The Good Wife in the Book of Sirach

The book of Sirach seems to be a much overlooked book in the Bible. Protestants do not count in this observation, since they don't even HAVE this book in their scripture collection, but amongst Catholics, the only time I ever heard of Sirach was during my parishes' non-traditional version of the Stations of the Cross every year. I forget exactly which station this verse was always interjected into, but it was probably when Simon was dragged over to help Jesus carry the cross. "A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter: he that finds one, finds a treasure", Sirach 6:14 Other than that, many modern day Catholics barely know that Sirach exists.

Along these lines, many Christian models for Biblical wives are based off of the "worthy woman", described by Lemuel, King of Massa, which his mother taught him [Proverbs 31]. Not only is it lengthy and descriptive, but since it is in both Protestant and Catholic bibles, it is an easy (ahem, ecumenical) way for women of all "faiths" to try to emulate a good wife. There is also the fact that many modern women also embrace this woman for their role model, in that the descriptions we have of her can be twisted to make her sound very appealing for the liberated, independent women of today, but that is a subject for another posting. What I want to think about today, is the very ignored Good Wife in the book of Sirach.

Sirach 26:1-4; 13-18 "Happy is the husband of a good wife;
the number of his days will be doubled. A loyal wife rejoices her husband, and he will complete his years in peace. A good wife is a great blessing; she will be granted among the blessings of the man who fears the Lord. Whether rich or poor, his heart is glad, and at all times his face is cheerful." "A wife's charm delights her husband, and her skill puts fat on his bones. A silent wife is a gift of the Lord, and there is nothing so precious as a disciplined soul. A
modest wife adds charm to charm, and no balance can weigh the value of a chaste soul. Like the sun rising in the heights of the Lord, so is the beauty of a good wife in her well-ordered home. Like the shining lamp on the holy lampstand, so is a beautiful face on a stately figure. Like pillars of gold on a base of silver, so are beautiful feet with a stead-fast heart."

Isn't that beautiful? A lot of women nowadays don't want to hear such descriptions of perfection, because they are content with the person they are right now. Our society and culture refuse to hold people up to standards of perfection; "everyone is special" is the mantra, meaning that no one needs to try to reach their full potential, because everyone is "fine right where they are." "Jesus loves you just as you are", I hear all the time. Of course He does, but He also loves us too much to leave us this way! I also hear many people, out of a false humility, state that they are simply aiming for purgatory, because, after all, they'll still get to heaven that way, and why should they "arrogantly assume they can make it to heaven in the first shot"; the reality of that attitude is, that aiming for heaven takes much self-discipline, sacrifice, crucifixion to their desires and earthly appetites, and that isn't fun. In all truth, if you aim for purgatory, what happens if you miss? The only thing lower than purgatory is hell. . . But if you aim for heaven, the worst you can do is hit purgatory. Aim high so that if your aim is off, you'll still BE somewhere.

In my next few postings will be some of my personal musings on how I put the above scriptures to use in my daily life. I want to be careful not to present my "own interpretation" of the scriptures, because that starts people going off the deep end. Instead, I just want to reflect on how I have decided to utilize them in my day to day life, and my hope is that my thoughts might help you, my reader, onto similar thoughts of your own.
May God's blessings rain down upon you this day.