Monday October 27, 2014
Sirach 19:4-17 (pasted below)
The Book of Sirach, often called the Wisdom of Sirach, or Ecclesiasticus, is found in the so-called deutero-canonical texts, and is not present in every bible. In general, these texts were not universally accepted to be part of the full makeup of the books that became what we know as the bible. Some Christian denominations accept and read these writings in their liturgies, others do not. Obviously, the Anglican Communion does use them, but sparingly. Sirach is known as a wisdom writing, and can best be described as a gathering of ethical teachings.
Today’s reading certainly fits that description. Each of the verses prescribes suitable behaviour with respect to conversations with others. The teaching, to my mind, is sound and virtually fail-safe: “Never repeat a conversation and you will lose nothing at all”, or “Have you heard something? Let it die with you. Be brave. It will not make you burst!”
I’ll not waste time moralizing about these teachings; doubtless we have all been in the unenviable situation of being party to gossip, or, worse, under pressure to spread gossip. The words of Ecclesiasticus are gentle but firm in their counsel: let the conversation die with you, and resist the temptation of repeating what may not be true. We would do well to heed this counsel.
- Reverend Paul Kett
+++
4 One who trusts others too quickly has a shallow mind,
and one who sins does wrong to himself.
5 One who rejoices in wickedness[b] will be condemned,[c]
6 but one who hates gossip has less evil.
7 Never repeat a conversation,
and you will lose nothing at all.
8 With friend or foe do not report it,
and unless it would be a sin for you, do not reveal it;
9 for someone may have heard you and watched you,
and in time will hate you.
10 Have you heard something? Let it die with you.
Be brave, it will not make you burst!
11 Having heard something, the fool suffers birth pangs
like a woman in labor with a child.
12 Like an arrow stuck in a person’s thigh,
so is gossip inside a fool.
and one who sins does wrong to himself.
5 One who rejoices in wickedness[b] will be condemned,[c]
6 but one who hates gossip has less evil.
7 Never repeat a conversation,
and you will lose nothing at all.
8 With friend or foe do not report it,
and unless it would be a sin for you, do not reveal it;
9 for someone may have heard you and watched you,
and in time will hate you.
10 Have you heard something? Let it die with you.
Be brave, it will not make you burst!
11 Having heard something, the fool suffers birth pangs
like a woman in labor with a child.
12 Like an arrow stuck in a person’s thigh,
so is gossip inside a fool.
13 Question a friend; perhaps he did not do it;
or if he did, so that he may not do it again.
14 Question a neighbor; perhaps he did not say it;
or if he said it, so that he may not repeat it.
15 Question a friend, for often it is slander;
so do not believe everything you hear.
16 A person may make a slip without intending it.
Who has not sinned with his tongue?
17 Question your neighbor before you threaten him;
and let the law of the Most High take its course.
or if he did, so that he may not do it again.
14 Question a neighbor; perhaps he did not say it;
or if he said it, so that he may not repeat it.
15 Question a friend, for often it is slander;
so do not believe everything you hear.
16 A person may make a slip without intending it.
Who has not sinned with his tongue?
17 Question your neighbor before you threaten him;
and let the law of the Most High take its course.
No comments:
Post a Comment