Ecclesiasticus ii.
Notes & Commentary:
Ver. 1. God. All must be tried, Tobias xii. 13., and Hebrews xii. 6., and Luke xxiv. 46. But God will grant sufficient grace, 1 Corinthians x. 13. (Calmet)
Ver. 2. Humble. Greek, “regulate thy heart, and endure, and make not haste in the time of trouble,” (Haydock) inflicted by God. (Grotius) — But not impatient, Isaias xxviii. 16. — Clouds. Literally, “overcast,” obductionis. (Haydock) — Desire not death, in order to be covered from the miseries of life; for that would (Worthington) border on despair. (Haydock)
Ver. 3. Patience. Or expectation of being relieved. (Menochius)
Ver. 5. Humiliation. It shews what they really are. (Calmet)
Ver. 10. Enlightened. With joy, Isaias lviii. (Menochius) — This verse is not in Greek. To avoid such frequent repetitions, it would be well to mark the passages in different characters, (Haydock) or between crotchets, as in the French version. (Calmet) — Yet the Greek editions are not uniform. See Drusius and Hæschel.
Ver. 14. Ways. Attempting to reconcile the service of the world with that of God, who rejects hypocrites, (Haydock) the inconstant, and faint-hearted, ver. 15., and 3 Kings xviii. 21. (Calmet) — Virtues and sins will receive their due. (Worthington)
Ver. 20. Hearts. With God’s grace (Haydock) to fight manfully. (Calmet) — Sanctify. Greek, “humble their souls, saying, we shall,” &c., ver. 22. (Haydock) — Prayer, vigilance, and humility are the best dispositions to resist the devil.
Ver. 22. Men. He alludes to 2 Kings xxiv. 14. In this world, God punishes with mercy; in the next, with severity, Daniel xiii. 23. (Calmet)
Bible Text & Cross-references:
God’s servants must look for temptations: and must arm themselves with patience and confidence in God.
1 Son, *when thou comest to the service of God, stand in justice and in fear, and prepare thy soul for temptation.
2 Humble thy heart, and endure: incline thy ear, and receive the words of understanding: and make not haste in the time of clouds.
3 Wait on God with patience: join thyself to God, and endure, that thy life may be increased in the latter end.
4 Take all that shall be brought upon thee: and in thy sorrow endure, and in thy humiliation keep patience:
5 *For gold and silver are tried in the fire, but acceptable men in the furnace of humiliation.
6 Believe God, and he will recover thee: and direct thy way, and trust in him. Keep his fear, and grow old therein.
7 Ye that fear the Lord, wait for his mercy: and go not aside from him, lest ye fall.
8 Ye that fear the Lord, believe him: and your reward shall not be made void.
9 Ye that fear the Lord, hope in him: and mercy shall come to you for your delight.
10 Ye that fear the Lord, love him, and your hearts shall be enlightened.
11 My children, behold the generations of men: and know ye that no one hath hoped in the Lord, and hath been confounded.
12 *For who hath continued in his commandment, and hath been forsaken? or who hath called upon him, and he despised him?
13 For God is compassionate and merciful, and will forgive sins in the day of tribulation: and he is a protector to all that seek him in truth.
14 Woe to them that are of a double heart, and to wicked lips, and to the hands that do evil, *and to the sinner that goeth on the earth two ways.
15 Woe to them that are faint-hearted, who believe not God: and therefore they shall not be protected by him.
16 Woe to them that have lost patience, and that have forsaken the right ways, and have gone aside into crooked ways.
17 And what will they do, when the Lord shall begin to examine?
18 They that fear the Lord, will not be incredulous to his word: *and they that love him, will keep his way.
19 They that fear the Lord, will seek after the things that are well pleasing to him: and they that love him, shall be filled with his law.
20 They that fear the Lord, will prepare their hearts, and in his sight will sanctify their souls.
21 They that fear the Lord, keep his commandments, and will have patience even until his visitation,
22 Saying: If we do not penance, we shall fall into the hands of the Lord, and not into the hands of men.
23 For according to his greatness, so also is his mercy with him.
____________________
*
1: Matthew iv. 1.; 2 Timothy iii. 12.
5: Wisdom iii. 6.
12: Psalm xxx. 1.
14: 3 Kings xviii. 21.
18: John xiv. 23.