Readings that help me see my mistakes

"If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?..."

"Love is patient; love is kind...."

"Should a man nourish anger against his fellows and expect healing from the Lord?,..."

"...your light must shine before men so that they may see goodness in your acts and give praise to your heavenly Father."

James 3:16 - 4:3

"The harvest of justice is sown in peace for those who cultivate peace...."

Mat 5:21-26

"If you.... recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift at the altar, go first to be reconciled with your brother...."

Lk 6:17, 20-26

"But woe to you rich, for your consolation is now...."

Ps 50:1, 8, 12-13, 14-15, 23b

"Offer to God praise as your sacrifice and fulfill your vows to the Most High...."

Lk 6:27-38

Jesus said to his disciples:
"To you who hear me, I say:
Love your enemies,
do good to those who hate you;
bless those who curse you and
pray for those who maltreat you.
When someone slaps you on one cheek,
turn and give him the other;
when someone takes your coat,
let him have your shirt as well.
Give to all who beg from you.
When a man takes what is yours,
do not demand it back.
Do to others
what you would have them do to you.
If you love those who love you,
what credit is that to you?
Even sinners love those who love them.
If you do good to those who do good to you,
how can you claim any credit?
Sinners do as much.
If you lend to those from whom you expect repayment,
what merit is there in it for you?
Even sinners lend to sinners,
expecting to be repaid in full.

"Love your enemy and do good;
lend without expecting repayment.
Then will your recompense be great.
You will rightly be called sons of the Most High,
since he himself is good to the ungrateful and the wicked.

"Be compassionate, as your Father is compassionate.
Do not judge, and you will not be judged.
Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned.
Pardon, and you shall be pardoned.
Give, and it shall be given to you.
Good measure pressed down, shaken together,
running over, will they pour into the fold of your garment.
For the measure you measure with
will be measured back to you."

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1 Cor 13:4-7

Love is patient; love is kind.
Love is not jealous, it does not
put on airs, it is not snobbish.
Love is never rude, it is not self-
seeking, it is not prone to anger;
neither does it brood over injuries.
Love does not rejoice in what is
wrong but rejoices with the truth.
There is no limit to love's for-
bearance, to its trust, its hope,
its power to endure.

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Sir 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.
 Should a man nourish anger against his fellows
   and expect healing from the Lord?
 Should a man refuse mercy to his fellows,
   yet seek pardon for his own sins?
 If he 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;
  of the Most High's covenant, and overlook faults.

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Mat 5:13-16

Jesus said to his disciples: "You are the salt of the earth. But what if salt goes flat? How can you restore its flavor? Then it is good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Men do not light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket. They set it on a stand where it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, your light must shine before men so that they may see goodness in your acts and give praise to your heavenly Father."

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James 3:16-4:3

Where there are jealousy and strife, there also are inconstancy and all kinds of vile behavior. Wisdom from above, by contrast, is first of all innocent. It is also peaceable, lenient, docile, rich in sympathy and the kindly deeds that are its fruit, impartial and sincere. The harvest of justice is sown in peace for those who cultivate peace.

Where do the conflicts and disputes among you originate? Is it not your inner cravings that make war within your members? What you desire you do not obtain, and so you resort to murder. You envy and you cannot acquire, so you quarrel and fight. You do not obtain because you do not ask. You ask and you do not receive because you ask wrongly, with a view to squandering what you receive on your pleasures.

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Mat 5:21-26

"You have heard the commandment imposed on your forefathers, 'You shall not commit murder; every murderer will be liable to judgment.' What I say to you is: everyone who grows angry with his brother will be liable to judgment. Any man who uses abusive language toward his brother shall be answerable to the Sanhedrin, and if he holds him in contempt he risks the fires of Gehenna.

"If you bring your gift to the altar and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift at the altar, go first to be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Lose no time; settle with your opponent while on your way to court with him. Otherwise your opponent may hand you over to the judge, who will hand you over to the guard, who will throw you into prison. I warn you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny."

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Lk 6:17,20-26

When Jesus came down the mountain, he stopped at a level stretch where there were many of his disciples; a large crowd of people was with them from all Judea and Jerusalem and the coast of Tyre and Sidon. Then, raising his eyes to his disciples, he said:
"Blest are you poor; the reign of God is yours.
"Blest are you who hunger; filled you shall be.
"Blest are you who are weeping; you shall laugh.
"Blest shall you be when men hate you, when they ostracize you and insult you and proscribe your name as evil because of the Son of Man. On the day they do so, rejoice and exult, for your reward shall be great in heaven. Thus it was that their fathers treated the prophets.

"But woe to you rich, for your consolation is now.
"Woe to you who are full; you shall go hungry.
"Woe to you who laugh now; you shall weep in your grief.
"Woe to you when all speak well of you. Their fathers treated the false prophets in just this way."

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Psalm 50:1, 8, 12-13, 14-15, 23b

God the Lord has spoken and summoned the earth,
   from the rising of the sun to its setting.
"Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you,
   for your holocausts are before me always."

"If I were hungry, I would not tell you,
   for mine are the world and its fullness.
Do I eat the flesh of strong bulls,
   or is the blood of goats my drink?"

"Offer to God praise as your sacrifice
   and fulfill your vows to the Most High;
then call upon me in time of distress;
   I will rescue you, and you shall glorify me."

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Readings that help me see my mistakes.

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