Wisdom in Silence and the Renewal of Sorrow

The activity of the tongue. He who speaks what is beneficial and leads into the kingdom of life has life in the tongue. But he who speaks the opposite and the forbidden things has death in his own word called a 'tongue'. And in another scripture it says: 'With your words make a balance and a weight' (Prov 16:11). It is necessary to speak having weighed; it is necessary to have a balance and to cast the words upon each scale. And if the upright words are found to be balanced, it is proper to choose those and to proclaim them, but to turn away from the bad ones.

Again it is said: 'The lips of the wise are taught by perception' (Ps 51:13). When someone speaks having perceived, the lips are taught, not opening them to every word, but to what is beneficial. 'I will open my lips and my mouth shall proclaim your praise' (Ps 51:14). He who has the taught lips, having perceived that what he intends to speak is beneficial, opened them. But when they harm what is being uttered, he closes and binds the lips with perception; he binds the word.

'In the standing of the sinner against me, I was made deaf and humbled, and I kept silence for the sake of good things' (Ps 31:5). Often appearing, the sinner provokes and is called out to the things pleasing to him. If, therefore, he ever stands against us, it is our part to make him stand; for if we do not give him a place, he is not able to stand. But to stand in this way is to stand in battle. It is necessary to be silent; for he often provokes; because the serpent, having stood against Eve, provoked her word and harmed her. It was necessary to be silent, having received perception of her own weakness or of the sin that had come before, not to speak anything to her, but to keep silence for the sake of good things.

And the 'keeping silence for the sake of good things' does not say 'not to speak the good things', but to have a silence made wise from the good things. For example, having taken up virtue, a prudent man knew that he must not respond out of the good, that is, out of prudence. I kept silence toward the standing revealed and provoking toward sin. If, therefore, that young man had been responding to nothing from right understanding toward the harlot, he would not have 'been led astray by much association' (1 Tim 5:15) nor 'been enticed by the morsels of his lips' (Prov 5:3). I kept silence, therefore, when the good things had come upon me, persuading me not to respond to him. He does not say: 'I kept silence so as not to speak the good things', but 'so as not to speak the provoking things'. And this silence has become to me from...

The wisdom of the good things which hinders such a conversation. "He is found wise while being silent." He who thus remains silent is found wise. And it is indeed wisdom to know to whom one must speak and to whom one must not, and when to bring forward words and when not. "He is therefore found wise while being silent, and he is silent, for he has no answer." And this man possesses a certain quietness of mind; for having known that he has no answer, he keeps peace. "And he is wise, being silent, knowing the right time." This man is perfect.

And "my sorrow was renewed" (Psalm 39:10). Then the sorrow is renewed when the sinner stands in reflection upon what he has done, upon which it is necessary to grieve. And just as the sorrow received a renewal, renewal is to dwell in a house at first. A renewal, therefore, is to lead that which has already withered and is silent into flowering. "My sorrow" therefore "was renewed." Having said, "I kept my ways not to sin with my tongue" (Psalm 119:11), I knew that I had sinned. Therefore "my sorrow was renewed." And it is blessed for one who has sinned to experience a renewal of sorrow and not of pleasure; for he who rejoices over what he has done and brings those things back into the midst again, renews the sin. But he who grieves, having perceived that it is necessary to guard the ways and not to sin with the tongue, renews the sorrow, weeping and grieving, "working the sorrow according to God, which is repentance." In this, he grieves entirely in the recognizing that it has entirely happened in such matters.

"My heart was warmed within me" (Psalm 39:3). One may say: my heart has received heat just as warmth, and from the renewal of sorrow. And one may also say this: because I seized myself intensely and I am being consumed and I weep aloud the sorrow, "my heart was warmed," it has become fiery. "In" indeed "my practice, a fire burned up" (Psalm 39:2), consuming and making me ash; for they were hay and wood and other things. I have this consuming fire not only in the being perfected, but also in my practicing the sorrow. And the "within me" is also good. The heart becomes hot so that the heat spreads even to the outside. Those, indeed, who are burning with passion do not have a heart warmed within, but, having spread to the outside, they have the state of one being pressed. It is as if it were said: "I was troubled and I did not speak."