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5 May 2012
God is on our side - Extracted from Psalm 46:
God is our shelter, our strength, ever ready to help in time of trouble, so we shall not be afraid when the earth give way, when mountains tumble into the depths of the sea, and its waters roar and seethe, the mountains tottering as it heaves.
(Yahweh Sabaoth is on our side, our citadel, the God of Jacob!)
There is a river whose streams refresh the city of God, and it sanctifies the dwelling of the Most High.
God is inside the city, she can never fall, at crack of dawn God helps her; to the roaring of nations and tottering of kingdoms, when he shouts, the world disintegrates.
Yahweh Sabaoth is on our side, our citadel, the God of Jacob!
Come, think of Yahweh’s marvels, the astounding things he has done in the world; all over the world he puts an end to wars, he breaks the bow, he snaps the spear, he gives shields to the flames.
‘Be still and know that I am God, exalted among the nations, exalted over the earth!’
Yahweh Sabaoth is on our side, our citadel, the God of Jacob!
God will dispense Justice- Extracted from Psalm 82
God stands in the divine assembly, among the gods he dispenses justice:
‘No more mockery of justice, no more favouring the wicked!
Let the weak and the orphan have justice, be fair to the wretched and destitute; rescue the weak and needy, save them from the clutches of the wicked!’
Ignorant and senseless, they carry on blindly, undermining the very basis of earthly society.
I once said, ‘You are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you, but all the same, you shall die like men; as one man, princes, you shall fall.
Rise, God, dispense justice throughout the world, since no nation is excluded from your ownership. |
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Fatherly Advice- Extracted from Ecclesiasticus / Sirach Chapter 6:
Apprenticeship to Wisdom
18 My child, from your earliest youth choose instruction, and till your hair is white you will keep finding wisdom.
19 Like ploughman and sower, cultivate her and wait for her fine harvest, for in tilling her you will toil a little while, but very soon you will be eating her crops.
20 How very harsh she is to the undisciplined! The senseless does not stay with her for long:
21 she will weigh as heavily on the senseless as a touchstone and such a person will lose no time in throwing her off;
22 for Wisdom is true to her name, she is not accessible to many.
23 Listen, my child, and take my advice, do not reject my counsel:
24 put your feet into her fetters, and your neck into her collar;
25 offer your shoulder to her burden, do not be impatient of her bonds;
26 court her with all your soul, and with all your might keep in her ways;
27 search for her, track her down: she will reveal herself; once you hold her, do not let her go.
28 For in the end you will find rest in her and she will take the form of joy for you:
29 her fetters you will find a mighty defence, her collars, a precious necklace.
30 Her yoke will be a golden ornament, and her bonds be purple ribbons;
31 you will wear her like a robe of honour, you will put her on like a crown of joy.
32 If you wish it, my child, you can be taught; apply yourself, and you will become intelligent.
33 If you love listening, you will learn, if you pay attention, you will become wise.
34 Attend the gathering of elders; if there is a wise man there, attach yourself to him.
35 Listen willingly to any discourse coming from God, do not let wise proverbs escape you.
36 If you see a man of understanding, visit him early, let your feet wear out his doorstep.
37 Reflect on the injunctions of the Lord, busy yourself at all times with his commandments. He will strengthen your mind, and the wisdom you desire will be granted you. |
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I am dying of melancholy because of the wrong I did in Jerusalem (around 175 B.C. to 134 B.C.) - Extracted from 1 Maccabees, Chapter 6 :
1 King Antiochus, meanwhile, was making his way through the Upper Provinces; he had heard that in Persia there was a city called Elymais, renowned for its riches, its silver and gold,
2 and its very wealthy temple containing golden armour, breastplates and weapons, left there by Alexander son of Philip, the king of Macedon, the first to reign over the Greeks.
3 He therefore went and attempted to take the city and pillage it, but without success, the citizens having been forewarned.
4 They resisted him by force of arms. He was routed, and began retreating, very gloomily, towards Babylon.
5 But, while he was still in Persia, news reached him that the armies which had invaded Judaea had been routed,
6 and that Lysias in particular had advanced in massive strength, only to be forced to turn and flee before the Jews; that the latter were now stronger than ever, thanks to the arms, supplies and abundant spoils acquired from the armies they had cut to pieces,
7 and that they had pulled down the abomination which he had erected on the altar in Jerusalem, had encircled the sanctuary with high walls as in the past, and had fortified Beth-Zur, one of his cities.
8 When the king heard this news he was amazed and profoundly shaken; he threw himself on his bed and fell sick with grief, since things had not turned out for him as he had planned.
9 And there he remained for many days, subject to deep and recurrent fits of melancholy, until he realized that he was dying.
10 Then, summoning all his Friends, he said to them, 'Sleep evades my eyes, and my heart is cowed by anxiety.
11 I have been wondering how I could have come to such a pitch of distress, so great a flood as that which now engulfs me - I who was so generous and well-loved in my heyday.
12 But now I recall how wrongly I acted in Jerusalem when I seized all the vessels of silver and gold there and ordered the extermination of the inhabitants of Judah for no reason at all.
13 This, I am convinced, is why these misfortunes have overtaken me, and why I am dying of melancholy in a foreign land.'
(Our Reflections: The wicked may triumph, but only a short while, and eventually they would share the same fate as king Antiochus. )
5 May 2012
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