The Book of Sirach was so widely used in the early church for instruction in the moral life and in catechetics that it was known as “the Church Book,” Ecclesiasticus. For example, Chapter 5 begins, Rely not on your wealth; say not: “I have the power.” Rely not on your strength. The introduction to the devout life for a Christian had the same starting point as for a Jew — reliance on God, not self. This lesson is particularly difficult for Americans. After all, one of the classics of American literature is Self-Reliance, by Ralph Waldo Emerson. Our cultural myth is of the self-made man who raises himself by his bootstraps. What the Bible teaches is that the only reason we were able to get out of bed and put two feet on the ground was because of the grace and mercy of God. Until we understand that everything is a gift, every breath we take every move we make, our relationship with God will be askew.
