ICEMANforChrist

Second Sunday After Epiphany

Sirach, Chapter 1, Verse 27-30 For the fear of the Lord is wisdom and discipline; faithfulness and humility are his delight. 28 Do not disobey the fear of the Lord, do not approach it with duplicity of heart. 29 Do not be a hypocrite before others; over your lips keep watch. 30 Do not exalt yourself lest you fall and bring dishonor upon yourself; for then the Lord will reveal your secrets and cast you down in the midst of the assembly. Because you did not approach the fear of the Lord, and your heart was full of deceit.
Ben Sira uses the expression “fear of the Lord” twelve times and the noun “wisdom” seven times to emphasize the connection between the two ideas. He describes the blessings that come to those who fear the Lord, i.e., those who practice true religion by loving and serving God and keeping the Law. Attempting to serve the Lord with duplicity of heart is hypocrisy and self-exaltation, deserving of public disgrace.[1]

Second Sunday after Epiphany[2…

Introduction to Sirach



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 indivi…

feast of saint anthony, abbot

Wisdom, Chapter 18, Verse 25 To these the destroyer yielded, these he feared; for this sole trial of anger sufficed.
The destroyer angel fears nothing, but the name of God inscribed on the doorposts of the Jews written in the blood of the lamb. At this does he stop his destruction, at this name the angel turns aside; at the name of He that is the angel of death yields.
The Destroying Angel[1]
The particular term "destroying angel" (malakh ha-mashhit) occurs twice in the Bible, in II Samuel 24:16 and its parallel, I Chronicles 21:15. Other allusions to this "destroyer" (mashhit), can be found in Exodus 12:23 and Isaiah 54:16. In the cultures of the ancient Near East, gods were believed to be responsible for death and destruction. The Bible, however, does not portray such a configuration. Instead, the destructive agents act according to God's instruction: they are His messengers and it is the Lord who initiates death and destruction. We w…