Peace be with you.
When I was growing up, my Mom had a plaque in her bedroom wall which read “speak less than thou knowest”. A little alter, I heard it expressed in slightly more pessimistic language as “It’s better to remain silent at the risk of being thought a fool than to talk and remove all doubt”. This quote, erroneously attributed to both Abraham Lincoln and Mark Twain, illustrates well the biblical principle of today’s first reading from the Book of Sirach. It’s regrettable that we miss out on the first three verses of Chapter 27 of this reading because I find them integral to understanding the wisdom that Joshua Ben Sirach is trying to impart to us. He starts, in Chapter 27, by talking about how sin is a peg between the fitted stones of buying and selling. Presumably, he is talking about bargaining or haggling, the negotiating that happens between a buyer and a seller. The seller wants to make his product appear worth top dollar even when it’s well-worn. And the buyer wants to make herself appear destitute and in need of extreme charity. In that negotiation lies the rub between the fitted stone of one who has the product and one who wants or needs it. And that rub is deception and lies and manipulation. So, according to Sirah, what is the escape hatch to turning a blind eye to the injustice associated with buying and selling? The fear of the Lord.
Now, before I continue, let me take a minute to talk about the fear of the Lord. A couple of years ago, the Archbishop told the priests of this diocese that there was going to be a new translation of the Rite of Confirmation but he wasn’t real excited about it. His principle complains that that they maintained this phrase “Fear of the Lord”. He thought it would be better understood if it was translated “awe” or “respect” of the Lord because “fear is never a good thing. I can see his point. One of the most used phrases in the Bible is “Do not be afraid.” And the concept of the fear of God is used by atheists to mischaracterize religion as a manipulation of people through fear of a non existent old bearded man in the clouds. Yet, fear is also a reaction to something or someone that is not of our control. Yes, it is a a survival instinct when we encounter the unknown but it is also a natural reaction we have around someone or something far more powerful than we are. In The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe C.S. Lewis put it this way in describing the Lion, Aslan, who is the Christ-figure, “He’ll be coming and going. One day you’ll see him and another you won’t. He doesn’t like being tied down and of course he has other countries to attend to. It’s quite all right. He’ll often drop in. Only you musn’t press him. He’s wild, you know. Not like a tame lion.” In another place, Lewis describes the lion as “not safe, but good”. The fear of the Lord is merely the recognition that God is neither tame nor safe nor manipulable nor power hungry but is, simply, good. The greatest good in fact, and one to keep in our heart even while engaged in buying and selling.
This is all context to the first reading which advised against judging a person by what she or he says. Often, we say that talk is cheap and actions are what count but Sirach is going to remind us that words also count for something. In particular, pay attention to how a person speaks when they are under duress or under pressure. According to Sirach, that’s when the true test of a person cares about. I can think of times when I wish I would have had the fear of the Lord more in my heart than worrying about being in control of a situation or trying to fill the tense-silence of a situation with sarcastic humor. I look back and wish I have through before uttering a harsh word or laughing with someone who was making a joke at another’s expense. In those cases, I don't feel like I was producing the good fruit both Sirach and Jesus call us to produce. As we enter the season of Lent this Wednesday, it may be a good time to evaluate the T.V. shows, videos, radio programs, books, podcasts, and other audio and visual media that are forming the way we speak and think. Are they helping to nourish a healthy sense of the Fear of the Lord? Or have they turned God into a safe, tame, far-off deity instead of a powerfully good God who wants us to become the best version of ourselves possible?And might a little silence help us in that process?
