Sirach
Chapter 2
Patience, Trust, and Obedience to the Lord
My son, if you have decided to serve the Lord, prepare yourself for trials.
Keep your heart steady and stay determined; do not get upset during times of adversity.
Hold firm to the Lord, and do not detach yourself from him so that you may succeed until the end of your days.
Accept everything that happens to you and be patient when you are humbled,
because just as gold is tested in fire, those who are acceptable to God are tested in the crucible of humiliation.
Trust in him, and he will take care of you; follow the right path and have hope in him.
You who fear the Lord, wait for his mercy and do not turn away, lest you fall.
You who fear the Lord, trust him, and you will not lose your reward.
You who fear the Lord, trust in all good things; hope for eternal joy and mercy.
Remember what happened to your ancestors. Who has ever trusted in the Lord and been disappointed? Who has persevered in fear of the Lord and been abandoned? Who has called upon him and not been heard?
For the Lord is compassionate and loving; he forgives our sins and rescues us in times of trouble.
Woe to the faint-hearted and weak-handed, to the sinner who hesitates between two paths.
Woe to the fainthearted who lack confidence, because they will not be protected.
Woe to you who have lost patience! What will you do when the Lord holds you accountable?
Those who fear the Lord do not disobey his commandments; those who love him faithfully keep his laws.
Those who fear the Lord seek to please him; those who love him are filled with his law.
Those who fear the Lord keep their hearts humble and ready, saying:
‘Let us fall into the hands of the Lord and not into the hands of mortals, for great as his power is, his mercy.”
Commentaries
Patience, Trust, and Obedience to the Lord.
This chapter can be divided into four sections: the first (1-6), addressed personally to the disciple of wisdom, teaches about the trials that must be faced to remain faithful to the Lord. The second (7-11), addressed impersonally to “those who respect the Lord,” offers encouragement and trust in God. Respect or reverence for God brings important blessings to the believer: God’s justice, mercy, and peace. The third (12-14) serves as a warning to the faint-hearted and sinners. Those who do not follow the Lord’s commandments are at risk of being swept away by the current of people who neither love nor respect God. The fourth (15-17) describes those who fear and honor the Lord through a series of qualities or virtues: they are obedient, they love God, they seek to please Him, they keep His Law, their hearts are always willing and open, and finally, they are humble before the Lord.