When reading the Book of Sirach, from which today’s first reading is taken (Sir. 35:1-12), it’s helpful to keep in mind that the author, who is believed to be Jesus Ben Sira or Joshua, son of Eleazar, son of Sira, was a Jewish scribe. The scribes would have been well-versed with the Law and would have taught the precepts of the Law to others. Throughout the Book of Sirach, the author’s knowledge of the Law is quite evident, especially in the first reading today. He clearly understands, not only the precepts themselves, but also the heart or the spirit of the precepts that underlies them. In other words, for Ben Sira, making a sacrifice or an offering to the Lord is not merely a matter of fulfilling the mandate of the precept itself, but is an act that is supposed to come from the heart. What pleases the Lord is not the sacrifice itself, but the charity with which it is offered. In other words, we do not simply obey God because He told us to do something, even though that is not a bad motivation in itself, but because our hearts are so in love with God that we wish to give Him everything. It is this spirit of charity, not merely the precept alone, that fills our hearts with joy. The sacrifices we make to the Lord are not seen as the loss of something precious to us, but the offering of something precious to someone who is infinitely more precious. A man who gives his fiancé a diamond ring does not regard the ring as a loss (or at least he should not see it that way), but as a free offering to his beloved. He finds joy in freely giving her this ring.
Another detail that is helpful to keep in mind is what is done with the offerings and tithes that are given to the Lord through the Levitical priests. When the Lord through His servant Moses brought His people out of slavery in Egypt and led them into the Promised Land, the land was apportioned to each of the tribes of Israel except for the tribe of Levi. We are told in the Book of Deuteronomy, “Therefore Levi has no portion or inheritance with his brothers. The Lord is his inheritance, as the Lord your God said to him.” Since this is the case, how are the Levites supposed to provide for themselves? Well, the Israelites were called upon to provide cities in which the Levites might dwell, and they were required to offer tithes, not only for the required sacrifices in the temple, but also to support the needs of the Levites, since the Levites were required to dedicate themselves entirely to the service of the temple. However, the Levites were not the only ones who benefited from the tithes, the collection of goods from the people, but also the poor. Every three years, it was required by law to collect a tithe that was specifically for the benefit of the Levite, the foreigner (immigrant, refugee), the fatherless (orphan), and the widow. “They shall come and eat and be filled.” Works of charity and almsgiving are thus incorporated directly into the Law itself. When one gives a tithe or alms, they are not simply providing for the needs of their fellow human beings who are in want, they are making a sacrificial offering to the Lord, which carries a sweet odor before the Lord.
As we can see, these sacrifices, offerings, and tithes always carry with them a communal dimension. They are not merely an expression of our personal love and devotion to the Lord, although that is certainly a factor of the offering, nor are they merely a rote fulfillment of the Law, although that is also a factor, but they are an expression of the inseparable link between love of God and love of neighbor. Any offering that is made to the Lord cannot be separated from a genuine concern for our neighbor. If we presume to make a sacrifice to the Lord while at the same time neglecting or abusing our neighbor or our brother or sister in Christ, then our sacrifice not only becomes meaningless, but we even risk offering a blemished sacrifice to the Lord, which is an abomination. Charity is always an inseparable element in every sacrifice, most especially in the Holy Eucharist, the sacrifice of Christ.
In the Holy Eucharist, we offer up together in, with, and through Christ the one acceptable sacrifice to the Father. If any of us lacks charity in our offering, this does not taint the perfect sacrifice of the Son, but it does bring down upon us the judgment of condemnation. This is important to bear in mind as we prepare for the Lenten season that begins tomorrow. We are called upon during this penitential season to examine our hearts and to repent of any sin, selfishness, or ambitions that are contrary to charity and to offer penances in reparation for our sins. Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are three expressions of penance that are intricately interconnected with one another and are ordered towards our growth in charity towards God and towards our neighbor. When we pray and fast, we detach ourselves from things we do not really need so that we might more generously give alms to those who are in need. When we have given up everything, either in a real sense or in a spiritual sense, to the Lord, the Lord says to us in reply, “There is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the Gospel who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age…and eternal life in the age to come.”
– Fr. Matthew Mary, MFVA