Wisdom of Ben Sira Chapter 4

There was one line in this chapter that I found myself meditating on...Verse 17 says "I will walk with them in disguise..." Since this chapter starts off by saying "do not mock the poor..." I put the two together and wonder if this is what Jesus refers to in Matthew 25 when he says: "I was hungry and you gave me food..." And the righteous ask, "when did we see you hungry..." and Jesus' answer was as often as you did it for one of these least ones, we did it for him. Wisdom, God, Jesus all in disguise as the poor.  Talk about challenging. What are your thoughts?

Wisdom of Ben Sira Chapter 3

Chapter 3 deals with three main topics: responsibility to parents; humility; and docility. It makes me wonder if he believes these to be connected. The first section is often used at funerals-especially if the person were a father...Those who honor their father will have joy in their children...(v5) Those who respect their father will live a long life...(v6) He then gives some sage advice in verses 12 & 13: "My son be steadfast in honoring your father, do not grieve him as long as he lives. Even if his minds fails, be considerate of him, do not revile him because you are in your prime." That is probably why humility and docility tie into this. When we are young, we know it all! What is the old saying, "The older I get the smarter my parents are!" Those are my thoughts...leave yours in the comments.

Thw Wisdom of Ben Sira Chapter 2

Two words sum up chapter two for me: trust and hope. Verses 6-8 call us to trust in the Lord.  and then verse nine challenges us to "hope for good things." Back when I was teaching seniors in high school I remember a lesson that talked about the difference between a wish and a hope. A wish was described as passive while hope was described as active, something over which we had some power or control. For example, I can wish to win the lottery, but short of buying a ticket, there is not much more I can do about. But I can hope to be a successful person and there are lots of things I can do about that.  

I also like the last verse of this chapter: "For equal to his majesty is his mercy..." I rely on that mercy all throughout my life, but I pay particular attention to it during the Lenten season. Join with your thoughts inthe comment section.

 

The Wisdom of Ben Sira Chapter 1

Welcome to the Wisdom of Ben Sira Lenten Reflection Group. Each day from now until Easter morning, I will post a short reflection on one chapter of the Book of Sirach. The translation I will be using is the New American Bible. The purpose of this group is not to simply listen to me but to exchange thoughts and reflections on the chapter of the day. Hopefully, together we can grow in wisdom ourselves. For an introduction the book itself see the post form yesterday, Friday, February 25.

The first thing that strikes me today in this first chapter is the lovely poetry of Ben Sira. The challenge to understand wisdom ultimately belongs to the one who created her--our God. This then leads to the second thing that strikes me. Ben Sira says that true wisdom comes from "Fear of the Lord." Now, when the Bible refers to the “fear of the Lord,” it means having a deep respect, reverence and awe for God’s power and authority. Rather than causing someone to be afraid of God, a proper “fear of the Lord” leads one to love God. So whenever I hear Fear of the Lord I translate that in my head to love and respect. "Love and respect for the Lord rejoices the heart, giving gladness, joy and long life." (v12) Ben Sira describes fear (love and respect) of the lord as the beginning of wisdom (v14), the root of wisdom (v20).

I also found it interesting that Ben Sira, when talking about "Unjust anger" says that "Until the right time, the patient remain calm, (v23), until the right time, they hold back their words" (v24) this makes me wonder WHEN IS TE RIGHT TIME to be angy, to challenge, to correct. Not sure I have the answer. Wondering your thoughts? 

 

The Wisdom of Ben Sira

 The Wisdom of Ben Sira derives its title from the author, “Yeshua [Jesus], son of Eleazar, son of Sira” (50:27). This seems to be the earliest title of the book. The designation “Liber Ecclesiasticus,” meaning “Church Book,” appended to some Greek and Latin manuscripts, is perhaps due to the extensive use the church made of this book in presenting moral teaching to catechumens and to the faithful. The title “Sirach” comes from the Greek form of the author’s name.

The author, a sage who lived in Jerusalem, was thoroughly imbued with love for the wisdom tradition, and also for the law, priesthood, Temple, and divine worship. As a wise and experienced observer of life he addressed himself to his contemporaries with the motive of helping them to maintain religious faith and integrity through study of the books sacred to the Jewish tradition.

The book contains numerous well-crafted maxims, grouped by affinity, and dealing with a variety of subjects such as the individual, the family, and the community in their relations with one another and with God. It treats of friendship, education, poverty and wealth, laws, religious worship, and many other matters that reflect the religious and social customs of the time.

Written in Hebrew in the early years of the second century B.C., the book was finished by ca. 175. The text was translated into Greek by the author’s grandson after 117 B.C. He also wrote a foreword which contains valuable information about the book, its author, and himself as translator. Until the close of the nineteenth century the Wisdom of Ben Sira was known to Christians in translations, of which the Greek rendering was the most important. From it the Latin version was made. Between 1896 and 1900, again in 1931, and several times since 1956, incomplete manuscripts were discovered, so that more than two thirds of the book in Hebrew is available; these Hebrew texts agree substantially with the Greek. One such text, from Masada, is pre-Christian in date. The New American Bible provides a critical translation based on the evidence of all the ancient texts.

Welcome to a deeper dive into the Wisdom of Ben Sira (the book of Sirach). Join us each day for a little reflection on the book. 

An Introduction to the Book of Sirach (taken for the USCCB website)

Though not included in the Jewish Bible after the first century A.D., nor, therefore, accepted by Protestants, the Wisdom of Ben Sira has been recognized by the Catholic Church as inspired and canonical. The Foreword, though not properly part of the book, is always included with it because of its antiquity and importance.

The contents of the Wisdom of Ben Sira are of a discursive nature, not easily divided into separate parts. Chapters 1–43 deal largely with moral instruction; 44:1–50:24 contain a eulogy of the heroes of Israel. There are two appendixes in which the author expresses his gratitude to God (51:1–12), and invites the unschooled to acquire true wisdom (51:13–30).