Vigils Reading

A Commentary on the Book of Sirach by Origen [1]

Take the whole number of the human race and pick out those who are faithful from all the nations: doubtless they will be fewer than the whole. Then select the better ones from the number of the faithful; it is certain that the number will be far smaller. And again from those you have chosen, select the more perfect ones: you will find even fewer. And the more you continue to make choices, the more you will find them to be scanty and very few, until you finally come to a certain one who confidently says: “U labored more than all of them”,

Thus “those who are more” will receive more land and more of a physical inheritance, but the few will attain to a small amount of land, since they have more in the Lord; but some will receive no earthly inheritance, if they become worthy to become priests and ministers of God; for “of these” the Lord will be their whole inheritance. And who is so blessed that among the few he receives either a small amount of land or that among the chosen priests and ministers he merits in the allotment of his inheritance to have room for the Lord alone? For granted they receive some land on account of their beasts of burden, yet it is from the land that borders on cities and attached to cities.

Yet these words that say that the inheritance is multiplied to those who are more can be understood in still another way as well. For one just person is considered as “more” in accordance with the fact that he is accepted by God. After all. It is even written: “Through one wise person a city will be considered but the tribes of the unjust will be desolated”. And one just person is reckoned for the whole world, but the unjust, even if they are many, are considered by God as scanty and as nothing.

So there is a praiseworthy multitude, as we see was said to Abraham as well, when “he led him outside and said to him: look at the sky if you are able to number the stars; thus will be your seed.” Consider here how the just person is interior and always abides in what is interior, since it is “inside” that he prays to the Father in secret, and all the glory of the king’s daughter, that is, of the royal soul, is within.” Nevertheless God “leads him outside,” when circumstances demand it and the rational order of visible things demands it. Therefore, even in this way, to the many who are “as stars of the heaven in multitude”, an inheritance is multiplied’ and to the scanty few, name;y. those who. Even if they are many in number, nevertheless are considered scanty due to the unworthiness of their life, a scanty inheritance is appointed.

[1] Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture = Old Testament = vol. XV – InterVarsity Press – Downers Grove, IK – 2010 – pg 255