My son, if sinful men entice you, do not give in to them. If they say, “Come along with us; let’s lie in wait for innocent blood, let’s ambush some harmless soul; let’s swallow them alive, like the grave, and whole, like those who go down to the pit; we will get all sorts of valuable things and fill our houses with plunder; cast lots with us; we will all share the loot”— my son, do not go along with them, do not set foot on their paths; for their feet rush into evil, they are swift to shed blood. How useless to spread a net where every bird can see it! These men lie in wait for their own blood; they ambush only themselves! Such are the paths of all who go after ill-gotten gain; it takes away the life of those who get it. (Proverbs 1:9-19) One of the repeated themes of the book of Proverbs is “Don’t hang with bad characters.” It makes perfect, easy sense. You tend to become like those who are the focus of your attention. In today’s passage, the bad characteri...
This blog is thoughts on faith, life and ideas from a Christian contemplative perspective.