Sirach 14:1-16: a reflection

1Blessed is the man who has not slipped with his mouth, and doesn’t suffer from sorrow for sins. 2Blessed is he whose soul does not condemn him, and who has not given up hope. 3Riches are not appropriate for a stingy person. What would a miser do with money? 4He who gathers by denying himself gathers for others. Others will revel in his goods. 5If one is mean to himself, to whom will he be good? He won’t enjoy his possessions. 6There is none more evil than he who is grudging to himself. This is a punishment for his wickedness. 7Even if he does good, he does it in forgetfulness. In the end, he reveals his wickedness. 8A miser is evil. He turns away and disregards souls. 9A covetous man’s eye is not satisfied with his portion. Wicked injustice dries up his soul. 10A miser begrudges bread, and it is lacking at his table. 11My son, according to what you have, treat yourself well, and bring worthy offerings to the Lord. 12Remember that death will not wait, and that the covenant of Hades hasn’t been shown to you. 13Do good to your friends before you die. According to your ability, reach out and give to them. 14Don’t deprive yourself of a good day. Don’t let your share of a desired good pass you by. 15Won’t you leave your labors to another, and your toils be divided by lot? 16Give, take, and treat yourself well, because there is no seeking of luxury in Hades.

Sirach draws a sharp portrait of the miser, the one who hoards wealth but never enjoys it, who is stingy even toward himself, gathering and denying himself, only to leave it all to others when he dies. Such a person, Sirach says, does himself no good; his covetousness dries up his soul. And against this misery, Sirach counsels a better way: My son, treat yourself well according to what you have, and bring worthy offerings to the Lord. Do good to your friends before you die; give, and enjoy your share of good, for death does not wait, and you will leave your labors to another.

Notice the two things Sirach commends against the miser's folly: grateful enjoyment of God's good gifts, and generous sharing with others. The miser hoards and enjoys nothing; Sirach says, enjoy the good God gives you, gratefully, and share it generously with friends and with the Lord, while you still can. Wealth and good things are not to be anxiously hoarded, but received with gratitude and shared with love, for we cannot take them with us.

That is a healthy corrective to two errors: the anxious hoarding of the miser, and the failure to enjoy and share what God gives. God gives us good things not to be clutched anxiously and never enjoyed, but to be received with gratitude and shared generously. Do not be like the miser, hoarding what you cannot keep and enjoying none of it. Gratefully enjoy the good gifts God gives, share them generously with others, and offer them to the Lord, while you still can. Life is short; receive God's good gifts with thanks, and let them overflow in generosity, rather than clutching them to no one's good, including your own.

Lord, Sirach warned against the miser who hoards wealth but never enjoys it, stingy even to himself, leaving it all to others when he dies, and counseled instead to enjoy the good you give and to share it generously, while there is still time. Keep me from the miser's folly. Help me neither to hoard anxiously what I cannot keep, nor to fail to enjoy and share what you give. Teach me to receive your good gifts with gratitude, to enjoy them thankfully, and to share them generously with others and offer them to you, while I still can. Life is short; help me not to clutch your gifts to no one's good, but to enjoy them with thanks and let them overflow in generosity. Thank you for every good gift; help me receive them gratefully and share them freely.