Watch your mouth!
A life night on Language/Speech/Profanity
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Watch your mouth!
Language/Speech/Profanity
Life Night Outline
Catechism Reference
# 2151
# 2164
# 2472
# 2475-2487
SCRIPTURE
Proverbs 21:23
Matthew 12:37
John 1:1
Romans 12:2
Colossians 3:12-13
Colossians 4:6
Key Concepts
• The words we speak hold power even
far beyond our understanding.
• The language we use has an affect on
our Christian identity.
• We must invite Christ to always be on
our mind, on our lips, and in our heart.
Goal
The goal of this Life Night is to help the teens understand that their words are
powerful and that we all need to watch what we say to one another. This night
will also look at how our speech can affect other people in both a positive and
a negative way. Finally, this night will address how our speech can shape our
Christian identity.
About this night
The Life Night begins with a fun competition to determine which teens are the
best at reciting simple tongue twisters. The teaching will break open the power
behind our words, and how what we say has an effect on our Christian identity.
The teens will have a chance to discuss how culture has shaped the use of
language, and then reflect on how their own use of language has affected others.
The night will close with a time of prayer inviting Christ to be always on their
minds, on their lips, and in their hearts.
Parental Notice
Bad language: we’ve all heard it from our teens at least once. The Life Night this
week will address our speech and how our words have power and shape our
Christian identity. We’ll look at different cultural influences on language and how
we can fight the temptation to give in. Post Colossians 4:6 in a place the whole
family can read and pray this week. Here are a few discussion questions for you
and your teen(s):
1.Who are a few people that have influenced the way you talk to people?
2.How have you seen your language affect our family?
3.What are a few ways you can try to better your language?
4.How can we as your family support you and pray for you this week?
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Environment
The environment for this night is simple. Create large signs with symbols like #$%
!*^ and post them all around the room. If possible, have famous speeches like Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr’s “I Have a Dream” speech playing in the background.
Notes
Media
Audio: “I Have A Dream” Speech (Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr).
GATHER 20 Minutes
Welcome and Introductions (5 min)
The youth minister should gather all the teens together and
welcome everyone to the Life Night. They should introduce
any teens at Life Night for the first time.
Tongue Twister Competition (15 min)
The youth minister should introduce the Life Night and ask
the teens to get into small groups with one Core Member
and no more than seven other teens (so eight teens total
per group). The Core Member will have eight short tongue
twisters and without looking at them each teen will pick one.
The youth minister will explain that each teen has one chance
to say the tongue twister correctly. The Core Member will be
the judge in the group. If a teen messes up, they are out of
the competition. After the first round, the teens that are out
of the competition will move aside and the teens left will pick
new tongue twisters. The game will continue until four teens
are left in the competition; these four teens will come forward
to recite a longer tongue twister. Just like in the small groups,
have the four teens pick a tongue twister and recite it. The last
teen in the game wins. Award the teen a prize that has to do
with the mouth: a toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, mouthwash,
tongue cleaner, etc.
Sample Short Tongue Twisters
• A big black bug bit a big black bear. But where is the big
black bear that the big black bug bit?
• Round and round the rugged rock the ragged rascal ran.
• Can you can a can as a canner can can a can?
• Six sleek swans swam swiftly southwards.
• Two tiny tigers take two taxis to town.
• Fat frogs flying past fast.
• Which witch wished which wicked wish?
• Old oily Ollie oils old oily autos.
Sample Final Round Tongue Twisters
• She sells seashells by the seashore. The shells she sells are
surely seashells. So if she sells shells on the seashore, I’m
sure she sells seashore shells.
• Silly Sally swiftly shooed seven silly sheep. The seven silly
sheep Silly Sally shooed shilly-shallied south. These sheep
shouldn’t sleep in a shack; sheep should sleep in a shed.
• If one doctor doctors another doctor, does the doctor who
doctors the doctor doctor the doctor the way the doctor he
is doctoring doctors? Or does he doctor the doctor the way
the doctor who doctors doctors?
• A tutor who tooted the flute tried to tutor two tooters to
toot. Said the two to the tutor: “Is it harder to toot or to
tutor two tooters to toot?”
proclaim 10 Minutes
“Watch Your Mouth”
Teaching (10 min)
Begin the teaching with a few fun facts about language/words.
Add a few more if desired.
• The approximate number of different languages spoken in
the world is 9600.
• The average number of words a female speaks in a day is
about 20,000.
• The average number of words a male speaks in a day is
about 7,000.
• The average age a child starts speaking is about 12 months.
For many of us, we never stop to think about the power of
language and words. But when we take a minute to think
about it, we’ll quickly realize how important speech is to our
everyday lives; we’ll also realize how much we are affected by
it.
Take a second to think about a time when someone said
something to you that had an impact on your life. (Give the
teens a few seconds to think.) For some of you, that impact
was positive. Maybe it was a teacher, a coach, or a parent that
spoke something to you that gave you hope. For others, the
impact was negative. Someone may have made fun of you,
even jokingly, and it stuck with you - or maybe someone
disrespected your character in front of a group of people. The
words we use and how we speak to one another has a great
and lasting impact: sometimes far more than we could ever
know.
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(The Core Member or youth minister giving the teaching
should share a story from his or her life of how they have
been impacted by someone’s words.)
Over the last several years, our culture has begun to say
that profanity and inappropriate language are acceptable.
We hear these words in songs, on TV, and even see them on
Facebook and Twitter. We’ve become so used to profanity
that we tend to just brush it off and move on - it doesn’t really
bother us. So... what’s the big deal?
The big deal is that we as Christians represent and stand for
something greater than ourselves. One of the most powerful
tools we have to share our faith is our speech. Think about St.
Paul for a moment. He traveled to many different places and
preached about Jesus Christ. He used his most powerful tool:
his words. Look what kind of impact he had! He represented
something greater. He projected an identity.
We only have one chance to make a first impression. The
words we use project an identity to others. We have a great
responsibility to stand above the culture and be accountable
to our speech. When you speak using profanity or in a
disrespectful way, you don’t simply represent yourself - you
represent the whole Body of Christ. Your words have power
and can lead someone away from Christ. On the other hand,
you also have a great opportunity bring someone closer to
Christ by the way you express kindness, gratitude, or hope
through your speech.
So, how do we apply this to our lives now? What are some
ways to help us clean up our speech?
1. Accountability
Find one or two people - friends or adults - to help keep you
accountable in your speech. Give them permission to ask you
about the things you are talking about, how you are speaking
to others, and what impact it is having on people. This will
take honesty on your part too. You have to be willing to be
honest about what you say (Matthew 12:37).
2. Change the Channel
Let’s be honest with each other: we’re never going to totally
escape profanity and inappropriate language. We live in a
culture that uses it, and whether we realize it or not, we are
influenced by it. With that being said, we don’t have to give
into it. If you find yourself liking a popular song or album
that uses profanity, find a clean version of it. If there isn’t one,
then don’t buy it. If a radio station or TV show you like has
suggestive content, find a new station or show. If a movie is
too suggestive or uses profanity in every other sentence, turn
it off. Getting rid of some outside influences will change how
you think, act, and speak (Romans 12:2).
3. Apologize
We all have people in our life who we’ve hurt because of
the way we spoke to them. Part of cleaning up our speech
is to make an effort to apologize for any hurt we’ve caused
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through our speech. This can be anything from arguing,
gossip, slander (ruining one’s reputation), name calling, or
disrespect. Most often, the people we’ve hurt the most are
those closest to us - like our family. Asking for forgiveness
when we’ve wronged someone takes great humility, but
can produce great healing and restoration of a relationship
(Colossians 3:12-13).
4. Self-Control
If we would all take a few minutes to think before we speak,
I’d bet what would come out of our mouths would be
different. Practicing self-control in our speech allows us to
cover our mouths and walk away when we feel compelled
to say something profane or inappropriate. When we stop
to think about what we are saying and how it might affect
someone, we allow room for the Holy Spirit to prompt us to
speak or walk away (Proverbs 21:23).
Words Matter. Let us pray that God would help us be living
witnesses to his Word in our speech.
Break 25 Minutes
Small Groups (15 min)
Instruct the teens to return to their small groups from
the beginning of the Life Night. Begin the small group
with introductions and an opening prayer. The goal of the
small group is to have the teens discuss how they’ve seen
influences of language within their culture. Use the following
questions as a guide:
• Who or what do you think are the biggest influences on the
way people use language?
• Who or what have been the biggest influence on the way
you use language?
• How have you seen bad language glorified in society?
• Do you think that our culture has been desensitized to
inappropriate language? Why or why not? If so, how have
you seen it happen?
• How has someone’s language affected you? How has your
language affected others?
• Of the four ways mentioned in the talk (accountability,
change the channel, apologize, self-control) which one
challenges you the most? Why?
• Do you think the way you speak has any kind of reflection
on your identity as a Christian? Why or why not? Can you
give an example?
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Individual Reflection (10 min)
After the time of discussion, give the teens an opportunity to
individually reflect on how their use of language has affected
their own lives as well as the lives of others. Give them each a
pen and the reflection sheet “The Power of Words,” found on
page 22. The Core Member should encourage the teens to be
honest with themselves and with God, as these will not be
shared out loud.
close the Life Night in thanksgiving for God’s Word: Jesus
Christ, and ask the intercession of Mary by praying the Hail
Mary and Ave Maria.
Before each teen leaves the Life Night, give each of them a
card with the following Scripture verse on it: “Let your speech
always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you know how
you should respond to each one” (Colossians 4:6).
Going Deeper
Send 20 Minutes
Recap of Life Night (5 min)
The youth minister should recap the Life Night, reminding the
teens that their words carry power and have a lasting impact.
As Christians they are called to live beyond the influence of
culture and to make an effort to use their speech as a tool to
build the Kingdom of God.
On my lips (15 min)
The prayer for this night will help the teens keep God’s Word
always on the forefront of their mind, lips, and heart. Set a
tone of prayer by lowering the lights and having soft music
playing in the background.
Introduce the time of prayer by using the following as a
guide:
• Challenge the teens to make a commitment to being
profanity-free for the whole week. Have a follow-up
gathering at the end of the week to pray and discuss how
they were able to fight the temptation to use inappropriate
speech.
Adapting the Life Night
• If the group is too large for the tongue twister competition,
pick eight teens to compete in front of the group. Pick and
guy and girl from each grade.
• Introduce the teaching with a few different ways language
has changed over the last few generations. Use simple
expressions like “hello,” “goodbye,” or “how are you?” as
examples.
• Have two young adults (one guy, one girl) give a short
witness how someone of the opposite sex using bad
language is unattractive.
In Mass before we read the Gospel, we always make a gesture
that many people don’t understand. This gesture is a simple
and beautiful prayer that we can use when we find ourselves
in a place of temptation to use language that does not build
the Body of Christ. We make the sign of the cross on our head,
lips, and heart and say “Glory to you, O Lord.” The purpose and
reason behind this gesture is that we are inviting the Word of
God to always be on our minds, on our lips, and in our hearts.
When we invite the Word of God to be on our minds, our lips,
and our hearts, we are asking him to purify our senses and be
constantly reminded of Christ. How different would our speech
be if we constantly kept Christ on our lips? Would be use profane
language? Would we disrespect others? Would we make fun
of others? We want to give you an opportunity to ask Christ to
come and be on your mind, on your lips, and in your heart. He’s
waiting. All you have to do is ask.
The youth minister should instruct the Core to stand around
the sides of the space. Explain to the teens that they will have
an opportunity to ask God to put his Word on their minds, on
their lips, and in their hearts before they speak. After a short
time of prayer, the teen (when he or she is ready) can go to
a Core Member who will lead them in a short prayer for the
purity of speech. The prayer will close with the teen making
the sign of the cross on their head, lips, and heart like they
would in Mass, and saying “Lord, be on my mind, on my lips,
and in my heart.” After everyone has had a chance for prayer
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The Power of words
Take a few minutes to think about each of the following questions. Use
the space provided to journal and answer each question honestly. These
answers will not be shared.
How has my speech affected or hurt my relationship with others? Can I think of a time specifically? How can I
make amends with that person I hurt?
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What affect has my speech had on my Christian identity? Positive or Negative? How can I be a better witness to
Christ in my speech?
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