And the tongue is a fire. 

The tongue appoints itself
to be a world of unrighteousness 
amongst parts of our body,
that pollutes the whole body

and sets on fire the circle of life
and is set on fire by Gehenna.

For every kind of both beasts and birds,
both reptiles and sea creatures
is tamed,
and has been tamed
by human kind.

But the tongue , no one from humanity can tame ,
a restless evil, 
full of deadly poison. 

With it, we bless the Lord and Father,
and with it, we curse curse humans,
who have been made in the likeness of God. 

From the same mouth comes blessings and curses.

This is not right, my brothers/sisters, these things should not be. 

Does a spring, from the same opening, pour out fresh and bitter (water)?

My brothers/sisters, a fig tree cannot bear olives, can it?
Or a grapevine figs?

A salty (spring) does not make fresh water!

Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that thou art –
Thou my best thought, by day or by night;
Waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.

Now if we place bits into the mouths of horses
so that they obey us
then we guide the whole of their bodies. 

Look–
also ships being so large,
      and driven by strong winds,
are guided by the smallest rudder
      where the will of the pilot wishes.

So too the tongue is a small part of the body
but boasts of great things. 

Look , how small a fire ignites so large a forest. 

Be thou a bright flame before me,
Be thou a guiding star above me
Be thou a smooth path below me
Be thou a kindly shepherd behind me
Today – tonight -forever
Amen.

St Columba

Let not many of you become teachers, 
my sisters / brothers
knowing
that we will receive a greater danger of judgement. 

For we all stumble in many ways.

If somebody does not stumble in their speech
this would be the perfect person
able to ‘bridle’ the whole body too.

Be thou a bright flame before me,
Be thou a guiding star above me
Be thou a smooth path below me
Be thou a kindly shepherd behind me
Today – tonight -forever
Amen.

St Columba

But someone will say
‘You have faith,
   but I have works.’

Prove to me your faith,
without works, [DW: which can’t be done]
and I will prove to you (my) faith
by means of my works.’ [DW: the only way]

You believe that
God is one
You do well!
Even the demons believe
and tremble.
But do you want to know,
O foolish one
if such faith,
without works,
is broken?

Was not, our father, Abraham,
declared righteous
by means of works
having offered Isaac, his son,
on the altar?

You see
that faith was working together
with his works,
and
by his works
his faith was completed.

And the Scripture has been fulfilled that says:
And Abraham believed in God
and it was reckoned to him
as righteousness
even he was called a friend of God. 

You see that 
a person is declared righteous by means of works
and not by means of faith only. 

Also was not Rahab, the prostitute,
likewise declared righteous
by means of works
having welcomed the messengers,
and sent them off another way?

For just as
the body without the spirit is dead
so also faith without works is dead. 

O Love, O God who created me, in your love recreate me.
O Love, who redeemed me,
fill up in me whatever part of your love
has fallen into neglect within me.
O Love, O God, who first loved me,
grant that with my whole heart,
and with my whole soul,
and with my whole strength,
I may love you.

Gertrude the Great

What profit is it,
my brothers/ sisters,
if someone says they have faith
but does not have works?

Can such 
faith save them?

But if a brother or sister
lives with scarcely any clothes,
and  lacking daily food
and one of you says to them:
‘Go in peace,
be warmed,
and be filled.’
but you all 
do not give them:
what the body needs
– what profit  is it?

In this way
such faith,
if it does not have works.
is dead
in  itself.

Teach us, good Lord,
to serve thee as thou deservest;
to give and not to count the cost;
to fight and not to heed the wounds;
to toil and not to seek for rest;
to labour and not to ask for any reward,
save that of knowing that we do thy will,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen

St Ignatius

If indeed,
you all fulfil royal law, 
according to the Scripture,
‘Love your neighbour
as yourself’
you will do well.

And if
you show favouritism
you produce sin
– convicted under the law
  as transgressors. 

For whoever keeps the whole of the law
but stumbles at one point
has become guilty. 

For
the one who said::
‘You shall  not commit adultery.’
also said::
‘You shall  not murder.’
Now,
if you do not commit adultery
but murder
you become a transgressor of law. 

In this way
speak
and  act:
as
people about to be judged
by a law of freedom.

For the judgement
is merciless
for the one
who has not been merciful.
Mercy triumphs over judgement.

Grant, Lord,
that we may hold to you without parting,
worship you without wearying,
serve you without failing;
faithfully seek you,
happily find you,
and forever possess you,
the only God,blessed now and for ever.
Amen

St Anselm

My sisters and brothers, 
do not 
in favouring others
hold the faith
in our Lord Jesus Christ, (Lord) of glory,

for if someone comes
into your gathering,
wearing gold rings
clothed in finery
and also a poor person
clothed in rags
and if you all notice  
the one clothed in finery
and say:

‘You, sit (here) in a good place’. 

and to the poor person
you say
‘You, stand here
or sit beneath my feet.’

have you not become divided in yourselves, 
and have you not become judges
who deliver evil verdicts?

Listen, my beloved sisters and brothers, 
has not God did not chosen
the poor in the world
(to be) rich in faith
and heirs of the kingdom
which is promised to those who love him.?

But you have dishonoured the poor
not the rich,
they  oppress you all
and themselves drag you into the courts. 
Do they not blaspheme
the good name
        of the one 
that was ‘named’ over you?

Thank you, dear Jesus,
for all you have given me,
for all you have taken away from me,
for all you have left me.

Thomas More (c.1478-1535)

Therefore 
having stripped off
all dirty rags
and the surfeit of evil;
in humility
open yourself up to the word,
planted (in you)
which is able to save your souls. 

But be doers of the word
and not only hearers,
deceiving yourselves.

For if someone is a hearer of the word
and not a doer,
they are a person
who observes their own face in a mirror.
For they observe themselves
and go away
and immediately
have forgotten what they are like.

But the one who
looking into the perfect law of freedom
and staying with (it)
being not a hearer who forgets
but a doer (who works)
this one will be blessed,
in their deed.

If someone thinks they are religious,
while not bridling their tongue,
but deceives their heart,
such a person’s religion is meaningless.

Religion
pure and undefiled
before God
who is Father
is
to care for orphans and widows,
in their troubles,
(and) to keep oneself unsoiled by the world.

Thank you, dear Jesus,
for all you have given me,
for all you have taken away from me,
for all you have left me.

Thomas More (c.1478-1535)

Know (this), my beloved brothers and sisters:

– let everybody be quick to begin to listen,
slow to begin to speak, 
slow to anger.
For
the anger of humans
does not produce
the righteousness of God
(that he requires).

O Lord Jesus Christ,
stay beside me to defend me,
within me to guide me,
before me to lead me,
and above me to bless me,
that with you and in you,
I may live, and move and have my being,
for ever and ever.
Amen.

(unknown)

Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers and sisters. 

Every good gift
and every perfect gift 
is from above 
coming  down from the Father of (the) lights,
With whom there is no variation
or shadow caused by change.
Having willed it, he gave us birth by a word of truth,
that we would be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.

God be in head and in my understanding;
God be in my eyes and in my looking;
God be in my mouth and in my speaking;
God be in my heart and in my thinking;
God be at my end and at my departing.