We will be able to draw others to God and to the truth only by the sincerity of our convictions, the strength of our faith, and the ardor of our love, not by quarelling, arguing, or insulting others. Particularly in discussions raised over a difference of opinion let us be careful to keep in mind by what spirit we should be governed. Is it not the Spirit of Christ? Then we must be careful not to merit Christ’s censure: “You do not know what spirit you are made of.” 1 1 Cf., Lk 9:55. The quotation is an addition now omitted in most of the newer translations.