For two weeks, we heard first readings at daily mass from the Book of Genesis. This week, the first readings come from the Book of Sirach. This book of wisdom teachings was written by a Jewish scribe in Jerusalem about two centuries before the birth of Christ. This book was translated from the original Hebrew into Greek by the scribe’s grandson, who was living in Alexandria Egypt at the time. The grandson added a prologue to the book. In today’s reading, Sirach advises us about the dangers of allowing money to control our lives and allowing our money and power to manipulate others. Sirach advises against giving ourselves over to the pleasures of the heart, forsaking our faith and God’s law in the process. I find it so interesting how teachings from the Early Church and before the time of Christ still speak a truth that seem so relevant and timely in our modern world, like they were written by some of our Church leaders today. Yes, I guess that even though the world changes, human nature does not change very much, does it?
Today, the saint we celebrate is Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows. He was born in 1838 in Italy to a large family. His mother died when he was four years old. He was educated by the Jesuits and was very sickly as a child. He applied to join the Jesuits, but was rejected because he was only 17 years old. He later was accepted to the Passionist Father where he became well-known for his love for the poor, for his devout prayer life, and for his kindness toward others. After four years of studies, he contracted tuberculosis. He patiently and quietly accepted his sufferings, dying in 1862 at the age of 24. He was canonized in 1920 by Pope Benedict XV. He is a patron saint of Catholic youth and of students studying for the priesthood. In 1959, Pope John XXIII declared him to be patron saint of the Abruzzi region of Italy, where he spent the last two years of his life.
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