Saint Bernardine of Siena, Priest

1Don’t set your heart upon your goods.

Don’t say, “They are sufficient for me.”

2Don’t follow your own mind and your strength

to walk in the desires of your heart.

3Don’t say, “Who will have dominion over me?”

for the Lord will surely take vengeance on you.

4Don’t say, “I sinned, and what happened to me?”

for the Lord is patient.

5Don’t be so confident of atonement

that you add sin upon sins.

6Don’t say, “His compassion is great.

He will be pacified for the multitude of my sins,”

for mercy and wrath are with him,

and his indignation will rest on sinners.

7Don’t wait to turn to the Lord.

Don’t put off from day to day;

for suddenly the wrath of the Lord will come on you,

and you will perish in the time of vengeance.

8Don’t set your heart upon unrighteous gains,

for you will profit nothing in the day of calamity.

1Blessed is the man who doesn’t walk in the counsel of the wicked,

nor stand on the path of sinners,

nor sit in the seat of scoffers;

2but his delight is in the LORD’s law.

On his law he meditates day and night.

3He will be like a tree planted by the streams of water,

that produces its fruit in its season,

whose leaf also does not wither.

Whatever he does shall prosper.

4The wicked are not so,

but are like the chaff which the wind drives away.

…

6For the LORD knows the way of the righteous,

but the way of the wicked shall perish.

41For whoever will give you a cup of water to drink in my name because you are Christ’s, most certainly I tell you, he will in no way lose his reward. 42“Whoever will cause one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for him if he were thrown into the sea with a millstone hung around his neck. 43If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having your two hands to go into Gehenna, into the unquenchable fire, 44‘where their worm doesn’t die, and the fire is not quenched.’ 45If your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life lame, rather than having your two feet to be cast into Gehenna, into the fire that will never be quenched— 46‘where their worm doesn’t die, and the fire is not quenched.’ 47If your eye causes you to stumble, throw it out. It is better for you to enter into God’s Kingdom with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into the Gehenna of fire, 48‘where their worm doesn’t die, and the fire is not quenched.’ 49For everyone will be salted with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt. 50Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, with what will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”