Wisdom for All Circumstances

The last several weeks have been very trying, to put it lightly. Most of the time I am amazed at what God has allowed me to do / to witness. But, these last weeks, I am still amazed, but for a totally different reason. It reinforces the fact that the world needs a Savior.

I have been reading through the Bible. The one I am reading now is a Good News Bible that includes the Deuterocanonical books /Apocrypha. I feel I am going back to my "Catholic roots." I have just finished the book of Sirach (Ecclesiasticus). It has plenty of wisdom for the situations I face. Here are just some of the verses that have spoken to me during this time:

~ Keep quiet until the right time to speak, and you will gain a reputation for good sense. 1:24

~ Be like a father to orphans, and provide widows with the help their husbands can no longer give them. 4:10

~ Never abandon an old friend. 9:10

~ Your chief pride should be your fear of the Lord. 9:16b

~ It is not right to refuse honor to a poor person who is intelligent, and it is not right to give honor to a sinner. 10:23

~ Before you start criticizing, get your facts straight and think the matter through. 11:7

~ Don't get into an argument over something that is none of your business. 11:9

~ Do good to humble people, but don't give anything to those who are not devout. Don't give them food, or they will use your kindness against you. Every good thing you do for such people will bring you twice as much trouble in return. 12:5

~ If a person has a clear conscience and never gives up hope, he is certainly to be congratulated. 14:2

~ Be kind to your friends, be as generous as you can. 14:13b

~ It is not appropriate for a sinner to sing hymns of praise, because his worship is insincere. 15:9

~ Don't make yourself a beggar by borrowing for expensive banquets when you haven't enough money of your own. If you do, you never will get rich; if you don't pay attention to small matters you will eventually ruin yourself. 18:33-19:1

~ It is much better to rebuke the person than to keep your anger bottled up. 20:2

~ A wise person will not speak until the right moment. 20:7

~ Gifts and bribes make even wise men blind to the truth, and prevent them from being honest in their criticism.20:29

~ A man may be famous as a good speaker, but when he is wrong, a sensible person will detect it. 21:7

~ Gossips and liars deserve to be cursed, because they have been the ruin of many people who were minding their own business. 28:13

~ Be understanding with those who are poor. Don't keep them waiting for your generosity. 29:8

~ It is impolite to have a greedy eye. 31:13

~ Be moderate in everything you do and you will never be sick. 31:22

~ Never, as long as you live, give anyone power over you. 33:19a

~ As long as you have breath in your body, don't let anyone lead your life for you. 33:20a

~ Keep control over all that you do; don't let anything stain your reputation. 33:22