Memory of the Mother of the Lord

Reading of the Word of God

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

The Spirit of the Lord is upon you.
The child you shall bear will be holy.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

Sirach 2,1-11

My child, if you aspire to serve the Lord, prepare yourself for an ordeal. Be sincere of heart, be steadfast, and do not be alarmed when disaster comes. Cling to him and do not leave him, so that you may be honoured at the end of your days. Whatever happens to you, accept it, and in the uncertainties of your humble state, be patient, since gold is tested in the fire, and the chosen in the furnace of humiliation. Trust him and he will uphold you, follow a straight path and hope in him. You who fear the Lord, wait for his mercy; do not turn aside, for fear you fall. You who fear the Lord, trust him, and you will not be robbed of your reward. You who fear the Lord, hope for those good gifts of his, everlasting joy and mercy. Look at the generations of old and see: whoever trusted in the Lord and was put to shame? Or whoever, steadfastly fearing him, was forsaken? Or whoever called to him and was ignored? For the Lord is compassionate and merciful, he forgives sins and saves in the time of distress.

 

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

Look down, O Lord, on your servants.
Be it unto us according to your word.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

Sirach asks the believer to be willing to accept the trials of life in order to acquire wisdom: "My child, when you come to serve the Lord, prepare yourself for testing." The spiritual teacher warns the disciple that the trials and afflictions of life are certainly known to the Lord, and that He will not fail to give His support and help to those who trust in Him: He will know how to draw good from the difficulties they face. The trials of life present themselves in different ways and not infrequently lead one to become discouraged or, worse, to turn away from the Lord, thinking that one can save oneself. The Lord, a wise pedagogue, knows how to turn trials to the advantage of the believer. Adversity, for those who follow the Lord, is not a punishment, but a time of purification. The book of Proverbs wisely warns that "the Lord reproves the one he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights" (Pr 3:12). In the trial, believers must surrender themselves to the Lord and grow in trust in Him, not detaching their ear from listening to the Holy Scriptures. This is why Sirach warns the believer: "Accept whatever befalls you, and in times of humiliation be patient. For gold is tested in the fire, and those found acceptable, in the furnace of humiliation." This is not to say that it is God who sends the trials, as is often believed. Rather, the Lord stands by us in the trial. This is the meaning of the change in the translation of the last pericope of the Lord's Prayer: 'Do not abandon us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.' This is the choice of Jesus presented in the Gospels: he stands by the sick and those who suffer, even to the point of making himself a sufferer to the cross. The master's exhortation to the disciple is clear: "Trust in him, and he will help you; make your ways straight, and hope in him."