Sirach 14:1-6, 14-16

"Happy are they who are not in anguish over their failings and who do not founder in despair. For if they are hard upon themselves, to whom will they be kind?"

Ecclesiasticus, of the Wisdom of Jesus the Son of Sirach, is not in Protestant versions of the Christian Bible, but it is in Roman Catholic Bibles. The book was included in the Greek version of the Jewish scriptures read by Paul and other Greek-speaking Christians in the early church, so it was included in the Christian Bible in the fourth century. Yet, because the Jewish rabbis at the end of the first century CE omitted Sirach from their Hebrew Bible, Sirach was omitted by Protestant reformers in translating the Old Testament.

Is Sirach scripture or isn't it? The answer depends on the community of faith you are in, and when you ask the question. For Greek-speaking Jews Sirach is scripture up into the first few centuries of the Christian era. For Hebrew-speaking Jews it is scripture before 100 CE, but not after that date. For Christians who read the Bible in Greek, it is scripture. For Christians who later read the Bible in Latin, it is in the Bible and used, but its omission from the Jewish canon is noted. For Roman Catholic Christians today, Sirach is in the Bible and is regularly used in lectionary readings.

This teaching from Sirach urges us to accept our shortcomings. If we cannot forgive ourselves, how will we forgive others?

Grace and peace...Bob