Yesterday, we heard verses from the wisdom of
Sirach giving us instructions in the moral life according to God’s laws. Today, from Sirach, we hear a prayer that is
offered up to the Lord on behalf of the people of Israel, asking for God’s
assistance and for the light of his mercy. It is interesting that this prayer foreshadows
the coming of the Messiah, asking God to gather together the tribes of Israel
and to fill Jerusalem and its temple once again with the glory of God. By showing his mercy to the people of Israel, he
will show his love and justice to all the nations.
We cry out to the Lord at times in our lives,
appealing to his love and mercy, just as Ben Sirach does in the prayer in our
reading from Sirach today. And it is up to us to embody God’s love and mercy
in the world, even when we ourselves are treated harshly and violently. I was heartened to read about the beatification
of Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador on May 23, last Saturday. Cardinal Angelo Amato, the head of the
Congregation for Saints’ Causes in the Catholic Church, said that while those
who persecuted Archbishop Romero during his lifetime are either dead right now
or are living in obscurity, the memory of Blessed Archbishop Romero continues
to live in the lives of the poor and the marginalized. Romero had been assassinated in 1980 while
celebrating mass in the midst of a civil war raging in his country, just a day
after pleading to soldiers to stop the killing innocent civilians. His voice for peace and justice stood out
amongst the violence and injustice and oppression that was going on all over
his country. Cardinal Amato said that Romero will live as a
symbol of peace and justice in a world marked by inequities and division. We pray to the Lord, asking him to remember his
promises. But, in the example of Archbishop Romero and in
the words of the Book of Sirach, the Lord always calls us to practice justice
and to speak out for the values of our faith. As we lift up our prayers today, let the prayer
of Sirach resonate in our hearts, and let us practice that love and mercy in
our lives.
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