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Wisdom of Sirach 25:1 LXX

There are three things beautiful to see,
And they are beautiful before the Lord and men:
The harmony of brothers, friendship between neighbors,
And a wife and husband well-adjusted together.

Encouraging Words

Unity is such an important aspect of a committed Christian life. Jesus prayed for it. Paul prayed for it and wrote about it. And throughout the scriptures and teachings of our fathers, it is held in highest regard. Why is this? Unity has its roots in eternity Our God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is the perfect example of unity. Three in one, and one in three, each with their own role and yet all with one role. This is what we are called to do, to be in unity with all around us, even to the point of sacrificing ourselves and our desires. Glory be to God!

Wisdom of Sirach 2:27 LXX

Who will set a guard over my mouth,
And a prudent seal over my lips,
That I may not fall because of them,
And that my tongue may not destroy me?

Personal Challenge

I need my Lord to be the guardian of my mouth because left to my own capabilities I cannot properly bridle my tongue. It may not be harsh or profane words that I speak, but if I enter into conversations a bout another, or participate in gossip, then my tongue has become offensive. Once a word is spoken then it is impossible to bring it back in, so it is important to learn how to speak deifying words or to not speak at all. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Wisdom of Sirach 21:1-3 LXX

My son, have you sinned?
No longer add to them, but pray about your former sins.
Flee from sin as you would from the presence of a snake,
For if you approach it, it will bite you;
Its teeth are like lion’s teeth, destroying the souls of men.
All lawlessness is like a two- edged sword,
For there is no healing from its wound.

Personal Challenge

When Jesus would forgive people of their sins and heal them of their infirmities He told them to go and sin no more. He does not chastise us when we confess our sins to Him. He forgives us and tells us to stop committing the sin. This is what repentance should be in our lives. When we sin we should run to Jesus for forgiveness and then do everything we can to run away from those conditions, those thoughts and attitudes, anything that will lead us back into this sin. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me the sinner!

Wisdom of Sirach 20:5-7 LXX

There is a man who is silent but is found to be wise,
And there is a man who is hateful because he talks too much.
There is a man who is silent because he has no answer,
And there is a man who is silent because he knows when to speak.
A wise man will keep silent until it is the right time to speak,
But an arrogant and undiscerning man will speak out of turn.

Personal Challenge

As I progress further and further along the journey of my life and try harder to understand the ways of my Lord and who He wants me to be, the less I am becoming interested in politics and the things of this world. This is so because I am not a citizen of this world but an ambassador of another kingdom. I do exercise my responsibilities because as an ambassador I am to be a good representative of my homeland abiding by the laws of the land in which I live. This passage causes me great concern as I survey the decrepit state of our political system as it is today. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

St. Ambrose of Milan stated, “Now what ought we to learn before everything else, but to me silent, that we may be able to speak? Lest my voice should condemn me, before that of another acquit me, it is written: ‘By thy words thou shalt be condemned.’” Oh, how much we, as a people who call ourselves a “Christian” nation, have forgotten these teachings and have become so enamored with rhetoric, self aggrandizement, and putdowns of this around us.

Wisdom of Sirach 18:18-20 LXX

Before you speak, learn,
And before you get sick, take care of your health.
Before you make a judgment, examine yourself closely,
And in the hour of visitation you will find atonement.
Before you become sick, humble yourself;
And at the time of sinning, prove your conversion.

Personal Challenge

There are two ways that we can live our lives: reactively or proactively. Since our culture has made us so comfortable with instant gratification we have become a people that live our lives reactively. I don’t have to plan for anything because I can usually find something to fill my need that is prepackaged, fast, and disposable. I don’t have to be responsible for my actions, or inactions, because I expect someone else to be responsible instead. But as God’s children we are admonished to live our lives proactively and with personal responsibility. This does not mean that we are to be controlling or always focusing on the future, almost to the state of being fearful. It means preparing our minds and hearts so that we can appropriately deal with situations as they arise. I must invest time in learning the ways of my Lord, studying His teachings, praying to Him, forming my life into His image before I can speak words that glorify Him and edify my neighbor. I must constantly be examining my heart before I can speak into the life of another. I cannot avoid temptations and sins in my life if I am not practicing humility and following in the footsteps of my Lord. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Wisdom of Sirach 18:4-6 LXX

Who will measure His majestic power with a number,
And who will add to this measure
While describing His mercies?
There is no one who can add or subtract,
And there is no who can search out the wonders of the Lord.
When a man completes his search, then he starts over;
And when he stops, he will still be perplexed.

Personal Challenge

As followers of Christ, we desire to know Him and to live our lives like His. We do this by pursuing Him, praying to Him, studying about Him, amassing as much knowledge and understanding about Him with the hope that we can fully know Him. However, as we proceed through this life on our journey to theosis we find that the more we get to know Jesus, the more that we realize that we do not know Him at all. And then our journey begins again. It is a mystery and one to be marveled at. Glory be to God!

Wisdom of Sirach 17:24-26 LXX

How great the mercy of the Lord is,
And His atonement for those who turn to Him.
For all things are not possible for man,
Because a son of man is not immortal.

Encouraging Words

There is nothing that I can do to earn or generate atonement for my sins. Only through the great mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ can atonement be provided. He is both the High Priest and the Sacrificial Lamb and it is through Him that the great love of our God is poured out on us and all of His creation. Glory be to God!

Wisdom of Sirach 17:5-8 LXX

He gave mankind the ability to deliberate,
And a tongue, eyes and ears, and a heart to think with.
He filled them with the skill of comprehension
And showed them good and evil.
He set His eye upon their hearts
To show them the majesty of His works.
They will praise His holy name
So as to fully describe the majesty of His works.

Encouraging Words

We were created in the image of God and oh what a glorious image that is. We are set apart from the rest of creation because of this and there is quite a responsibility that this goes with this. I love how this passage points out that we have been created with a heart to think. We have become so enamored with the intellect, logic, and reason, that we have forgotten that it is within our heart that our Lord and Savior has taken up residence and that is from there that we should govern our lives. And to reinforce this we are also told that He will show us the majesty of His works through His eye that is placed on our hearts. Glory be to God!

Wisdom of Sirach 14:20-22 LXX

Blessed is the man who practices wisdom
And discourses with insight.
Whoever ponders the ways of wisdom in his heart
Will also reflect on her secrets.
Pursue wisdom like a tracker
And lie in wait on her paths.

Personal Challenge

I wonder how many people in this, my generation, have ever tracked an animal. In my youth, I used to do this. It is a lot of work and takes much patience. First you must be willing to be silent and do everything that you can to disappear into your surroundings. then you must focus so intently on the object that you are tracking that you almost become one with it. Where it looks, you look. When it breathes, you breathe. When it moves, you move. You get so lost into the animal and the tracking that you no longer exist. What an awesome metaphor this author uses for how we should pursue Wisdom, our Lord Jesus Christ. We must be so intent on our focus of finding Him that we disappear and He appears. Glory be to God!