Sirach 11:1-3, 8-9
11 1 The poor man who is wise carries his head high and sits among the great.
Do not praise a man because he is handsome and do not hold a man in contempt because of his appearance.
3 The bee is one of the smallest winged insects but she excels in the exquisite sweetness of her honey.
Do not reply before you have listened; do not interrupt the one who is speaking.
9 Do not interfere in what is not your business; do not meddle in the disputes of sinners.
Every one of these wise saying is excellent advice.
There are those among the poor whose life experiences have made them wise not bitter. They know You, love You and trust You. When they speak, one listens.
How often we find that the world judges by outward appearance and how false that judgement can prove to be.
Humility Lord, is one of the most pleasing of virtues before God and man. Like the honey bee, humility makes us sweet before You.
Yes, it is always good to wait until the other has finished speaking instead of jumping to the wrong conclusion midway, before hearing completely what the other has to say.
Another piece of excellent advice is not to to interfere or meddle in what is not our business. A lot of us would stay out of trouble if we heeded this invaluable piece of advice.
Philippian 4:10-19
10 I rejoice in the Lord because of your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me before, but you had no opportunity to show it. 11 I do not say this because of being in want; I have learned to manage with what I have. 12 I know what it is to be in want and what it is to have plenty. I am trained for both: to be hungry or satisfied, to have much or little. 13 I can do all things in him who strengthens me.
14 However you did right in sharing my trials. 15 You Philippians, remember that in the beginning, when we first preached the Gospel, after I left Macedonia you alone opened for me a debit and credit account, 16 and when I was in Thessalonica, twice you sent me what I needed.
17 It is not your gift that I value but rather the interest increasing in your own account. 18 Now I have enough and more than enough with everything Epaphroditus brought me on your behalf and which I received as “fragrant offerings pleasing to God.” 19 God himself will provide you with everything you need, according to his riches, and show you his generosity in Christ Jesus.
The world would be a happier place if like St Paul, we learned to manage with what we have instead of hankering after what we did not have. To be satisfied no matter what the circumstances of our life is indeed a blessing. Instead we allow the world to create needs which we then seek desperately to satisfy. All the good we do arises like fragrant incense before God.
Luke 16:9-15,
9 And so I tell you: use filthy money to make friends for yourselves, so that when it fails, these people may welcome you into the eternal homes.
10 Whoever can be trusted in little things can also be trusted in great ones; whoever is dishonest in slight matters will also be dishonest in greater ones. 11 So if you have not been trustworthy in handling filthy money, who could entrust you with true wealth? 12 And if you have not been trustworthy with things that are not really yours, who will give you the wealth which is your own?
• 13 No servant can serve two masters. Either he does not like the one and is fond of the other, or he regards one highly and the other with contempt. You cannot give yourself both to God and to Money.” 14 The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and sneered at Jesus. 15 He said to them, “You do your best to be considered righteous by people. But God knows the heart, and what rises high among humans is loathed by God.
The things of the world are fleeting, the things of God are eternal. We will do well to remember this. God gives to each of us gifts which He expects us to use for the benefit of His Kingdom. If we are faithful, He will multiply these gifts. But if we are faithless, what we have will also be taken away from us. We are called to be scrupulously honest in worldly things as this is a reflection of how we are in spiritual matters. God commands us to love Him exclusively with an undivided heart for He knows that we cannot be loyal to two masters - God and the world. Thank You Lord that we can rest secure in the knowledge that You know our hearts and our motives and even though the world may misjudge us the fact that You are not deceived is extremely consoling.
Psalm 112:1-3, 5-91 Alleluia!
Blessed is the one who fears the Lord,
who greatly delights in his commands.
2 His children will be powerful on earth;
the upright’s offspring will be blessed.
3 Wealth and riches are for his family,
there his integrity will remain.
5 It will be well with him who lends freely,
who leads a life of justice and honesty.
6 For the righteous will never be moved;
he will be remembered and loved forever.
7 He has no fear of evil news,
for his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord.
8 His heart is confident, he needs not fear,
he shall prevail over his foes at the end.
9 He gives generously to the poor,
his merits will last forever
and his head will be raised in honor.
The verses in the Psalm sum up beautifully what the Epistle and the Gospel readings have said. Those who walk with You whether rich or poor will be blessed - those who live guided by Your Word can expect never to be dismayed because he is confident of Your steadfast, unwavering love. Nothing can shake the faith of one who has placed his trust in You, such a man will never be disappointed.
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