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From: Sirach 3:17-18, 20, 28-29

Humility

[17] My son, perform your tasks in meekness; then you will be
loved by those whom God accepts.
[18] The greater you are, the more you must humble yourself;
so you will find favour in the sight of the Lord.
[20] For great is the might of the Lord;
he is glorified by the humble.
[28] The affliction of the proud has no healing,
for a plant of wickedness has taken root in him.
[29] The mind of the intelligent man will ponder a parable,
and an attentive ear is the wise man’s desire.

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Commentary:

3:1-16:23. Throughout the book each doctrinal passage is followed by a section
to do with practical applications, sapiential thoughts on moral conduct, eulogies
of virtues and sapiential advice on where to seek things that are truly good, etc.
This is the first such section. In it the reader will find an exhortation to prudence
in all its various forms.

3:17-29. In line with scholastic custom, the author addresses the reader as a
teacher would his pupil: “My son” (v. 17; cf. Prov 1:8; etc.). He is about to deal
with a virtue essential for a lover of wisdom â€“ the humility of recognizing one’s
shortcomings and being ready to learn from others. At the same time Ben Si-
rach wrote his work, Greek philosophy and new learning were proving very influ-
ential. Some Jews turned their backs on the Law of God and the traditional tea-
ching of Israel, to follow foreign teachers. Reason, in its pride, thought it could
find the answer to everything — which made it difficult to accept in all simplicity
truths that God put within the reach of those who sincerely sought true wisdom.

Part of the legacy of the Old Testament is the idea that God shows his favour to
the humble (Prov. 3:34; Ps 25:14). In the New Testament the Blessed Virgin ex-
periences this, and her joy overflows in the Magnificat. She considers herself the
humble handmaid of the Lord, and proclaims that God “has regarded her low
estate” (cf. Lk 1:48) and uses her to bring salvation to his people. Very much in
line with what Ben Sirach says here, great thinkers such as St Bonaventure have
seen that humble devotion is necessary for getting to the truth of things: “Spiri-
tual reading without repentance is not sufficient; nor knowledge without devotion;
nor inquiry without the capacity to be surprised; nor prudence without openness
to joy; nor any activity devoid of a religious spirit; nor wisdom without charity, in-
telligence without humility; study without divine grace, or reflection without the
wisdom inspired by God” (Itinerarium mentis in Deum, prol., 4).

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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.