"The tongue of the scandalmonger is a grub which taints the most beautiful of the flowers and upon them leaves behind it the disgusting trace of its own slime."

Once again, on 11AUG and 12AUG, Mr. Bruise's septic field overfloweth.

Gossip cannot be allowed to roam freely the internet. Unchallenged, it does irreparable harm to those who are targeted by it and to those who participate in it.

In contrast to cruelties enacted by a frequent offender, one of his targets counsels us to (11AUG)

Pray for those who seek your ruin. Pray for yourself and thank God for all of your humiliations. Pray for those who suffer unjustly. Above all, seek to build up the kingdom rather than tear it down.

Those words are of particular encouragement to this blogger. One might add to the author's counsel - go the extra mile! Granted, if one holds to the belief that the goal in life is merely self preservation, i.e., "me-first" is the be all and end all of it, it doesn't make much sense to give extra to those who engage in vile gossip and who seek to empower themselves at our expense. But - follow the Lord's teaching and example! Deny thyself, take up thy cross.

Matthew 5:38-48

“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist one who is evil. But if any one strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also; and if any one would sue you and take your coat, let him have your cloak as well; and if any one forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to him who begs from you, and do not refuse him who would borrow from you.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you salute only your brethren, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Be meek; invite God to be your protector. Make a space in your heart and mind for the Lord. Trust Him, and if your trust is weak, acknowledge that very weakness before the Lord and ask for the grace to trust more deeply. Asking for the grace to trust is itself an act of trust, an affirmation of our healthy and necessary dependence upon God Who is our refuge and our strength.

If, at work or in a community, you are brought into a forum that questions your reputation, you - if you be unfairly judged - must lay down your life by entering into that garden of suffering. Enter your own Garden of Gethsemane. Lay aside your expectations. Step out of the way of others' indignation and attempts to bully you. Refuse the temptation of vengeance, in oneself and in others. In the words of a wise mentor - don't take the bait! Don't react. Deescalate tension by stepping back on to "the balcony", away from others' attempts to own the conversation. Refuse frustration any place in your thinking.

We place so much importance on our reputations. It's hard to surrender our accomplishments to an accuser, a bully who cares little for truth, compassion and justice. We can be preoccupied with the need to be approved by others, to preserve our reputations. Is that realistic? The need to engage in self preservation is a massive temptation. Our reputations are provisional, even fragile, subject to shredding, for example, by small-minded colleagues, coworkers, students, associates and estranged family members. There is little one can do to defend oneself against attacks made by deeply wounded and therefore deeply ambitious people driven to gain power over others. Be docile. Listen. Let your example speak volumes both about yourself and about the person attempting to bully you.

Why submit ourselves to the judgement of a mob? That is precisely what the Lord Jesus did. He did not protest. He allowed His loving, truth-filled silence to speak truth to power, the illusory power of the mob. The Son of Man is the Way, the Truth and the Life. When we imitate Him and seek His grace to become like Him, the miracle of humility disposes us to the miracles God works in and through our wounds. Through His suffering and death, Jesus revealed the Resurrection. When we allow God room in our wounds, He transforms us into Himself. We become "little ways", clear reflections of the truth, and life for others. The biographies of the saints are testimonies to God working in and through them, in their weakness and through adversity.

When we pose no resistance to the mob, and we embrace them as wounded soldiers in an unprincipled army, they are given a mirror into which they may gaze and perhaps confront their behaviour. Their wickedness is exposed. Those who do not repent will stand alone, and are to be pitied. At that point, they may repent, or they may persist and become hardened in their resolve like concrete: inflexible; cold to the touch; heartless; grey; fitting material for a tomb.

Mobs rely on a loudmouth to take the helm, to slash and burn reputations, to lead the shout-down, to drown out opposition to his or her obnoxious behavior.

Mr. Bruise might counter accusations of fraud with scornful protests, meanwhile insisting that his comments are factual. Factual? Really?! Why, then, the accompanying snide parenthetical remarks that pockmark nearly every paragraph he composes? Those bitter darts demonstrate the worst kind of disregard for the dignity of others, amounting to trash-talk to increase one's own importance. Bruise twists information gathered from websites, serves it on a plate garnished with irrational conclusions, and then tags on the bit about some drive-by guest that, were it true someone else was involved in his conspiracy, hardly conceals the identity of an informant.

Mr. Bruise's repeated attempts to tangle facts with fiction and to invent a defense are well documented.

Everything Bruise attributes to some insider is obtainable on the internet. His anonymous (fictitious?) guest informants seem but weak attempts to fill his balloon with an air of authenticity, a bloated barmy blimp that is - truth be told - already over-inflated with more than enough hot air. Someday that balloon is going to burst, and the gravity of reality will effect its consequences upon those carried aloft by cruel gossip. Let's hope that at that moment, when the gondola falls to earth, God will provide someone to help Mr. Bruise recover his senses.

The author cited at the outset of this post rightly reminds us that

Jesus says in Matthew 28:10 “And fear ye not them that kill the body, and are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him that can destroy both soul and body in hell.” You can expect that people will mock and belittle you. You can expect that they will not have your best interests at heart (which is what it means to have a lack of charity). You can expect that people — even those who claim to be Catholic — will not interpret your actions in the kindest light (which is their Christian duty); indeed you can expect them to do the very opposite. They will seek to tear you down rather than build you up. 

Too true.

One might have hoped for some positive distraction during these distracting times. It seems almost too much, however, to expect from Mr. Bruise anything but invective. When it comes to preserving one's health and well being regarding Mr. Bruise's blog, for now - practice social media distancing.

John Bruce, aka Mr. Bruise, has entrenched himself in the role of a bully. On that day, that day of wrath, and he is standing before the great, terrible and just Judge, he should not be surprised to learn that his attempts to tear down others could merit a very unpleasant judgement against him. We, too, the aggrieved, should not be too quick to absolve ourselves of any hard thoughts harboured against Mr. Bruce. We, too, will stand there before the Lord. There will be no caricatures involving pearly gates nor any humorous quips to lessen any dread. If we have kept His commandments, we will have shown our love for Him, and the love we carry with us, assured by the promise that God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him (John 3:17) will temper any dread of judgement. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight (Proverbs 9:10). So, together, let's be wise.

And so then, pray for John Bruce. He needs our prayers.

To conclude, a request made in an earlier post.

Mr. Bruce,

Join the rest of us poor sinners in admitting that we all need to effect change in our lives on an ongoing basis. Seek the mercy of God and practice mercy toward others. Do not let the information presented above distract you from owning your actions. Use it to examine your conscience and to clean the house of your soul. Walk away from the negativity; use your time for better things.

Should that invitation fail to engage, perhaps the last word given to a saint might encourage in Mr. Bruce a full measure of restraint and reform.

The tongue of the scandalmonger is like the worm which gnaws at the good fruit - that is, the best actions that people do - and tries to turn them all to bad account. The tongue of the scandalmonger is a grub which taints the most beautiful of the flowers and upon them leaves behind it the disgusting trace of its own slime. - St. John Vianney