My last post of scripture was back in December. Here is an update from this month’s Magnificat.
Isaiah 45:18
For thus says the Lord,
The creator of the heavens,
who is God,
The designer and maker of the earth
who established it,
Not as an empty waste* did he create it,
but designing it to be lived in:
I am the Lord, and there is no other.
2 Corinthians 3:17
Now the Lord is the Spirit,* and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
John 16:33
I have told you this so that you might have peace in me. In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world.
Zechariah 8:16-17
These then are the things you must do: Speak the truth to one another;h judge with honesty and complete justice in your gates.
Let none of you plot evil against another in your heart, nor love a false oath. For all these things I hate, says the Lord.
Sirach 4:11-19
Wisdom breathes life into her children
and admonishes all who seek her.
He who loves her loves life;
those who seek her will be embraced by the Lord.
He who holds her fast inherits glory;
wherever he dwells, the Lord bestows blessings.
Those who serve her serve the Holy One;
those who love her the Lord loves.
He who obeys her judges nations;
he who hearkens to her dwells in her inmost chambers.
If one trusts her, he will possess her;
his descendants too will inherit her.
She walks with him as a stranger
and at first she puts him to the test;
Fear and dread she brings upon him
and tries her with her discipline
until she try him by her laws and trust his soul.
Then she comes back to bring him happiness
and reveal her secrets to him
and she will heap upon him
treasures of knowledge and an understanding of justice
But if he fails her, she will abandon him
and deliver him into the hands of despoilers.
Sirach 6:5-17
Pleasant speech multiplies friends,
and gracious lips, friendly greetings.
Let those who are friendly to you be many,
but one in a thousand your confidant.
When you gain friends, gain them through testing,b
and do not be quick to trust them.
For there are friends when it suits them,
but they will not be around in time of trouble.
Another is a friend who turns into an enemy,
and tells of the quarrel to your disgrace.
Others are friends, table companions,
but they cannot be found in time of affliction.
When things go well, they are your other self,
and lord it over your servants.
If disaster comes upon you, they turn against you
and hide themselves.
Stay away from your enemies,
and be on guard with your friends.
Faithful friends are a sturdy shelter;
whoever finds one finds a treasure.
Faithful friends are beyond price,
no amount can balance their worth.
Faithful friends are life-saving medicine;
those who fear God will find them.
Those who fear the Lord enjoy stable friendship,
for as they are, so will their neighbors be.