Cornelius a Lapide
Table of Contents
Synopsis of the Chapter
In the preceding chapter he treated pride; now in this chapter he treats the opposite virtue, namely humility and modesty. First, therefore, from verse 1 to 11, he assigns six modes and kinds of modesty. For he teaches the wise man to be humble and modest in beauty and stature, in clothing, in honor, in judgment and censure, in answering and speaking, in many affairs and wealth. Second, from verse 11 to 31, he gives two incentives toward it: the first, in verse 10ff., that all things are God's, who distributes to each person his lot, whether good or bad, riches or poverty, according to His wisdom and good pleasure. Second, in verse 20ff., that death presses upon each person, in which God will repay each according to his merits. He teaches, therefore, that riches are to be expected not so much from human labor as from God's hand and gift, as are poverty, wisdom, knowledge, love, and all other things, and especially the retribution of each person's merits in the hour of death. Third, from verse 31 to the end, he teaches that deceitful, proud, malicious, and foreign guests should not be received into one's home. Pope Lucius, the Martyr, in his Epistle 1 -- who was a contemporary of Origen and lived under the Emperors Gallus and Volusianus in the year of our Lord 254 -- quotes a large portion of this chapter nearly word-for-word according to the Latin Vulgate. From which one may gather how ancient and authentic the Latin version of Ecclesiasticus is.
Vulgate Text: Ecclesiasticus 11:1-36
1. The wisdom of a humble man will exalt his head, and will make him sit in the midst of the great. 2. Do not praise a man for his appearance, nor despise a man for his looks. 3. The bee is small among flying creatures, yet its fruit holds the first place in sweetness. 4. Never boast about your clothing, nor be puffed up on the day of your honor: for wonderful are the works of the Most High alone, and glorious, and hidden, and unseen are His works. 5. Many tyrants have sat upon the throne, and one whom no one would suspect has worn the crown. 6. Many powerful men have been mightily oppressed, and the glorious have been delivered into the hands of others. 7. Before you investigate, blame no one; and when you have investigated, reprove justly. 8. Before you have heard, do not answer a word; and do not interrupt in the middle of a discourse. 9. Do not quarrel about a matter that does not concern you; and do not sit in judgment with sinners. 10. My son, do not busy yourself in many affairs; and if you are rich, you will not be free from sin. For if you pursue them, you will not overtake them; and you will not escape if you run ahead. 11. There is a man who labors and hastens and suffers, an impious man, and all the more he will not abound. 12. There is a man who is feeble, needing help, lacking in strength and abounding in poverty. 13. And the eye of God looked upon him for good, and lifted him up from his lowliness, and exalted his head; and many marveled at him, and gave glory to God. 14. Good things and evil, life and death, poverty and honor are from God. 15. Wisdom and discipline and knowledge of the law are with God. Love and the ways of good men are with Him. 16. Error and darkness were created together with sinners; and those who exult in evil grow old in evil. 17. The gift of God abides for the just, and His favor will have success forever. 18. There is a man who grows rich by living sparingly, and this is the portion of his reward. 19. In that he says: "I have found rest for myself, and now I will eat of my goods alone" -- 20. and he does not know that time will pass, and death draws near, and he will leave all to others, and will die. 21. Stand by your covenant, and attend to it, and grow old in the work of your commandments. 22. Do not remain in the works of sinners. But trust in God and remain in your place. 23. For it is easy in the eyes of God to suddenly make a poor man honorable. 24. The blessing of God hastens to reward the just, and in a swift hour His favor bears fruit. 25. Do not say: "What do I need?" and "What good will come to me from this?" 26. Do not say: "I am self-sufficient" and "How can things get worse for me from this?" 27. In the day of prosperity, do not forget adversity; and in the day of adversity, do not forget prosperity. 28. For it is easy before God on the day of death to repay each person according to his ways. 29. The misery of an hour makes one forget great pleasure, and at the end of a man his works are laid bare. 30. Before death, praise no man, for a man is known by his children. 31. Do not bring every man into your house, for many are the snares of the deceitful. 32. For as the innards of the foul belch forth, and as a partridge is lured into a cage, and as a doe into a snare, so is the heart of the proud, and like a spy watching for his neighbor's downfall. 33. For lying in wait, he turns good into evil, and upon the chosen he will cast a stain. 34. From a single spark a fire is kindled, and from one deceitful man bloodshed increases; for a sinful man lies in wait for blood. 35. Beware of the pestilent man, for he devises evil; lest he bring upon you mockery forever. 36. Admit a stranger to your home, and he will overthrow you in a whirlwind, and will alienate you from your own.
First Part of the Chapter: On Humility and Modesty, of Which He Assigns Six Modes and Kinds
Verse 1: The Wisdom of a Humble Man Will Exalt His Head, and Will Make Him Sit in the Midst of the Great
For "humble" the Greek has tapeinou, that is, humble, which can be taken in three ways: first, humble means lowly and abject, such as a poor man is -- so Palacius; second, one who through the virtue of humility depresses and humbles himself -- so Lyranus and Hugo; third, one who is humbled and depressed by others -- so Dionysius. Any humble person, therefore, if he is wise and wisely -- that is, modestly and humbly -- bears his lowly condition, or voluntarily embraces it, may certainly hope for his own exaltation; for "everyone who humbles himself will be exalted." For this is the law established by the eternal Truth, repeated and confirmed three times by Christ, namely in Matthew 23:12, Luke 14:11, and Luke 18:14.
This does not always happen in this life, but often -- as can be seen in the election of Roman Pontiffs, Bishops, Prelates, etc. For to these offices the wise must be chosen, and are chosen -- not the noble, not the wealthy, but the wise, even though born of humble origin. But in the next life it will happen to all the humble, and always, indeed for eternity. Thus St. Francis, by the merit of humility, was raised in heaven to the highest order of Angels, and was placed among the Seraphim, as God revealed, according to the testimony of St. Bonaventure in the Life of St. Francis. Thus wisdom exalted Joseph, humbled in prison, when it raised him to the principate of Egypt; Moses the fugitive, when it made him the leader and liberator of the people; Daniel, when, snatched from the lions' den, it set him over Babylon.
Humility, therefore, is the ladder by which one must ascend to the heights; "because this is the way, and there is no other besides it: he who goes another way falls rather than ascends; because humility alone exalts, humility alone leads to life," says St. Bernard, Sermon 2 on the Ascension.
A memorable and fitting example is found in the Life of Blessed Alcuin, the teacher of Charlemagne: Charlemagne, for the sake of prayer, undertook to visit the tomb of St. Martin together with his sons Charles, Pepin, and Louis. In that place, holding Alcuin's hand, he said privately: "Lord Master, which of these sons of mine seems to you fit to be my successor in this honor which, though I am unworthy, God has given me?" And Alcuin, directing his gaze toward Louis, the youngest of them but the most distinguished in humility -- on account of which he was regarded as contemptible by many -- said: "You will have humble Louis as your distinguished successor." Charlemagne alone heard this at the time; but when he later saw those same princes entering the Church of St. Stephen with heads held high, while Louis humbly entered for the sake of prayer, he said to his attendants: "Do you see Louis, more humble than his brothers? You will certainly see him as his father's most exalted successor." Louis, most renowned for humility, bowing to his holy father before all the others, kissed his hand. Then the man of God said: "Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted: surely France will rejoice to have this one as Emperor after his father."
A similar but terrible example is found in Blessed Peter Damian, Epistle 14, where he narrates how a blasphemous cleric said that Christ's statement had proved false in his case: "Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled." This cleric, while speaking these words, was struck through in battle by a lightning-like sword from heaven.
He alludes to and virtually quotes that saying of Solomon: "Humility precedes glory," Proverbs 15:33. For, as St. Chrysostom says in Homily 15 on Matthew: "Just as pride is the font of all evils, so humility is the origin of all virtues."
The wise men of the nations learned this very thing from Solomon, Sirach, and the Hebrews. An Arabian proverb is found: "Be humble in your youth, so that you may be exalted in your old age." From the Greeks, Plato held that kings should not be appointed unless they are philosophers -- that is, ethical and modest men. From the Romans, Seneca has this: "Do you wish to be known to all? First bring it about that you know no one. Do you wish to have great honor? I will give you a great empire: Rule yourself. If you wish to be happy, consider this: first, to despise and to be despised."
Mystically, Rabanus says: "The wisdom of the humble is the faith of Christ, which works through love. This does not pursue human philosophy, nor the vain boasting of this world; but always imitates the meekness and modesty of its Lord, who said: 'Learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart.' Whence it will come about as is added: 'And you will find rest for your souls.' For it will make its possessors sit in the midst of the great, when it grants them to be partakers with the Patriarchs and Prophets, with the Apostles and Martyrs, and with the other Saints of the heavenly kingdom."
Verse 2: Do Not Praise a Man for His Appearance, nor Despise a Man for His Looks
That is, on account of his appearance, his visible and contemptible form, if he is deformed, short, bent, or hunchbacked. "He forbids," says Rabanus, "anyone from judging the quality of the mind by the appearance of the body, because just as the natures of soul and body are distinct, so also their dignity is different; nor does it follow that the measure of wisdom corresponds to the measure of stature."
The first reason is that form and beauty are something feminine, and therefore to be despised by a wise man. The second reason is that God and nature so distribute their gifts that to whom they give one endowment, they deny another; and to whom they deny one, they grant another. Hence to women He gave beauty but denied vigor of mind and wisdom, which He gave to men who have less beauty. Thus Cato says: "He prevails by talent to whom nature denied strength."
Form and beauty, therefore, are a meager and feminine good, and hence perishable and contemptible. Theophrastus used to say that "beauty is a silent deceit," because without words it persuades to illicit and harmful things. And Carneades used to say that "beauty is a kingdom without bodyguards," because the beautiful obtain by their own power whatever they wish.
The third reason is that a united force is stronger than the same force divided. Therefore the soul, concentrating its power in a small body, is more vigorous and powerful than in a large one, where it divides and disperses itself among vast limbs. Hence we see that small men are magnanimous, keen, and ingenious. Thus St. Paul, St. Chrysostom, St. Gregory Nazianzen, and St. Jerome were small in stature, and yet they were luminaries of the Church.
St. Ambrose asks in the book On the Formation of the Virgin, chapter 3, why, when God in Genesis 1 praised all His works, when it came to man, he alone seems not to have been praised, for whose sake all things were created? The reason: other things exist in appearance, but man in what is hidden. In man nothing is lower than what is seen; what is seen serves, while what is not seen rules. "Therefore man is not praised beforehand, because he must first be tested, not by his outward skin but by his inward nature, and then be acclaimed."
Finally, God chose the small and abject, "because He chose the weak things of the world to confound the strong; and the ignoble and contemptible things of the world, and things that are not, to destroy the things that are, so that no flesh should glory in His sight," says St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 1:28. Thus He chose poor and unlearned Apostles; thus He chose David, the youngest among his brothers, to be king of Israel, rejecting the great Saul -- concerning which God said to Samuel: "Do not look at his face, nor at the height of his stature; for I have rejected him, nor do I judge according to man's sight; for man sees what appears, but the Lord looks at the heart," 1 Samuel 16:7.
Verse 3: The Bee Is Small among Flying Creatures, and Its Fruit Holds the First Place in Sweetness
"Small" -- in Greek mikra, that is, little. "First place" -- in Greek arche, that is, the principate of sweet things: The bee is small, yet its fruit -- namely the honey it produces -- holds the chief place in sweetness. "For what is sweeter than honey?" Judges 14. Again, it is the beginning, that is, the font, origin, and cause of sweetness. For sugar is indeed sweet, but it does not surpass the sweetness of honey. Add that sugar is made by art, while honey is natural; and nature surpasses art and things made by art.
He proves that a wise man should not be judged and despised on account of smallness, deformity, or lowly outward appearance, by the example -- indeed the type and figure -- of the bee. For although the bee is small in body, ugly in appearance, and harmful with its sting, yet among flying creatures -- indeed among all animals -- it is the wisest, and it produces honey, which holds the first place among sweet things. Hence honey is a type of wisdom, which sweetens all things and makes them palatable. Just as honey is found in the small and lowly bee, so wisdom is often hidden in a small, deformed, and lowly body, as happened with Socrates, Diogenes, and Aristotle.
Morally, the bee is a symbol of wisdom and prudence -- ethical, economic, and political. Ethical, because it defends itself with marvelous skill, and because it produces honey, the sweetest substance, and feeds on thyme and the most delicate herbs and flowers. Hence Virgil sings in the Georgics: "Some pack the purest honey / And stretch the cells with liquid nectar: / The work seethes, and the fragrant honeys are redolent with thyme."
Let man therefore imitate the bee, so as to feed the mind on nothing but the best and most divine things. Thus St. Cecilia is celebrated by the Church: "Cecilia served You, O Lord, as an industrious bee," because she converted to Christ her husband Valerian, his brother Tiburtius, and moreover four hundred others by her zeal and sweet speech. Thus bees settled on the mouth of St. Ambrose when he was an infant, to portend his future honeyed eloquence. The same occurred with Pindar and with the infant Plato. The poet Sophocles was called the Athenian Bee on account of the sweetness of his tongue.
Of economic wisdom, because bees with marvelous industry construct their cells as houses, fill them with honey and wax, preserve and govern them. St. Chrysostom on Psalm 110: "Let him learn diligence and labor from the ant; but from the bee, the love of honor, fellowship, and mutual sharing. For the bee herself will teach you not to admire in vain the beauty of bodies when the virtue of the soul is lacking, nor to despise deformity when the soul is beautifully adorned."
Of political wisdom, because bees have a wonderfully ordered commonwealth, with councils, leaders, laws, and customs. St. Ambrose in Hexaemeron, Book 5: "In a single bee, or in a single ant, the providence of God shines forth more than in many other immense and very large animals." And: "The discourse on bees is indeed more extended, because it is more pleasant. What is admirable in all of them is that they are the only kind among all animals that has a common soul, common food, common work, common fruit, common flight, and what is more, common marriage, common offspring, and a common virginity of body."
St. Gregory Nazianzen, in Letter 155 to Nicobulus, charmingly rebukes him for despising his wife Alypiana on account of her smallness: "Now at last I have understood that the soul is subject to measure, and that virtue is weighed, and that rocks are more excellent than pearls. But if you consider her timely silence, her strength and vigor, her domestic virtues, how loving she is to her husband -- then you will say that saying of the Spartan: 'Surely the soul does not fall under measure, and the outward man ought to have his eyes cast upon the inward.' If you consider these things in this way, you will cease to jest and deride her as small, and you will judge your marriage to be happy and fortunate."
Verse 4: Never Boast about Your Clothing, nor Be Puffed Up on the Day of Your Honor
This is the second kind of modesty, concerning clothing and honor. For wonderful are the works of the Most High alone: God alone works wonders, and His works are glorious, hidden, and unseen. Therefore let no one be puffed up on the day of his honor, because that honor comes from God and can be taken away by God at any moment.
Verses 5-6: Many Tyrants Have Sat upon the Throne, and One Whom No One Would Suspect Has Worn the Crown
This is the third kind of modesty, concerning honor and dignity. Many tyrants have sat upon the throne, and an unexpected person has worn the crown -- to teach that the distribution of honors and crowns is in God's hand, not in the hand of lineage or human expectation. Many powerful men have been mightily oppressed, and the glorious have been delivered into the hands of others -- showing how quickly fortune changes by God's providence.
Verses 7-8: Before You Investigate, Blame No One; Before You Have Heard, Do Not Answer
This is the fourth kind of modesty, concerning judgment and reproach. Before you investigate, blame no one; and when you have investigated, reprove justly. Before you have heard, do not answer a word; and do not interrupt in the middle of a discourse. The wise man hears before he speaks, investigates before he judges.
Verse 9: Do Not Quarrel about a Matter That Does Not Concern You
This is the fifth kind of modesty, concerning unnecessary quarrels. Do not quarrel about a matter that does not concern you; and do not sit in judgment with sinners. Let each person attend to his own affairs and not meddle in those of others.
Verse 10: My Son, Do Not Busy Yourself in Many Affairs
This is the sixth kind of modesty, concerning many affairs and riches. From the Greek, this maxim can be taken generally, as if spoken against busybodies who wish to do everything and arrogate everything to themselves, and thus do nothing well, or at least do not finish -- which is equally a vice of presumption and pride, as well as of imprudence. The meaning is: Let not your activities be in many things, because he who embraces much grasps little.
Hear Rabanus, or rather St. Gregory in the Pastoral Rule, chapter 4: "The care of governance once undertaken often tears the heart in different directions; and each person is found unequal to individual tasks when with a confused mind he is divided among many. And when it is drawn outward by immoderate care, it is emptied of the firmness of interior fear, and becomes anxious in the management of external things and ignorant of itself alone."
The a priori reason is that the mind and attention of man is finite, indeed very slender and limited; therefore, divided among many things, it is diminished, fails, and vanishes, according to that saying: "The mind intent on many things is weaker for each individual one." It is better to do a few things excellently than many things cursorily. Hence Thales of Miletus used to say: "Choose one excellent thing." And Aristotle: "In great affairs, one should attend to one business for one work, because care intent upon one thing is better than upon many."
St. Augustine, in Question 68 on Exodus: "How carefully one must observe what Scripture says: My son, let not your activities be in many things," is clear from Moses, who, wishing to hear the complaints and disputes of the entire people, heard from Jethro: "You are not doing a good thing; you will be consumed by foolish labor" (Exodus 18:18). Whence at his advice he delegated lesser cases to lesser judges and officials, reserving only the greater ones for himself. Let prelates and princes do the same.
Thus John Fisher, Bishop of Rochester and Cardinal -- than whom Britain, and perhaps not even the Christian world, then had a holier, more learned, or more vigilant bishop. When a larger and wealthier bishopric was offered to him by Henry VIII, he refused it, saying repeatedly that he would count himself most blessed if he could rightly answer on the Day of the Lord for this at least small flock entrusted to him. A wise man of this age also cleverly said: "No mother should have more children than milk; no prudent man more business than strength."
This maxim can be applied tropologically to many things, as to studies: Do not study many sciences at once, but only one -- thus you will become rich and learned. So did Francis Suarez. Indeed, St. Thomas Aquinas, when asked by what method one might become learned, answered: "By reading only one book." Again it can be applied to virtues and vices: If you wish to uproot vices, seize upon just one to tear out by the root -- the one from which the others spring. For "he who chases two hares catches neither."
Secondly, more precisely this maxim pertains to riches, and forbids the desire and pursuit of multiplying them: Do not desire to heap up many things and grow rich, because if you grow rich, you will not be free from sin. For the very excessive desire for wealth is a sin, at least venial, and not rarely mortal -- namely when it is done through usury, illicit contracts, fraud, etc. Whence St. Bernard wisely says: "Do not covet what burdens when possessed, defiles when loved, and tortures when lost." And St. Paul says expressly: "Those who wish to become rich fall into temptation and into the snare of the devil, and into many useless and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction," 1 Timothy 6:9.
Second Part of the Chapter: All Things Are from God; Death Awaits Each Person
Verses 11-13: There Is a Man Who Labors and Hastens and Suffers
11. There is a man who labors and hastens and suffers, an impious man, and all the more he will not abound. Despite all his labor, the wicked man does not prosper, because God withholds His blessing.
12-13. There is a man who is feeble, needing help, lacking in strength and abounding in poverty. And the eye of God looked upon him for good, and lifted him up from his lowliness, and exalted his head; and many marveled at him, and gave glory to God. This teaches that God's providence, not human effort, is the true source of prosperity and honor.
Verses 14-17: Good Things and Evil, Life and Death, Poverty and Honor Are from God
14. Good things and evil, life and death, poverty and honor are from God. All things are in His hand and distributed according to His wisdom.
15. Wisdom and discipline, and knowledge of the law are with God. Love and the ways of good men are with Him.
16. Error and darkness were created together with sinners; and those who exult in evil grow old in evil.
17. The gift of God abides for the just, and His favor will have success forever.
Verses 18-20: There Is a Man Who Grows Rich by Living Sparingly
18-19. There is a man who grows rich by living sparingly, and this is the portion of his reward. In that he says: "I have found rest for myself, and now I will eat of my goods alone."
20. And he does not know that time will pass, and death draws near, and he will leave all to others, and will die. He aptly says that time passes the miser by, because time does not stand still, but continuously flows and passes. The miser does not know how long he will live, nor does he reflect on what manner of opportunity for gaining eternal riches is passing him by. For if he spent his wealth on the poor and on pious causes, he would purchase the greatest and eternal riches in heaven. But now he does not use this opportunity; death will shortly follow, when he will grieve too late.
Goods do not remain with misers, for a threefold reason. The first is that they do not dare to use them, but hoard them in chests. Whence Bion: "This man does not possess his wealth, but his wealth possesses him." The second, that they hope to enjoy them continually once they have quenched the thirst of avarice -- but this will never happen, because "the love of money grows as much as money itself grows." The third, that the miser does not know how much time remains for him.
This is illustrated by the Gospel parable of the rich man who said to himself: "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years: rest, eat, drink, feast." But God said to him: "Fool, this night they demand your soul from you; and the things you have prepared, whose shall they be?" Luke 12:20.
St. Basil, in his Homily on the Rich Miser, exclaims: "O most foolish words! O singular madness! For if you had the soul of a pig, what else could you have uttered? If indeed the soul possesses virtue, if it is full of good works, if it has won the grace of God, then truly it has many goods."
St. Ambrose, Book I of the Offices: "Often what the miser had heaped up with the greatest care, a prodigal heir squanders in headlong dissipation; and a shameful glutton devours what was long sought in a kind of whirlpool."
Juvenal, Satire 14, denouncing the frenzy and madness of the avaricious, exclaims: "But why amass riches through such torments? / When it is undoubted madness, manifest frenzy, / To live in want so that you may die wealthy." And Satire 12: "Some do not build fortunes for the sake of life, / But, blinded by vice, live for the sake of their fortunes."
Hence the poets represent the miser through Tantalus, who in the underworld hungers amid sweet foods and thirsts amid waters and wines. Whence Horace, Book I of the Sermons, Satire 1: "Tantalus, thirsting, grasps at streams that flee his lips... / Why do you laugh? With the name changed, the tale is told of you."
Finally, the Septuagint's "and he will die" is omitted by Rabanus and some others. Hence Franciscus Lucas thinks that it crept into other manuscripts. But the Roman codices, the Complutensian, and the other Greek and Latin manuscripts read, "and he will die": for the sick first make their testament, in which they leave their possessions to others by bequest, and then they die.
Verses 21-22: Stand by Your Covenant, and Grow Old in the Work of Your Commandments
For "covenant," the Greek is diatheke, which the Septuagint customarily renders for berith, that is, pact, treaty: whence it happens that the Greek diatheke and the Latin testamentum often signify any treaty or pact whatsoever. Again, for "converse," the Greek is homilei, that is, associate, keep company, deal with, live with, converse, as if to say: Continually engage with it, meditate on it, thoroughly examine it.
He said that the avaricious and the impious amass riches, and are often enriched by fair means or foul, implying that the pious and God-fearing are impoverished: now, lest any of the pious should, out of love of riches, emulate the impious and acquire wealth by fair means or foul, he admonishes and strengthens them to persist in justice and the fear of God, because God, if not in this life, certainly in the next which is soon to come, will enrich them with the eternal riches of heaven.
Hence St. Gregory Nazianzen, Oration 40, asserts that baptism is nothing other than a certain pact entered into with God for a second, purer, and more excellent manner of life; and that our souls must be guarded with the most careful watchfulness, lest we seem to have made a false profession. And St. Chrysostom, in his homily On the Martyrs: "Put forth your strength, fight bravely, contend fiercely in this battle. Consider the pact, attend to the condition, know the warfare: the pact which you pledged; the condition under which you enlisted; the warfare to which you gave your name."
Here applies the proverb of Ben Sira, Alphabet 1, letter Gimel: "The bone that has fallen to your lot, gnaw it." His interpreter applies this to a wife, as if to say: The wife you have obtained, whether good or bad, do not dismiss but keep her: because divorces, although permitted by the old law, nevertheless displeased many. And that saying of Plato in the Phaedo: "It is not lawful for any man to depart from what God has commanded him." And that saying of Cicero: "It is not lawful for anyone to leave the post in which he has been placed by the Supreme Commander."
Morally, learn here how great and how necessary constancy is for a person in his vocation, rank, office, and virtue. Hence the angel says to Daniel in chapter 10:11: "Stand in your place." For human weakness and changeableness is so great that without the constant and daily grace of God and the vigorous cooperation of man, one cannot long persist in what one has rightly begun, especially when so many allurements of the flesh and world increase daily, along with the continual temptations of demons.
The first means to constancy, therefore, is to humbly acknowledge one's own inconstancy, and to ask God for the grace by which we may overcome it. For, as Job says in chapter 14:2: "Man never remains in the same state." And so among the wounds inflicted on man by original sin, one of the chief is instability and inconstancy, which we cannot remove by our own powers, but only by the grace of God. "I am the Lord," He Himself says in Malachi 3:6, "and I do not change." Just as a shipwrecked man tossed by waves clings to a rock and so remains fixed and constant, so too the faithful person amid the surges of this world should cling to God, and say with the Psalmist: "But for me, to adhere to God is good. The Lord is my firmament and my refuge, my protector and the horn of my salvation," Psalm 17:2.
The second means is to mortify the curiosity of seeing and experiencing various things, which is the mother of inconstancy, and on the contrary to exercise oneself in acts of constancy. For if we endure in a difficult duty or tribulation for a little while, God will immediately come to our aid. So Paul, when in chains, was strengthened by God, Acts 23:11: "Be constant." Just as for someone to acquire learning he must constantly study; to acquire the carpenter's or physician's art, he must continually practice: so much more, for someone to acquire virtue, he must continually exercise himself in it. For virtue and perfection cannot be acquired unless one continually pursues it like a hare.
Furthermore, nothing is so difficult and arduous that constancy does not conquer it. So that Abbot in the Lives of the Fathers roused a certain sluggish disciple who despaired of eradicating his vices. For he led him to a garden overgrown with thistles, and ordered him to clear it out. The disciple did so, clearing one part each day, and by continuing he finally cleared the whole field. And the Abbot added: Do likewise in the garden of your soul -- now root out one vice, after that another: and if you are constant in this, you will finally eradicate them all.
Third, to set before oneself examples of constant men and women. So the sons of Mattathias constantly stood firm in the law of God. So Clement of Ancyra constantly endured continuous martyrdom under various Emperors for 28 years. Many thousands of Anchorites for 50, 80, 100 years constantly stood firm in solitude, penance, prayer, and poverty.
Fourth, not to embrace many things, but to hold fast to a few. St. Paul: "But one thing, forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal, toward the prize of the heavenly calling of God in Christ Jesus," Philippians 3:13.
Fifth, to prescribe for yourself some daily plan, such as a distribution of time by which you assign to each hour its own work and occupation. So Fr. Francisco Suarez used to do, and he wonderfully recommended it, saying that by this method the day runs through in order like a clock with peace and joy.
Sixth, constancy is produced firstly by love. For he who loves some work is easily constant in it. Secondly, before the Eucharist, the Angels, and the Saints, seriously and frequently resolve to be constant in it. Thirdly, make a vow, at least for some period of time.
Seventh, to frequently consider this: All virtues strive, but perseverance alone is crowned, as St. Bernard says on the text: "Then the just shall stand with great constancy against those who afflicted them," Wisdom 5:1.
22. "Do not remain" -- in the Greek, me thaumasze, that is, do not marvel -- "in the works of sinners: but trust in God, and stay in your place." St. Bernard says excellently, Sermon 48 on the Song of Songs: "It is no small title of virtue indeed to live as a good man among the wicked, and to maintain the brightness of innocence and gentleness of character among the malicious; and even more, to show yourself peaceful to those who hate peace, and friendly to your very enemies."
Verses 23-24: It Is Easy in the Eyes of God to Suddenly Enrich the Poor
He confirms what he said, that it is easy for God to suddenly enrich the just poor who serve Him, and God does this when it is conducive to their eternal salvation; but when He does not do it, He does not do it because it would be harmful to their salvation. So God enriched Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and all the children of Israel fleeing from Egypt. In the new law He promises those who serve Him riches not so much temporal and earthly, as spiritual and heavenly.
Mystically, Lyranus: "Stay in your place, namely, by love in God, who is the restful place of the soul, according to that saying of St. Augustine: You created us, Lord, for Yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in You."
24. "The blessing of God hastens to the reward of the just," because it does not wait for night; therefore "in a swift hour his progress bears fruit," because swiftly, in that very hour of labor and of sowing the seed of good work, He causes the stalk to sprout and grow, and immediately to ripen and give fruit and reward, namely an increase of grace, and heavenly illuminations, consolations, and strengthening to advance vigorously in holy works.
Morally, the blessing of God hastens to the reward of the just when the just person seriously and courageously resolves to cut away light vices, to acquire certain virtues, to pursue perfection, to rise to great and heroic holiness. Measure yourself by the great standard of the Saints; imitate the deeds of St. Paul, St. Francis, St. Mary Magdalene: who suddenly, through intense and heroic acts of penance and charity, reached the summit of holiness, because they vigorously cooperated with God's powerful grace.
Verses 25-27: Do Not Say: What Do I Need?
Palacius and Jansenius judge that here there are two voices of two contraries: the former of the poor person, who out of his poverty and troubles loses heart and is as it were despairing; the latter of the rich person who is arrogant and relying on his wealth. The poor person says: "What need have I? What is the point of living in this world?" The rich person says: "I am self-sufficient, and what harm shall I suffer from this?" Sirach therefore admonishes both to equanimity: namely the poor person, not to utter this despairing voice, but to bear his poverty patiently, hoping for a better lot; and the rich person, not to claim for himself the presumptuous voice, but to maintain moderation of spirit in his wealth, fearing an adverse turn of fortune.
27. "In the day of good things, be not unmindful of evils: and in the day of evils, be not unmindful of good things." This is a most prudent maxim, as well as most useful; for it suggests a remedy for both kinds of lot and fortune, namely the memory of the opposite. It can be applied to wealth and poverty; to joy and sorrow; to desolation and divine consolation; to honor and disgrace; to peace and war.
So St. Bernard, Sermon 21 on the Song of Songs: "Rather you will take care not to be unmindful of good things in the day of evil, nor unmindful of evil in the day of good things. Therefore in the day of your virtue, do not be complacent, but cry out to God with the Prophet. Furthermore, in the time of temptation, take comfort and say with the Bride: Draw me after you. Thus hope will not abandon you in the evil time, nor will providence be lacking in the good time, and amid the adversities and prosperities of changeable times you will maintain a kind of image of eternity -- namely this inviolable and unshaken equanimity of a constant soul, blessing the Lord at all times."
St. Gregory gives the reason in Book II on Ezekiel, Homily 19: "For if, when we have good things, we remember the evils that we have already suffered or can still suffer, the good things we have received do not elevate the mind. And if, when we have evils, we remember the good things that we have already received or hope to receive, the weight of evils does not press the spirit down into despair. Therefore both must be joined together, so that one is always supported by the other."
Wherefore God Himself revealed to St. Francis: "Francis, embrace harsh things in place of pleasant ones, and utterly despise and cast away yourself." Christ gave a similar message to St. Catherine of Siena: "Pursue bitter things as if they were sweet; and flee sweet things as if they were bitter." Moreover, He offered her two crowns, one of thorns and one of gold, with this condition: that whichever she chose in this life, she would receive its opposite in the next. Wherefore she immediately embraced the crown of thorns.
This maxim of Sirach teaches that the passions of the soul must be moderated, namely love and fear, joy and sorrow, so that we neither exult too much in joyful things, nor grieve too much in sorrowful ones; but moderate the one by the memory or hope of the other. For God mingles joys with sorrows so that He may lead the soul to an equilibrium of passions, in which its virtue and perfection consists.
Verse 28: It Is Easy before God on the Day of Death to Repay Each One according to His Ways
He gives the reason why on the day of evils we should be mindful of good things, and vice versa: namely because God repays each one a reward according to his merits, often indeed in this life, but always at death. Sirach here indicates that God in this life not infrequently sends adversity to the pious and prosperity to the impious, according to Ecclesiastes 8:14: "There are just men to whom evils come, as though they had done the works of the impious; and there are impious men who are as secure as though they had the deeds of the just;" but at death He certainly assigns to each pious person a reward, and to the impious a punishment according to their merits.
Concerning the impious the matter is clear: for they at death undergo a particular judgment, in which, having received the sentence of damnation, they are immediately snatched away to hell. Concerning the pious the matter is more obscure, because in the age of Sirach all the just descended into the Limbo of the Fathers; for heaven was not yet opened, but was to be unlocked by the death of Christ. But now, after Christ, immediately all just souls fully purged from sins fly up to heaven and are blessed with the vision of God.
The expression "it is easy" does not only signify that it is possible for God, but that God repays with easy effort and without labor on the day of death. For from the mere possibility of a reward, a feeble incentive to labor is drawn; but from the ease with which God repays, a great argument of exhortation is drawn.
Verse 29: The Affliction of an Hour Causes Forgetfulness of Great Luxury
He proves by another reason what he said in verse 27: often after a day of good things follow days of evils; in which affliction of an hour, that is, lasting an hour and brief, causes forgetfulness of luxury, that is, of extravagance and pleasure, even the greatest. For, as Rabanus says: "When a violent fever, great poverty, have seized a man, all the time which he previously spent in health and delights is consigned to oblivion, and misery or sickness alone holds the occupied man."
This is often true in life, but always in the hour of death. For death takes from man all sense of past pleasures, and torments him with the sensation of present as well as future pains. Thus the rich glutton, in the flames of hell, forgetful of all his feasting, thought of nothing else, nor said anything other than: "I am tormented in this flame." The same is done by all the damned, who will weep inconsolably, saying that passage from Wisdom 5:8: "What has pride profited us? Or what has the boasting of riches brought us? All those things have passed away like a shadow."
"And at the end of a man, the laying bare of his works." The hour of death induces forgetfulness of the delights of one's whole life, because in it the soul, separated from the body, undergoes a particular judgment in which all its works are laid bare by Christ the Judge. From this it is evident that immediately after each person's death his particular judgment takes place, and the universal judgment is not waited for.
Verse 30: Before Death, Praise No Man
"Before death do not praise" -- for the Greek is me makarize, that is, "do not call blessed" -- "any man, because a man is known by his children." St. Ephrem adds the antithesis: "and before death despair of no one." This is a conclusion drawn from the preceding statements: from the fact that at the end and death of a man the laying bare and judgment of his works takes place, it follows that before death no one should be declared blessed -- both because, as long as he lives, he can be changed from good to evil; and because many hypocrites appear good before men who at the judgment will be declared by Christ to be wicked; and because at death the judgment is made, in which Christ will decree blessedness for each pious person.
This maxim was uttered by Solon, one of the seven sages of Greece, nearly three hundred years before Sirach. For Solon, when asked by Croesus, the richest king of the Lydians, whether he had seen anyone happier than himself, replied that he had seen Tellus the Athenian. And so when Croesus, captured by King Cyrus, was ordered to be placed on a great pyre, he called out Solon's name three times, and explained what he had heard about the vicissitude of fortune. By which Cyrus, reminded of human frailty, ordered Croesus to be saved from the fire. Ovid expressed the same: "The last day must always be awaited by man, and no one should be called blessed before his death and final obsequies."
St. Ambrose, On the Good of Death, chapter 8: "Before death, do not praise anyone. For each person is known at his last moments, and is judged by his children. Death therefore is the testimony of a life. For if a helmsman cannot be praised before he has brought the ship into port, how will you praise a man before he has arrived at the station of death? The general himself does not receive the laurel unless the battle is finished: nor does the soldier lay down his arms unless the enemy is overcome. Death therefore is the fullness of wages, the sum of reward, the grace of discharge."
St. Bernard, Sermon 5 on the Feast of All Saints: "We are forbidden to praise a man in his lifetime. For how can praise be secure where not even life itself is secure? Praise the virtue of those whose victory is already certain: extol with devout praises those in whose crowns you can securely rejoice."
This St. Francis understood, who, as St. Bonaventure says in his Life, chapter 6, often, when he was called blessed by many, would utter such words as these: "I could still have sons and daughters; do not praise me as if I were safe. No one is to be praised whose end is uncertain."
Third Part of the Chapter: Teaching with Whom One Should Associate and with Whom Not; Beware of the Deceitful, the Proud, the Malicious, and the Stranger
Verse 31: Do Not Bring Every Man into Your House, for Many Are the Snares of the Deceitful
He advises that we should not bring just anyone into our house, nor admit them into our household and familiarity, unless they have first been well tested and examined, because many are deceitful, who insinuate themselves into houses in order to spy on them and their masters and inhabitants, to plunder, calumniate, accuse, defame -- indeed, to destroy and kill, just as Judas, brought into the house and household of Christ, deceitfully betrayed and destroyed Him. By "the deceitful" he especially means the proud, as is clear from the reason he adds in the following verse.
Therefore Sirach here prudently warns that no one should for the sake of friendship or personal advantage bring into his house an unknown person, especially one who is suspect, deceitful, and crafty; but he does not forbid hospitality, especially to the poor, refugees, and the wretched. I remember, when about forty years ago I was younger and living with my parents in the countryside, during a public and general famine in Flanders, crowds of poor and pilgrims seeking alms used to flock daily to our house, and by the will of my parents I would distribute alms to each one, with absolutely no one passed over. And if night fell, we also received them as guests -- but with the precaution that after giving them supper, we would lead them to a neighboring barn to sleep.
Verse 32: As the Innards of the Foul Belch Forth, So Is the Heart of the Proud
He proves with four comparisons that the deceitful person should not be brought into the house. The first: just as rotten entrails, however fragrant the food you cast upon them, always stink nonetheless, so the heart of the proud man -- even if you lavish benefits upon him, he will constantly breathe out the stench of malice, deceit, and treachery. The second: as a partridge is lured into a cage, and as a doe into a snare, so is the heart of the proud man in another's house. Just as the partridge is in the cage unwillingly, and seeks every way to break out, and does nothing good in it except to befoul it with its droppings, so the heart of the proud man, seeing another's house better furnished than his own, envies and snarls, and devises every means to undermine and bring it low. The last simile: "Like a lookout" -- the proud and envious man is like a spy who from a height observes, watches for, and laughs at the calamity of his neighbor.
Here applies the symbol of Pythagoras: "Do not have a swallow under the same roof." For the swallow is garrulous, brings no benefit to its host except that it befouls the roof with its droppings, is entirely unteachable, and is inconstant and faithless -- at the beginning of spring it flies in, and when winter approaches it flies away. The swallow therefore signifies that garrulous, slanderous, ungrateful, and faithless guests should not be received into one's home.
Verse 33: Converting Good Things into Evil He Lies in Wait, and on Chosen Things He Will Place a Stain
The proud man, even though he pretends to be a friend, nevertheless out of pride, in order to exalt himself and bring you low, will calumniate your well-spoken or well-done deeds, and convert them into things ill-spoken or ill-done. So the Pharisees blamed the miracles, life, and teaching of Christ, and called Him a demoniac, a wine-drinker, and a friend of publicans. So Saul converted the good deeds of David into evil deeds, and lay in wait for him even unto death. So Pharaoh against Moses and the Hebrews, Haman against Mordecai, and the Babylonians against Daniel laid snares through calumny.
Verse 34: From a Single Spark a Fire Is Kindled, and from One Deceitful Man Bloodshed Increases
This is a new reason why one should beware of the deceitful and proud man, namely because a single deceitful person is like a spark in straw, which by creeping along through his slanders and whispers kindles a great conflagration of lawsuits, hatreds, quarrels, and murders. Morally, learn here that small vices are not to be neglected but must be rooted out; for just as a single spark thrown into gunpowder overturns towers and cities, so a single slight defect, given a great occasion, causes a grave ruin. "A little leaven corrupts the whole lump," says Paul, 1 Corinthians 5:6. Similar to this maxim is that of Sallust: "A small spark, neglected, kindled a great conflagration."
Verse 35: Guard Yourself from the Pestilent Man, for He Devises Evils
For "pestilent" the Greek has kakourgou, that is, crafty, malicious, one who zealously and from malice strives to harm. Therefore beware of such a one, because such a person, as if a smith of evil, devises and forges nothing but evil, so as to brand you with a perpetual stain of infamy.
To this applies the fable of the crested lark found in Aesop. The lark, seeing a fowler making snares, approached and asked what he was building; to which he replied: "I am building a city." The lark flew up to inspect the new city and was immediately ensnared and captured by the fowler. To whom the lark, now grieving, said: "If you build such a city, you will have few inhabitants." The fable teaches that the houses in which snares and frauds are laid for others are deserted and destroyed.
Verse 36: Admit a Stranger to Your Home, and He Will Overthrow You in a Whirlwind, and Alienate You from Your Own
It is ironic, meaning: Receive, if you please, into your home a stranger whom you do not know and have not sufficiently tested; but know that you expose yourself to grave danger, lest he craftily exclude you from your home and goods, and seize them for himself, as Jugurtha did, who, received into the royal household by King Masinissa, overthrew his sons and family. And Herod of Ascalon, admitted into the family of Hyrcanus, extinguished the entire stock of the Hasmoneans, usurped his kingdom, and made himself king of Judea.
I once saw at Leuven a fox cub, newly born, taken from its mother's den and placed in the nest of kittens, so that it might be nursed by the mother cat; but the fox cub, growing up, after a few days killed the kittens and seized the nest for itself alone. Foreigners have done and continue to do the same. Hence Christ called the younger Herod a fox: "Tell that fox," Luke 13:32. Finally, this maxim is often true, but not always: for it signifies what frequently happens with a greedy and proud newcomer. For there are honest newcomers who enrich and bless their hosts.
Tropologically: Admit a stranger, that is, a work and occupation that is foreign to your vocation and profession; and it will overturn you in a whirlwind, and alienate you from your own proper exercises of holiness. To such people St. Basil says, and from him Cassian: "You have lost the senator and have not made a monk." And that saying of St. Gregory: "He who grasps at what belongs to others is deprived of his own."