Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) — Chapter 28

He that seeketh to revenge himself shall find vengeance from the Lord, and He will surely keep his sins in remembrance. The first reason to forgive: seeking personal vengeance provokes God to withhold His forgiveness. Lapide connects this directly to the Our Father: \"Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.\"

Forgive thy neighbour if he hath hurt thee; and then shall thy sins be forgiven thee when thou prayest. The second reason: forgiveness granted to the neighbor obtains forgiveness from God. Lapide treats this as one of the clearest Gospel principles (Matt. 6:12, 14-15) embedded in the pre-Christian wisdom literature.

Thou rememberest injuries against man, and dost thou seek of God forgiveness for thy sins? The third reason: man who holds grudges against other men yet asks God's forgiveness for far greater debts against Him acts with gross inconsistency. Lapide cites the parable of the Unmerciful Servant (Matt. 18:23-35) as the definitive commentary.

Remember thy last things, and let enmity cease. The fourth reason: the memory of death and judgment dissolves all earthly enmities. Lapide notes that the thought of meeting one's enemy at the Last Judgment should produce immediate reconciliation.

A slanderous tongue hath disquieted many, and driven them from nation to nation. The wicked tongue scatters families and nations. Lapide develops an eight-part comparison of the slanderous tongue to increasingly terrible weapons of destruction, drawing from patristic tradition.

The stroke of a whip maketh a blue mark; but the stroke of the tongue will break the bones. The tongue's damage surpasses all physical injury. Lapide cites Gregory the Great: \"The tongue is more cutting than a sword, for the sword kills the body while the tongue kills the soul.\"