Forgave. Exalted. Conferred. Established.

From today’s reading…

Nearly 800 years after King David ruled, Sirach—Ben Sira—was a wise dude who loved the ancient scriptures, their traditions, and the moral lessons they taught.

He lived in Jerusalem and wrote in Hebrew but his grandson translated his writings into Greek around 117 B.C.

Nearly 2,000 years later, original Hebrew manuscripts were discovered so we now have nearly two-thirds of the original writings, which substantially agree with the Greek.

All of this confirms the lesson of today’s reading, that God loves us and forgives even our greatest sins. 

God can make kings from shepherds, warriors from young men, and saints from sinners.

All we need to do is…

Stay the course. Keep the faith. Endure.

Now go sell something.