Sirach
Chapter 35
Following the law is worth many sacrifices. Being faithful to the commandments is like a peace offering.
Returning kindness is like offering fine flour; giving alms is like a sacrifice of praise.
Renouncing sin pleases the Lord, and avoiding injustice is a sacrifice of atonement.
Do not come before the Lord empty-handed. The commandment requires you to bring an offering.
When the offering of the righteous is burned on the altar, the fat drips down and a pleasant aroma ascends to the Most High.
The sacrifice of the righteous man pleases God and will not be forgotten.
Honor the Lord with a generous heart and do not be stingy with the firstfruits of your harvest.
Give your gifts with a smile and pay your tithes gladly.
Give to the Most High as he has given to you; give generously to the Lord according to what you have.
the Lord will repay, and He will reward you sevenfold.
If you try to bribe him with gifts, he will refuse them; do not rely on offerings obtained through dishonest means.
The Lord is the judge and shows no partiality. He will not disadvantage the poor, he who hears the prayer of the oppressed.
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The Cries of the Poor
The just person does not scorn the plea of the orphan, nor the complaint of the widow.
When tears fall down her cheeks, isn’t she crying out against the one who made her weep?
Those who serve God wholeheartedly will be heard; their prayers will reach the skies.
The prayer of a humble person reaches the clouds, and he is not comforted until he is heard.
His prayer will not stop until the Most High looks down and justice is done for the righteous.
And the Lord will not delay, nor will he be patient with the wicked.
Still, he will crush the backbone of the ruthless and take vengeance on the nations,
until he has destroyed the hordes of the violent and broken the power of the wicked,
until he has repaid each person according to his deeds,
until he has judged his people and made them rejoice because of his mercy.
Blessed is his mercy in the time of adversity! It is like rain clouds during a drought!
Commentaries
Worship and Justice.
Ben Sirach explores these two linked concepts. A religion that is disconnected from justice is empty. It is striking how concern for justice here closely relates to the fifth commandment, which forbids killing; according to Ben Sirach, he who withholds bread from the poor is a murderer, and he who deprives them of their sustenance is shedding blood (34:21f). 35:1-10 emphasizes the positive side of religion practiced in a healthy social environment of justice and encourages believers and students of wisdom to do so consistently.
The Cries of the Poor.
The most beautiful images, and certainly those that come closest to the true image of God, are those in which he appears moved and willing to intervene on behalf of the poor. The real God, the one who revealed himself to Moses and the Hebrew slaves, the one proclaimed by the prophets, and the one who, ultimately, was shown to us by Jesus of Nazareth, is the same and does not change and will not change. Therefore, he will not have one hand stretched out to the impoverished and another to the oppressor and the unjust; both hands are ready to welcome the humble, the marginalized, and the ignored of this world. It is up to us to fight every day for greater justice so that no one, not even the unjust if they turn around, is excluded from God’s welcoming hands.