Sirach 7: Public and Private Life
Friday, March 29, 2019
Several days ago we reflected on the meaning of our public image in the Book of Daniel; today with Sirach we might spend time with how this compares to our private life. The Irish culture holds an image of a man who is a street angel but a house devil . . . pleasant and amiable – even lovable – to his neighbors . . . while beating his wife and children behind closed doors. How many of us harbor devils inside that we do not show to the world? How do these devils slip into our lives without our knowing?
We are advised by Jesus ben Sirach to bring our public and private lives into line with our covenant promise with Yahweh.
In this book of wisdom, we are cautioned that we must be humble in our dealings with one another; we ought not seek out the high places at the table. We are warned to refrain from seeking work as a judge unless we have the strength to root out crime; otherwise we succumb to corruption and mar our integrity. We ought not flaunt our wisdom, our power, our wealth, our specialness in any way . . . for our pride will be our undoing. This is how humility arrives.
We are also advised to steer clear of situations the catechism refers to as near occasions of sin: those times when we ourselves do not sin but come dangerously close to slipping over the precipice into evil. Standing by wordless as we watch malevolence occur without offering witness to injustice is not the way of the Lord. When we lack courage, we only need to look to God for strength. This is how fortitude arrives.
We ought to pray in earnest and not hurry through prayer as this leaves room for a false sense of independence from God. We humble ourselves appropriately when we come before the Lord and so we ought to enter into prayerfulness with deliberation and patience so that we might all the better hear the word of God. This is how wisdom arrives.
In private and in our family life, we need to continue to live with thoughtfulness, with intention. Treating servants well – or the people we meet in the mall, in the supermarket, in the gas station – leads us to treating all well. Honoring elders, respecting the living, remembering the dead. This is how piety arrives.
Refrain from bartering for friends. Mourn with those who mourn. Steer clear of those who do not. Visit the sick. This is how compassion arrives.
When we eliminate fear and pain from our lives by blocking them out and riding over these powerful emotions, we also eliminate important opportunities for learning the ways of God. We erase the opportunities for God to guide and protect us. When we petition God and thank him for his bounty, we indicate our understanding that we are his creatures. This is how faith arrives.
When we balance our inner self with our outer self, we clear away the dark corners where house devils might lurk. Integrity finds a comfortable dwelling place within . . . and chases away these devils to make room for angels. This is how hope arrives.
When we bring into focus our whole mind, our whole heart, our whole body and our whole soul to celebrate our union with God, we enter into his divinity. This is why the words of Jesus ben Sirach are so important to us today. With all your strength, love your Creator . . . for this is how love arrives.
A re-post from March 29, 2012.
Image from: http://sandeshavahini.wordpress.com/2011/12/28/the-heart-in-the-bible/
To review the Noontime reflection on Public Life go to: https://thenoontimes.wordpress.com/2012/3/23/
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