"not-ty" or nice?
"Say not..." —Sirach 5:1, 3, 4, 6
- "Say not: 'I have the power' " (Sir 5:1).
- Rather, say: "In weakness power reaches perfection" (2 Cor 12:9).
- "Say not: 'Who can prevail against Me?' " (Sir 5:3)
- Rather, say: "Without Jesus I can do nothing" (see Jn 15:5).
- "Say not: 'I have sinned, yet what has befallen me?' " (Sir 5:4)
- Rather, say: "The Lord, indeed, knows how to rescue devout men from trial, and how to continue the punishment of the wicked up to the day of judgment" (2 Pt 2:9).
- "Say not: 'Great is His mercy; my many sins He will forgive' " (Sir 5:6).
- Rather, say (and do): "Return to the Lord and give up sin" (Sir 17:20, 21).
Jesus said: "I assure you, on judgment day people will be held accountable for every unguarded word they speak. By your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned" (Mt 12:36- 37). Watch what you say. Speak the truth; do the truth (Eph 4:15).
Prayer: Father, be Lord of my mouth and life.
Promise: "Any man who gives you a drink of water because you belong to Christ will not, I assure you, go without his reward." —Mk 9:41
Praise: Mariano, a Christian businessman, witnesses to every customer with whom he deals. His secret of evangelization: "I listen attentively to them and am interested in what is going on in their life. Soon, when they return the favor, I tell them what Jesus is doing in my life."
Nihil Obstat: Reverend Robert L. Hagedorn, November 9, 1996
Imprimatur: †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, November 15, 1996