1st Reading – Sirach 27:30-28:7

Wrath and anger are hateful things,
yet the sinner hugs them tight.
The vengeful will suffer the LORD’s vengeance,
for he remembers their sins in detail.
Forgive your neighbor’s injustice;
then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven.
Could anyone nourish anger against another
and expect healing from the LORD?
Could anyone refuse mercy to another like himself,
can he seek pardon for his own sins?
If one who is but flesh cherishes wrath,
who will forgive his sins?
Remember your last days, set enmity aside;
remember death and decay, and cease from sin!
Think of the commandments, hate not your neighbor;
remember the Most High’s covenant, and overlook faults.

The Book of Sirach was written in Hebrew in the second century BC and later translated into Greek by the author’s grandson. It is part of the Catholic Old Testament but is not included in the Protestant canon.

Sirach teaches how faithfulness to God should shape the ordinary circumstances of life. In today’s reading, the author turns to anger, vengeance, and forgiveness, exposing the contradiction of asking God for mercy while refusing to extend mercy to another.

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