Father Belet is not a canonized saint, and I don't even know his first name. But his advice is so right on. If we follow it, we too can become saints.
Gossip is a grave sin that can separate us from God and from our ultimate goal, of reaching Heaven. This is an evil we must strive to avoid. We also can't listen to gossip or encourage it, even if we remain silent. Father Belet of the Diocese of Basle in France wrote a booklet called Sins of the Tongue: The Backbiting Tongue. You can read this booklet for free by clicking here. It's also available for sale on Amazon.
Father Belet makes it clear that sins of the tongue can land us in hell. He relates the tale of two Catholic men, whom were good friends. One of them had the terrible habit of gossiping. His friend begged him to stop. But he didn't.
Both men had asked God for a favor. If one dies before the other, the deceased could send a message to his friend 30 days later. The man who gossiped was the first to go. God allowed him to "visit" his friend. But it was a disturbing encounter. The man told his friend that he would suffer in hell for all eternity, because of his unbridled tongue.
Backbiting is an ugly thing that often springs from envy. That's why I chose this very ugly picture, which you can see above.
Flickr photo by dingler1109
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