The following is from the Archconfraternity of Christian Mothers. It is an apostolate I highly recommend to all women...mothers and non-mothers alike. I have belonged to it for quite a few years now. I give it a lot of credit for helping me in my spiritual growth as a mother, wife, daughter, sister, etc. More on the ACCM on a later post.
"Our tongues are the most used, overused, abused organs in our frame. They need discipline to speak when we are afraid, to teach where ignorance confuses, to comfort when people are hurting, to assert when causes need defended, to caution where danger lurks, to encourage when trust is lacking, to say thanks where unhappiness overlooks blessings.
Keep our tongues from telling lies, destroying reputations, repeating obscene stories, violating secrecy, casting ethnic slurs, blasting angry words, criticizing insensitively, telling people off, bad-mouthing leaders in authority, sassing our parents, inflating our egos, excusing our weaknesses, exaggerating our accomplishments, humiliating our enemies.
Teach our tongues to pray and to praise our God in and out of the liturgy - in and out of season - whether we feel like it or not. Let our motive be: that God be glorified and our neighbor be helped. Make our tongues, a little more like Yours with each word we speak. Amen."
Copyright Father Angelus Shaughnessy, Order of Friars Minor Capuchin, Mother Love, A Newsletter to the Christian Mother Vol. 67 No. 4, Fall 2009.
