The First Reading at Mass today is the last chapter of the Book of Sirach or Ecclesiasticus (51:12-20). It goes:
I will ever praise your name and be constant in my prayers to you.
Thereupon the LORD heard my voice, he listened to my appeal;
He saved me from evil of every kind and preserved me in time of trouble.
For this reason I thank him and I praise him; I bless the name of the LORD.
When I was young and innocent, I sought wisdom.
She came to me in her beauty, and until the end I will cultivate her.
As the blossoms yielded to ripening grapes, the heart's joy,
my feet kept to the level path because from earliest youth I was familiar with her.
In the short time I paid heed, I met with great instruction.
Since in this way I have profited, I will give my teacher grateful praise.
I became resolutely devoted to her-- the good I persistently strove for.
I burned with desire for her, never turning back.
I became preoccupied with her, never weary of extolling her.
My hand opened her gate and I came to know her secrets.
For her I purified my hands; in cleanness I attained to her.
At first acquaintance with her, I gained understanding such that I will never forsake her.
My whole being was stirred as I learned about her;
therefore I have made her my prize possession.
The LORD has granted me my lips as a reward,
and my tongue will declare his praises.
I’ve always wondered why “wisdom” is feminine in the Bible. Could it be because of the attributes of beauty and attractiveness attached to it? Hence the lines, She came to me in her beauty, and until the end I will cultivate her. Then there is also the positive sense of seduction attributed to it: As the blossoms yielded to ripening grapes, the heart's joy, my feet kept to the level path because from earliest youth I was familiar with her. In the short time I paid heed, I met with great instruction.
The Book of Sirach or Ecclesiasticus (meaning “Church Book”) was extensively used by the Church to present moral teaching to catechumens and to the faithful. The author, Jesus, son of Eleazar, son of Sirach (Sirach 50:27), was a sage who lived in Jerusalem. If you want to read more, here’s a link where you could go to.
I will ever praise your name and be constant in my prayers to you.
Thereupon the LORD heard my voice, he listened to my appeal;
He saved me from evil of every kind and preserved me in time of trouble.
For this reason I thank him and I praise him; I bless the name of the LORD.
When I was young and innocent, I sought wisdom.
She came to me in her beauty, and until the end I will cultivate her.
As the blossoms yielded to ripening grapes, the heart's joy,
my feet kept to the level path because from earliest youth I was familiar with her.
In the short time I paid heed, I met with great instruction.
Since in this way I have profited, I will give my teacher grateful praise.
I became resolutely devoted to her-- the good I persistently strove for.
I burned with desire for her, never turning back.
I became preoccupied with her, never weary of extolling her.
My hand opened her gate and I came to know her secrets.
For her I purified my hands; in cleanness I attained to her.
At first acquaintance with her, I gained understanding such that I will never forsake her.
My whole being was stirred as I learned about her;
therefore I have made her my prize possession.
The LORD has granted me my lips as a reward,
and my tongue will declare his praises.
I’ve always wondered why “wisdom” is feminine in the Bible. Could it be because of the attributes of beauty and attractiveness attached to it? Hence the lines, She came to me in her beauty, and until the end I will cultivate her. Then there is also the positive sense of seduction attributed to it: As the blossoms yielded to ripening grapes, the heart's joy, my feet kept to the level path because from earliest youth I was familiar with her. In the short time I paid heed, I met with great instruction.
The Book of Sirach or Ecclesiasticus (meaning “Church Book”) was extensively used by the Church to present moral teaching to catechumens and to the faithful. The author, Jesus, son of Eleazar, son of Sirach (Sirach 50:27), was a sage who lived in Jerusalem. If you want to read more, here’s a link where you could go to.
