0:04

Hi, my

0:04

name is Father Mike Schmitz and you're listening to the Bible in

0:06

a Year podcast, where we encounter God's voice

0:08

and live life through the lens of Scripture. The Bible

0:10

in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension. Using

0:13

the Great Adventure Bible Timeline, we'll read all the way from

0:15

Genesis to Revelation, discovering how

0:17

the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that

0:19

story today. It's day 283, and so we're

0:21

reading 1 Maccabees chapter 2, Sirach

0:23

chapters 4, 5, and 6, as well as Proverbs

0:25

chapter 22, verses 1 through 4. As always, the Bible

0:28

translation we're reading from is the Revised Standard

0:30

Version, the Second Catholic Edition. I'm using the

0:32

Great Adventure Bible from Ascension. If you want to download your

0:34

own Bible in a Year reading plan, you can visit ascensionpress.com

0:37

slash Bible in a Year. You can also subscribe to this podcast

0:39

and receive daily episodes and daily updates every

0:41

single day, including today, day 283, 1 Maccabees chapter 2,

0:44

Sirach chapter 4, 5, and 6, Proverbs 22, verses 1

0:48

through 4.

0:52

1 Maccabees chapter 2, Mattathias

0:55

and his sons. In those

0:58

days, Mattathias, the son of John, son

1:00

of Simeon, a priest of the sons of Jorib,

1:02

moved from Jerusalem and settled in Modin.

1:05

He had five sons, John, surnamed

1:07

Gedi, Simon, called Thassi,

1:10

Judas, called Maccabeus, Eleazar,

1:13

called Avaron, and Jonathan, called Aphus.

1:15

He saw the blasphemies being committed in

1:18

Judah and Jerusalem and said, Alas,

1:20

why was I born

1:22

to see this, the ruin of my people, the

1:24

ruin of the holy city, and to dwell

1:26

there when it was given over to the enemy, the

1:28

sanctuary given over to aliens?

1:31

Her temple has become like a man without honor.

1:34

Her glorious vessels have been carried into captivity.

1:37

Her infants have been killed in her streets,

1:39

her youths by the sword of the foe. What

1:42

nation has not inherited her palaces and

1:44

has not seized her spoils? All

1:47

her adornment has been taken away, no

1:49

longer free. She has become a slave.

1:52

And behold, our holy place, our beauty,

1:54

and our glory have been laid waste.

1:56

The Gentiles have profaned it. Why

1:59

should we live any longer? longer.

2:01

And Mattathias and his sons tore their clothes,

2:04

put on sackcloth, and mourned greatly.

2:08

Pagon worship refused. Then

2:10

the king's officers, who were enforcing the apostasy,

2:13

came to the city of Modin to make them offer

2:15

sacrifice. Many from Israel came

2:17

to them, and Mattathias and his sons were assembled.

2:21

Then the king's officers spoke to Mattathias as

2:23

follows. You are a leader, honored

2:25

and great in this city, and supported by sons

2:28

and brothers. Now be the first

2:30

to come and do what the king commands, as all

2:32

the Gentiles and the men of Judah and those that are

2:34

left in Jerusalem have done. Then

2:36

you and your sons will be numbered among the friends

2:39

of the king, and you and your sons will

2:41

be honored with silver and gold and many

2:43

gifts. But Mattathias answered

2:45

and said in a loud voice, Even

2:48

if all the nations that live under the rule of the king

2:50

obey him, and have chosen to do his commandments,

2:53

departing each one from the religion of his fathers,

2:56

yet I and my sons and my brothers

2:58

will live by the covenant of our fathers.

3:01

Far be it from us to desert the law and the ordinances.

3:05

We will not obey the king's words by turning aside

3:07

from our religion to the right hand or

3:09

to the left. When he had finished

3:11

speaking these words, a Jew came forward

3:14

in the sight of all to offer sacrifice upon

3:16

the altar in Modin according to the king's command.

3:19

When Mattathias saw it, he burned with

3:22

zeal and his heart was stirred. He

3:24

gave vent to righteous anger, he ran and

3:26

killed him upon the altar. At the

3:28

same time, he killed the king's officer who was

3:30

forcing them to sacrifice, and he tore down

3:32

the altar. Thus he burned with

3:35

zeal for the laws, as Phineas did against

3:37

Zimri, the son of Sanu. Then

3:39

Mattathias cried out in the city with a loud

3:41

voice, saying, Let everyone who is zealous

3:43

for the law and supports the covenant come

3:45

out with me. And he and his sons fled

3:48

to the hills and left all that they had in

3:50

the city. Then many who

3:52

were seeking righteousness and justice went

3:54

down to the wilderness to dwell there, they, their

3:56

sons, their wives, and their cattle, because evils

3:59

pressed heavily upon them. And it was

4:01

reported to the king's officers and to the

4:03

troops in Jerusalem, the city of David, that

4:05

men who had rejected the king's command had

4:07

gone down to the hiding places in the wilderness.

4:10

Many pursued them and overtook them. They

4:13

encamped opposite them and prepared for battle against

4:15

them on the Sabbath day. And they said

4:17

to them, enough of this, come out and do

4:19

what the king commands and you will live. But

4:22

they said, we will not come out, nor

4:25

will we do what the king commands and so profane

4:27

the Sabbath day. And the enemy hastened

4:30

to attack them. But they did not answer them or

4:32

hurl a stone at them or block up their hiding

4:34

places. For they said, let us all die

4:36

in our innocence. Heaven and earth testify

4:39

for us that you are killing us unjustly.

4:42

So they attacked them on the Sabbath day and

4:44

they died with their wives and

4:46

children and cattle to the number of a thousand

4:48

persons. When Mattathias

4:51

and his friends learned of it, they mourned for

4:53

them deeply. And each said to his neighbor,

4:56

if we all do as our brethren have done and refuse

4:58

to fight with the Gentiles for our lives and for

5:00

our ordinances, they will quickly destroy us from

5:02

the earth. So they made this decision

5:05

that day. Let us fight against every

5:07

man who comes to attack us on the Sabbath day.

5:10

Let us not all die as our brethren died

5:12

in their hiding places. Counterattack.

5:14

Then

5:16

they are united with them, a company of Hasidians,

5:18

mighty warriors of Israel, everyone

5:20

who offered himself willingly for the law, and

5:23

all who became fugitives to escape their troubles

5:25

joined them and reinforced them. They

5:27

organized an army and struck down sinners

5:29

and their anger and lawless men in their wrath.

5:32

The survivors fled to the Gentiles for safety and

5:35

Mattathias and his friends went about and tore

5:37

down the altars. They forcibly circumcised

5:40

all the uncircumcised boys they found within the borders

5:42

of Israel. They hunted down the arrogant

5:44

men and the work prospered in their hands.

5:47

They rescued the law out of the hands of the Gentiles

5:49

and kings and they never let the sinner

5:52

gain the upper hand. Last

5:54

words of Mattathias. Now

5:57

the days drew near for Mattathias to die.

6:00

And he said to his sons, Arrogance

6:02

and reproach have now become strong. It

6:04

is a time of ruin and furious anger. Now

6:07

my children, show zeal for the

6:09

law and give your lives for the covenant

6:11

of our fathers. Remember the deeds

6:13

of our fathers, which they did in their generations

6:16

and receive great honor and an everlasting name. Was

6:19

not Abraham found faithful when tested and

6:22

it was reckoned to him as righteousness. Joseph

6:24

in the time of his distress kept the commandment and

6:27

became Lord of Egypt. Phineas

6:29

our father, because he was deeply zealous,

6:31

received the covenant of everlasting priesthood.

6:34

Joshua, because he fulfilled the command,

6:36

became a judge in Israel. Caleb,

6:39

because he testified in the assembly, received

6:41

an inheritance in the land. David,

6:44

because he was merciful, inherited the throne

6:47

of the kingdom forever. Elijah,

6:49

because of great zeal for the law, was taken

6:51

up into heaven. Hananiah, Azariah

6:54

and Mishael believed and were saved

6:57

from the flame. Daniel, because

6:59

of his innocence, was delivered from the mouth

7:01

of the lions. And so

7:03

observe from generation to generation

7:06

that none who put their trust in him will lack

7:08

strength. Do not fear the words

7:10

of a sinner, for his splendor will turn into

7:12

dung and worms. Today

7:14

he will be exalted, but tomorrow he

7:16

will not be found, because he has returned to

7:19

the dust and his plans will perish.

7:22

My children,

7:23

be courageous and grow strong in

7:25

the law, for by it you will gain

7:27

honor. Now behold,

7:30

I know that Simeon, your brother, is wise in counsel.

7:33

Always listen to him. He shall be your father. Judas

7:36

Maccabeus has been a mighty warrior from his

7:38

youth. He shall command the army for you

7:41

and fight the battle against the peoples. You

7:43

shall rally about you all who observe the law

7:46

and avenge the wrong done to your people.

7:48

Pay back the Gentiles in full and heed what

7:50

the law commands. Then

7:52

he blessed them and was gathered to his fathers.

7:56

He died in the 146th year and was buried in the tomb of his father. and

8:01

all Israel mourned for him with great lamentation.

8:09

The Book of Sirach, Chapter 4 Precepts

8:12

for Everyday Life My

8:14

son, do not deprive the poor of

8:16

his living, and do not keep needy eyes

8:19

waiting. Do not grieve the one

8:21

who is hungry, nor anger a man in want.

8:24

Do not add to the troubles of an angry mind, nor

8:26

delay your gift to a beggar. Do

8:29

not reject an afflicted suppliant, nor

8:31

turn your face away from the poor. Do

8:34

not avert your eye from the needy, nor give

8:36

a man occasion to curse you. For

8:38

if in bitterness of soul he calls down a curse upon

8:40

you, his Creator will hear his prayer.

8:44

Make yourself beloved in the congregation. Bow

8:47

your head low to a great man. Incline

8:49

your ear to the poor, and answer him peaceably

8:52

and gently. Deliver him

8:54

who is wronged from the hand of the wrongdoer, and

8:56

do not be faint-hearted in judging a case. Be

8:59

like a father to orphans, and instead

9:01

of a husband to their mother. You

9:03

will then be like a son of the Most High, and

9:06

he will love you more than does your mother. Wisdom

9:09

breathes life into her sons, and gives help

9:12

to those who seek her. Whoever

9:14

loves her loves life, and

9:16

those who seek her early will win the Lord's

9:18

good favor. Whoever holds fast

9:20

will obtain glory, and the Lord will bless

9:23

the place she enters. Those

9:25

who serve her will minister to the Holy One.

9:27

The Lord loves those who love her. He

9:30

who obeys her will judge the nations,

9:33

and whoever gives heed to her will dwell

9:35

secure. If he has

9:37

faith in her, he will obtain her, and

9:39

his descendants will remain in possession of her. For

9:42

she will walk with him in disguise, and at first

9:44

she will put him to the test. She

9:47

will bring fear and cowardice upon him, and

9:49

will torment him by her discipline, until

9:51

he holds her in her thoughts, and she trusts

9:53

him. Then she will come

9:55

straight back to him, and strengthen him. She

9:58

will gladden him, and will reveal her soon. secrets

10:00

to him, and store up for him knowledge and

10:02

the discernment of what is right. But

10:05

if he goes astray she will forsake him, and

10:07

give him over into the hands of his foe. Observe

10:11

the right time, and beware of evil, and

10:13

do not bring shame upon yourself. For

10:15

there is a shame which brings sin, and

10:18

there is a shame which is glory and favor.

10:21

Do not show partiality to your own harm, or

10:24

deference to your downfall. Do not refrain

10:26

from speaking at the crucial time, and do not

10:28

hide your wisdom. For wisdom

10:30

is known through speech, and education

10:33

through the words of the tongue. Never

10:35

speak against the truth, but

10:38

be mindful of your ignorance. Do

10:40

not be ashamed to confess your sins, and

10:42

do not try to stop the current of a river.

10:46

Do not subject yourself to a foolish fellow,

10:48

nor show partiality to a ruler. Drive

10:51

even to death for the truth, and the

10:53

Lord God will fight for you. Do

10:56

not be reckless in your speech, or sluggish

10:58

and remiss in your deeds. Do

11:00

not be like a lion in your home, nor

11:03

be a fault finder with your servants. Let

11:05

not your hand be extended to receive, but

11:07

withdraw when it is time to repay.

11:13

Do not set your heart on your wealth, nor say,

11:15

I have enough. Do not follow

11:17

your inclination and strength, walking according

11:19

to the desires of your heart. Do

11:21

not say, Who will have power over me?

11:24

Or Who will bring me down because of my deeds?

11:27

For God will surely punish you. Do

11:29

not say, I have sinned, and what happened to me?

11:33

For the Most High is slow to anger. Do

11:35

not be so confident of atonement that you

11:38

add sin to sin. Do

11:40

not say, His mercy is great, He will

11:42

forgive the multitude of my sins. For

11:45

both mercy and wrath are with Him, and

11:47

His anger rests on sinners. Do

11:50

not delay to turn to the Lord, nor

11:52

postpone it from day to day. For

11:55

suddenly the wrath of the Lord will go forth,

11:57

and at the time of punishment you will perish.

12:01

Do not depend on dishonest wealth, for

12:03

it will not benefit you in the day of calamity.

12:07

Do not winnow with every wind, nor follow

12:09

every path. The double-tongued sinner

12:11

does that. Be steadfast

12:13

in your understanding, and let your speech be consistent.

12:17

Be quick to hear, and be deliberate

12:19

in answering. If you have understanding,

12:22

answer your neighbor. But if not, put

12:25

your hand on your mouth. History

12:27

and dishonor come from speaking, and a man's

12:30

tongue is his downfall. Do

12:32

not be called a slanderer, and do not lie

12:34

in ambush with your tongue. For shame

12:37

comes to the thief, and severe condemnation

12:39

to the double-tongued. In

12:41

great or small matters, do not act amiss,

12:44

and do not become an enemy instead of a friend.

12:47

Chapter 6

12:49

For a bad name incurs shame and

12:51

reproach, so fares the double-tongued

12:53

sinner. Do not exalt

12:55

yourself through your soul's counsel, lest

12:58

your soul be torn in pieces like a bull. You

13:01

will devour your leaves and destroy your fruit,

13:03

and will be left like a withered tree. An

13:06

evil soul will destroy him who has it,

13:09

and make him the laughing stock of his enemies. A

13:12

pleasant voice multiplies friends and softens

13:14

enemies, and a gracious tongue multiplies

13:17

courtesies. Let those that

13:19

are at peace with you be many, but

13:21

let your advisers be one in a thousand.

13:24

Can you gain a friend, gain him through testing,

13:27

and do not trust him hastily? For

13:29

there is a friend who is such at his own convenience,

13:32

but will not stand by you in your

13:34

day of trouble. And there is a friend

13:36

who changes into an enemy, and will

13:38

disclose a quarrel to your disgrace. And

13:41

there is a friend who is a table companion, but

13:44

will not stand by you in your day of trouble. In

13:46

prosperity he will make himself your equal,

13:49

and be bold with your servants. But

13:51

if you are brought low, he will turn against

13:53

you, and will hide himself from your presence.

13:56

Keep yourself far from your enemies, and be on

13:58

guard toward your friends.

14:00

A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter.

14:03

He that has found one has found a treasure.

14:06

There is nothing so precious as

14:08

a faithful friend, and no scales can

14:10

measure his excellence. A

14:12

faithful friend is an elixir of life,

14:15

and those who fear the Lord will find him. Whoever

14:18

fears the Lord directs his friendship aright, for

14:21

as he is, so is his neighbor also.

14:24

My son, from your youth up

14:27

choose instruction, and until you

14:29

are old you will keep finding wisdom. Come

14:31

to her like one who plows and sows, and

14:33

wait for her good harvest. For

14:36

in her service you will toil a little while, and

14:38

soon you will eat of her produce. She

14:40

seems very harsh to the uninstructed, a weakling

14:43

will not remain with her. She

14:45

will weigh him down like a heavy testing stone,

14:48

and he will not be slow to cast her off. For

14:51

wisdom is like her name, and is not

14:53

manifest to many. Listen,

14:56

my son, and accept my judgment. Do

14:58

not reject my counsel. Put

15:00

your feet into her chains, and your neck into

15:03

her collar. Put your shoulder under

15:05

her, and carry her, and do not fret under

15:07

her bonds. Come to her with

15:09

all your soul, and keep her ways with all

15:11

your might. Search out and

15:14

seek, and she will become known to you.

15:17

And when you get hold of her, do not let

15:19

her go. For at last you

15:21

will find the rest she gives, and she

15:23

will be changed into joy for you. Then

15:26

her chains will become for you a strong protection,

15:29

and her collar a glorious robe. Her

15:32

yoke is a golden ornament, and her bonds

15:34

are a cord of blue. You will

15:36

wear her like a glorious robe, and put

15:38

her on like a crown of gladness. If

15:42

you are willing, my son, you will be taught.

15:44

And if you apply yourself, you will become clever.

15:47

If you love to listen, you will gain knowledge, and

15:49

if you incline your ear, you will become wise.

15:53

Stand in the assembly of the elders. Who

15:55

is wise? Cling to him. Be ready

15:58

to listen to every narrative. leads

18:00

this revolt basically saying we will not do this.

18:02

In fact, what happens is

18:05

they point him out and say, Mattathias,

18:07

you're a leader, you're respected. Come up here and show

18:09

people that they can offer this

18:11

sacrifice. They can do this small

18:14

thing. They can be friends of the king

18:16

and you'd be honored. You

18:18

and your sons will be honored with silver and gold, many gifts.

18:21

And Mattathias has the answer, right? Mattathias says,

18:23

no, I'm not going to do that. And what happens?

18:26

And he says, as he finished speaking, a

18:28

Jew came forward in the site of all to offer sacrifice.

18:30

And Mattathias sees this and just like Phineas,

18:32

remember that story back in the earlier in the Old Testament,

18:35

just like Phineas, Mattathias is roused

18:37

up by this righteous anchor and he kills him.

18:40

And then he also kills the king's

18:42

ambassador. And it's one of those kinds of situations you're

18:44

like, Whoa, you just went from zero to 60

18:46

things went from, okay, we're kind

18:49

of oppressed to, oh my gosh, we have to fight

18:51

now. And so that's what he does. He is everyone who

18:53

wants to fight. Everyone wants to live free, come out

18:55

into the Hills with me. And they

18:57

begin to wage this guerrilla warfare

19:00

upon not only just not

19:02

just upon the Greeks, but also upon

19:05

their fellow Jews who are not faithful

19:07

to the law. I mean, this, as I said, and

19:10

we've said so many times, just because something's in the

19:12

Bible doesn't mean that it's a good thing.

19:14

Just because a hero of a

19:17

section of the Bible is doing something doesn't mean that that's the

19:19

right thing for them to be doing. It's just what

19:21

they did. Right. And so as an example,

19:24

Mattathias and his sons and the band

19:27

that was with them, didn't just turn and

19:29

fight the Greeks. They also turned and

19:31

as it says, forcibly circumcised those

19:33

boys who were not circumcised, that kind of

19:35

sense of like, okay, they hunted down the arrogant men

19:38

and work prospered in their hands. They also

19:40

rescued out of the law out of the hands of the Gentiles and Kings.

19:43

And they never let the sinner gain the upper hand. There's something

19:45

about this that's just like, okay, they,

19:47

when they start, you know, this is the thing when war

19:49

breaks out, there's a lot of ugliness.

19:52

It breaks out when war breaks out, you guys, anyone

19:54

who's listening to this part of this Bible into your community,

19:57

if you've been in war, you know exactly what we're talking

19:59

about. When you cross that bridge, it

20:01

is oftentimes incredibly, incredibly

20:04

deadly. What happens? And

20:06

just incredibly destructive, obviously. At

20:10

the end of Chapter 2, what happens is Mattathias

20:12

is going to die, then he dies. But before he

20:14

dies, he entrusts a couple different responsibilities

20:17

and duties to two of his sons. One,

20:19

he says, we know Simeon is wise in counsel,

20:21

so listen to him. He'll be your father. But

20:23

then Judas Maccabeus has been a mighty warrior

20:26

for misdeeds. In fact, the word Maccabeus, Maccabeus,

20:28

means the hammer. Judas Maccabeus is his nickname, right?

20:31

He's Judas the Hammer. And he's going

20:33

to be command of the army, fight the battle against

20:35

the people. So you should rally about you,

20:38

all who observe the law, and avenge the wrong done to your people.

20:41

And so that's what happens. They launch this guerrilla

20:43

warfare led by Judas Maccabeus, Judas

20:46

the Hammer against, as we said, against

20:48

the Greeks and against the Gentiles in order to try

20:50

to be free. In fact, I don't want to give anything away,

20:52

but they established a sovereign state for

20:54

a while. Give or take, I don't know, a hundred

20:57

years or so. But they have to,

20:59

they do this through violence. They do this through stuff

21:02

that we wouldn't want to be part of. But

21:05

for love of the law, for love of the freedom

21:07

that God made them for, for love of worship

21:10

of God, this is what they're about to do. And

21:12

so that's where we're at now.

21:14

If we jump over to Siroc 4, 5, and 6. So

21:17

good. There's that sense of like precepts for everyday

21:20

life. The first beginning of this is this

21:22

reminder, take care of the poor, take

21:25

care of those who beg. I love this. It's

21:27

just because this is what we need to hear. That's why I say I love it.

21:30

In Chapter 4, verse 5, it says,

21:32

Do not avert your eye from the needy, nor give

21:34

a man occasion to curse you. Do not avert

21:36

your eye from the needy. Gosh, you

21:38

guys, how many times do we pull up to

21:41

a stoplight and there's someone begging

21:43

on the corner? And I just like,

21:45

yep, just looks right ahead, looks right ahead. Look

21:47

down at your knuckles on the steering wheel. Look

21:50

anywhere except for into the eyes of this person

21:52

who's begging. But hear scripture,

21:54

do not avert your eye

21:56

from the needy.

21:58

And I just, I'm convicted by this. That's so

22:00

important. I know there's

22:02

a book of Siroc and book of wisdom.

22:05

It's kind of like Proverbs on steroids, if

22:08

that's the way to say it. So my invitation

22:10

for us is when we hear the book

22:12

of Siroc and we hear the book of wisdom, kind

22:15

of like Proverbs, is to have your Bible with

22:17

you if you can, because there's something

22:19

so powerful about being able to follow along.

22:22

All this stringing together of pieces of

22:24

wisdom is really, really incredible.

22:26

For example, in chapter six, I mean, there's so many things

22:29

I would like to highlight for y'all, but we

22:31

have to

22:32

limit ourselves. I'm sorry. Chapter six

22:34

talks about friendship. My gosh,

22:37

this is incredible. Let those that are at peace

22:39

with you be many like your acquaintances. Let your acquaintances

22:41

be many, but let your advisor, advisors

22:44

be one in a thousand. How often,

22:46

golly, how often are we in a position

22:48

where take advice from whoever? Yeah,

22:51

I know this person. I'll trust them and I'll take their

22:53

advice. No, scripture says, yeah,

22:56

let your acquaintances, many, anybody can

22:58

be your acquaintance. Anyone can be your pal, but

23:00

let your advisor be one in a thousand.

23:02

Next in chapter six, verse seven,

23:04

the very next verse,

23:05

this is so important, especially, I mean, gosh,

23:08

how many of us wish we would have heard this piece

23:10

of wisdom when we were in middle school or high school?

23:12

It says, when you gain a friend, gain

23:14

him through testing and do not trust

23:16

him hastily.

23:18

Sometimes

23:20

we meet someone and we have something in common with them. They seem fun.

23:23

They seem charming. They seem like we agree on

23:25

a lot of stuff

23:26

and

23:28

we trust them before testing them.

23:31

Here's scripture. When you gain a friend, gain

23:33

him through testing, do not trust him hastily

23:36

and describes three kinds of friends. There's a friend

23:38

who is such at his own convenience, but will

23:40

not stand by you in your day of trouble. So

23:42

friendships of convenience. Here's a friend who changes

23:45

into an enemy and will disclose a quarrel

23:47

to your disgrace. Think about that. How

23:50

many times do you not only have a friend who is a fair weather

23:52

friend, but also if a friend who actually

23:54

turns out to misuse

23:56

and abuse the trust that you've given to them. And

23:59

there's a friend who is a tailor. table companion but

24:01

will not stand by you in your day of trouble. Table

24:03

companion basically means someone you've entered

24:06

into deep friendship with to seal the

24:08

covenant a lot of times there would be a meal. So

24:11

your table companion but will not stand by you

24:13

in your day of trouble. In prosperity he will make himself

24:15

your equal and be bold with your servants like, yeah,

24:17

he walks into your home like he owns a place. But

24:19

if you are brought low, he will turn against you and

24:22

will hide himself from your presence. But

24:24

then again, here's the positive. A faithful friend

24:26

is a sturdy shelter. He that has

24:28

found one has found a treasure. There

24:30

is nothing so precious as a faithful friend and

24:33

no scales can measure his excellence. A

24:35

faithful friend is an elixir of life. Those

24:38

who fear the Lord will find him. Whoever

24:40

fears the Lord directs his friendships are right. For

24:43

as he is, so is his neighbor also.

24:46

That's, gosh, so good. There's

24:49

so many other pieces of gold in

24:51

this book of Sirach. So again, as I said, I don't

24:54

tell your business, but I think it'd be really

24:56

a blessing to you if even for just

24:58

the next number of days, 30 days, when

25:01

we listen to make a note, be

25:03

able to watch, to read as well, if you

25:05

can. And if you can't, go back and

25:07

say, oh, I need to go back and reread some Sirach when I

25:09

get home. If you're reading, listening in the car, whatever

25:11

you are, just could be a really powerful thing to

25:14

be able to do. But then again, as I said, I'm

25:16

not here to tell your own business. I'm just here

25:18

to proclaim the word of God and just

25:20

be part of your life. And I'm so glad

25:22

you're part of my life. I am praying for you every

25:24

single day. Please,

25:26

please pray for me. My name is Father Mike. I

25:28

cannot wait to see you tomorrow.