BEN SIRA 3

 Humility*     

17 My son, conduct your affairs with humility,  and you will be loved more than a giver of gifts.     

18 Humble yourself the more, the greater you are, and you will find mercy in the sight of God.

20 For great is the power of the Lord;  by the humble he is glorified.     

21 What is too sublime for you, do not seek; do not reach into things that are hidden from you.   

22 What is committed to you, pay heed to; what is hidden is not your concern.     

23 In matters that are beyond you do not meddle, when you have been shown more than you can understand.     

24 Indeed, many are the conceits of human beings;  evil imaginations lead them astray.

 Bible: New American Bible, Revised Edition 2011 (Kindle Locations 32025-32032).  . Kindle Edition. 

all good comes to us through the infinite mercy of God

 

Meditation of the Day

"The true reason for which God bestows so many graces upon the humble is this, that the humble are faithful to these graces and make good use of them. They receive them from God and use them in a manner pleasing to God, giving all the glory to Him, without reserving any for themselves. ... It is certainly true that he who is humble is also faithful to God, because the humble man is also just in giving to all their due, and above all, in rendering to God the things that are God's; that is, in giving Him the glory for all the good that he is, all the good that he has and for all the good that he does; as the Venerable Bede says: 'Whatever good we see in ourselves, let us ascribe it to God and not to ourselves.' To give thanks to God for all the blessings we have received and are continually receiving is an excellent means of exercising humility, because by thanksgiving we learn to acknowledge the Supreme Giver of every good. And for this reason it is necessary for us always to be humble before God. St. Paul exhorts us to render thanks for all things and at all times: 'In all things give thanks.' (1 Thess. 5:18). 'Giving thanks always for all things.' (Eph. 5:20). But that our thanksgiving may be an act of humility it must not only come from the lips but from the heart, with a firm conviction that all good comes to us through the infinite mercy of God." — Rev. Cajetan da Bergamo, p. 87-8