Monday, December 18, 2023

And a bit more wisdom from Sirach

And later, in the same chapter:
13:20 The arrogant detest humility;
   so the rich detest the poor.
21 When rich people stumble,
they are supported by friends.
   But when the humble fall,
   their own friends push them away.
22 When the rich slip,
their helpers are many;
   they speak things that shouldn’t be spoken, and people justify them.
The humble slip,
   and people criticize them as well;
   they utter something sensible,
   and no one pays attention.
23 The rich speak, and everyone is silent,
   and what they say is praised
   to the heavens.
   The poor speak, and they say,
   “Who is this?”
   And if the poor stumble,
   others push them down all the more.
24 Wealth is good as long as it’s free of sin;
   the ungodly speak of poverty
   as an evil in and of itself.
And I would argue that wealth rarely, if ever, is free from sin! Especially in twenty-first century United Sates.

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