How to Keep Humility in A Competitive World? 怎樣在競爭的世代保持謙卑？

Twenty Second Ordinary Sunday, Year C
Theme: How to Keep Humility in A Competitive World? 怎樣在競爭的世代保持謙卑？

We are living in a modern commercial city called Hong Kong. Our existence is measured by our economic value: how capable we are in making money and how many houses, stocks and credit cards etc. we possess. In such a utilitarian milieu, most people would avoid those disadvantaged, marginalized, aged, sick, homeless and mentally deficient because they are economically worthless. Economically active people in lower rungs would develop an ambitious attitude and an assertive, outspoken manner to seek the attention of their bosses in order to facilitate their climbing up. People in the middle would gang together to compete with rival factions to attain control of a larger share of resources. Their minds are full of strategies and tricks, ready to betray without hesitation even their comrades. Nobody is able to stay long at the top …

In ancient times, people lived on the produce of the land and life was simple. It was natural and easy to support each other in extended families. However, it is impossible for extended families to exist in post-industrial societies and there’s no longer a kindred system based on blood-line to support each other. Alas! Though blood is thicker than water, river water can never meddle with underground water! People have to fend for themselves and there are more and more rivals who are marketing their talents in order to get employed! Today, many a Catholic would wonder how one might be able to stay humble in such a competitive world.

Jesus Christ is our Saviour and our Lord. We should follow His instructions to be humble. He says, “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 14:11) We should listen to His instructions with a pure heart (Matthew 5:8) and do not turn humility into a strategy! If you humble yourself in order to be exalted, then your humility is not genuine but hypocritical. Lord Jesus would not want us to become hypocrites. Therefore, Jesus is stating a reality which modern societies have blurred. Modern societies breed ambitious people and most of the ambitious usually overestimate themselves and easily ignore unfavourable elements. Overconfidence combined with ignorance is a sure formula for failure! In the end, those ambitious people would be humiliated. Their successes would only be brief.

Early in my meditation, I blamed the modern society for breeding ambitious people. It is insufficient because not all modern people are outspoken and ambitious. Indeed, there are introverts and autistic people too. Moreover, the chances of modern societies to revert to farming and feudalism are slim. Therefore, we need to consider the psychological factors as well. Why do people want to be exalted? If we are able to dig up the root causes of ambitions, perhaps we would be able to cure this arrogance disease.

When one is exalted, one becomes the focus of attention. Thus, people who hunger and thirst for exaltation are most probably infantile attention seekers! They have a certain group of people in mind and want this target group of people to know their presence and the work they are doing. Aren’t they similar to young children doing unreasonable things to catch the attention of their mothers? Most mothers play into their strategies, wishing to set up a rapport with their children and start teaching them something good. But seen from another perspective, those attention seekers are conditioning their “significant others”. Sometimes, it is hard to tell who is conditioning whom! On another level, take a look at how the advertising industry is keeping our economy in momentum and you will appreciate how wide reaching the attention-seeking culture is in modern societies. Ambitious people would resort to all sorts of means to assure themselves that they are important and indispensable! Our psychology is by and large moulded by this competitive society. How hard it is to resist the arrogance advocated in the societies nowadays.

Superficially, the first reading sounds hollow and irrelevant for us nowadays. “What is too sublime for you, seek not, into things beyond your strength search not.” (Sirach 3:21) This is not the kind of modern life that we know of. In our dictionary, there are no such phrases as “too sublime for you” and “beyond your strength”. No, they are “challenges” which are meant to accept and attempt! Only losers and defeatists would decline! Consequently, more people suffer mental illnesses nowadays! Humanity pay a huge price to lead their life in a competitive environment. People believe in “social evolution” and believe that competitions will eliminate the weakest. In long run, humanity would become stronger. Such an oversimplification has ignored the fact that losers are not necessarily the weakest! In the end, ambitious people become losers when they burn out or are locked up in institutions.

The book of Sirach is a collection of wisdom sayings which are able to withstand the test of time. The wisdom enables us to keep our sanity in an insane world. Time is the key. “There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every affair under the heavens … a time to be silent, and a time to speak” (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 7) I’m sure all of you know that Einstein started speaking at four. So, there is no need to worry and pressurize children to achieve milestones set up by so-called experts. How can you say that when a child does not speak, it is deaf-mute? When the time comes and a child is psychologically ready, it will speak. Now, the advice of Sirach rings true. When you are not prepared and ready to lift a 78-kg dumbbell, accepting such a “challenge” is foolish and disastrous. Therefore, it is wise to remain humble when you’re not ready! On the other hand, many geniuses shine forth at an early age. It would be a waste to straitjacket their development in formal schooling! Anyhow, they belong to the minority otherwise they are not geniuses! Thus for most of us, it is wise to remain humble to wait for the appointed time!

But when is the appointed time? How do we know when the appointed time is? Thus, it brings up another essential factor in life: knowledge! Without knowledge, the chances of getting things done properly would only be fifty-fifty. Not to mention scientific endeavours, even the act of loving needs knowledge! In “The Art of Loving”, Erich Fromm argues that knowledge is one of the four basic elements of love. Thus, it is impossible for true love to be blind! If the feeling of love is blind, it can only be infatuation etc. Thus, chances of success would be enhanced with knowledge and it is only logical and sensible to accumulate knowledge. But it takes time to accumulate knowledge and further distillation to attain wisdom. Alas! Patience is in short supply for modern people because time is money! Few people are willing to complete reading documentations and manuals. They look for quick fixes and shortcuts because time is money! Sirach’s advice rings truth again. “The mind of the wise appreciates proverbs, and the ear that listens to wisdom rejoices.” (Sirach 3:29)

Brethren! Our Lord is “The Way and the Truth and the Life” (John 14:6). If we are able to establish an intimate relationship with Him, we’ll be able partake in the Truth with which we’ll have the ultimate knowledge of everything. Be humble of heart and learn from our Lord, Jesus Christ (Matthew 11:29). When we’re in Him and He in us, we’ll surely be exalted. Amen.
2019 Reflection
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What did people say about Elijah and Elisha

Today, we read of a passage in the Book of Ben Sirach which was written in Greek and was included in Septuagint. The Catholic Bible includes this book in their Old Testament while the Protestant one rejected it because there was no Hebrew version of Ben Sirach.
Greek books cannot be ignored. They hand down God's revelation during the Greek Empire. It is the link between the Persian Empire and the Roman Empire, a transition from Hebrew Scripture to Greek New Testament. They also show us how the Jews understood the Hebrew Scripture during this era. The passage we read today is a good example.

Then the prophet Elijah arose like a fire, and his word burned like a torch.
He brought a famine upon them, and by his zeal he made them few in number.
By the word of the Lord he shut up the heavens, (Sirach 48:1-3a)
This is the famous famine which lasted for three years (1 Kings 18:1).
"and by his zeal he made them few in number". We have no record of how severe the famine was and how many people perished. But this famine must have starved many (1 Kings 18:2). Moreover, many others died in Jehu's campaign against Ahab (1 Kings 19:17).

and also three times brought down fire (Sirach 48:3b).
Elijah brought down fire for the first time when he held a contest against the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18:38).
Ahaziah succeeded Ahab to be king of Israel (1 Kings 22:51). He did evil things in the sight of God. Once he fell through the lattice in his upper chamber. Instead of praying to God, King Ahaziah sent messengers to inquire Baalzebub, the god of Ekron (2 Kings 1:1). Of course, God was furious and sent Elijah to intercept the messengers to send them back. Twice, King Ahaziah sent 50 soldiers and their captains to arrest Elijah. Twice, Elijah called down fire from heaven to consume them (2 Kings 1:10, 12). The third time, an angel of the Lord advised Elijah to follow the captain to see King Ahaziah (2 Kings 1:15). From Ben Sirach, we can see clearly that the Jews were very fond of Elijah's behaviours.
How glorious you were, O Elijah, in your wondrous deeds! And who has the right to boast which you have? (Sirach 48:4)
Early Christians still hanged on to the Jewish tradition. Like their fellow Jews, they expected Elijah to appear before the coming of Christ. They recognized Jesus as the Messiah because the miracles of Jesus reminded them of the miracles worked by Elijah.
Once Jesus and his disciples passed by a Samaritan village. The people would not receive them. James and John wanted to repeat Elijah's miracle to destroy the village but Jesus rebuked them (Luke 9:52-56). It seems that Jesus did not quite approve of Elijah's action. However, the key issue was that the disciples had abused the power of miracles. Miracles are signs of God's presence, God's mercy. Vengeance and punishment belong to God, not men.

You who raised a corpse from death and from Hades, by the word of the Most High (Sirach 48:5).
This is the story of Elijah raising the dead son of the widow in Zarephath (1 Kings 17:17-24). Jesus too raised the dead son of the widow in Nain (Luke 7:11-17).

who brought kings down to destruction, and famous men from their beds (Sirach 48:6).
This refers to Ahab and his sons. Elijah had always been a "trouble-maker" for Ahab in Israel. His son, Ahaziah, never left his bed and died after his fall (2 Kings 1:16-17).

who heard rebuke at Sinai and judgments of vengeance at Horeb
who anointed kings to inflict retribution, and prophets to succeed you (Sirach 48:7-8).
This refers to God's epiphany to Elijah on Mount Horeb when Elijah ran away from the death squad of Jezebel (1 Kings 19:9-18). First came a strong wind, then an earthquake, then a fire. When he heard a still small voice, Elijah knew that God had come (1 Kings 19:11-12). Then God instructed Elijah to anoint Hazael the Syrian king, Jehu the king of Israel and Elisha his successor.

You who were taken up by a whirlwind of fire, in a chariot with horses of fire (Sirach 48:9).
This is the famous story of Elijah being taken up to heaven (2 Kings 2:1-11). Like the Enoch in Genesis, Elijah had not tasted death (Genesis 5:24). That was why the Jews expected Elijah to return at the end of the world to prepare the way for the Messiah. This was clearly expressed by the prophets and Ben Sirach.
you who are ready at the appointed time, it is written, to calm the wrath of God before it breaks out in fury, to turn the heart of the father to the son, and to restore the tribes of Jacob (Sirach 48:10).
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of the LORD comes.
And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the land with a curse." (Malachi 4:5-6 RSV, 3:23-24 MT)
These are the last two verses of the Old Testament, the end of the Prophets section of the Hebrew Scripture.

As for Elisha, the successor to Elijah, his miracles were too numerous and impressive. Even his bones worked miracles!
As in his life he did wonders, so in death his deeds were marvelous (Sirach 48:14).
This took place after the death of Elisha.
So Elisha died, and they buried him. Now bands of Moabites used to invade the land in the spring of the year.
And as a man was being buried, lo, a marauding band was seen and the man was cast into the grave of Elisha; and as soon as the man touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood on his feet (2 Kings 13:20-21).
No wonder a cult of martyrs and relics flourished ever since the birth of Christianity. We can trace its root to the bones of Elisha!
Ben Sirach is an important Greek book. It hands down God's revelation during the Greek Empire.

Dear Lord, may we study the Bible diligently so that we may learn from the experience of our forefathers in their spiritual journey. Amen.

An idealized David

History is written by men. In writing history, men pass judgment on kings and their ministers. At least, this has been the Chinese practice in previous ages. Even anthropologists, who conduct field observations, living in indigenous communities, are not immune from passing judgment on what they observe or choose to observe. Without knowing a bit of background, people will be easily misled into believing an idealized picture painted by historians.

I have no intention of offending Protestant readers. Many of them were told by their pastors that Martin Luther was restoring the true face of the Bible by rejecting several books in the Old Testament because these books were not written in Hebrew, but in Greek. People in ancient Israel spoke Hebrew. What was more logical to do than rejecting these Greek "fake scriptures", Apocrypha? In Luther's time, type printing had not been invented. Books, especially the Bible were copied and difficult to come by. In Luther's time, Bible was available only in Lain Vulgate. The majority of the population was illiterate. Even learned men did not have the opportunity to own a copy of the Bible and study it. Hebrew Scripture and Greek Septuagint were unheard of by most. Even fewer people knew how different books were collected into the Bible. Luther's action was idealized. I have no intention to go into details the history of Bible Canon. Interested readers should do research for themselves.

We have more than enough supply of idealized Chinese kings. Israel has one and he is King David. The Deuteronomist historians wanted to teach the Israelites the disastrous consequences of idolatry. They wrote the Book of Judges, the two Samuel's and two Kings'. Therefore, they did not refrain from recounting the sins of David. The two Chronicles' had a different agenda. David was idealized. Even though the first Jerusalem Temple was built by Solomon, the credits went to David instead. Today, when we read Ben Sirach, the sins of David was lightly grossed over. Beginning in chapter 44, Ben Sirach recounted famous people, beginning with Enoch, then Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses and Aaron etc.
all these were honored in their generations, and were the glory of their times (Ben Sirach 44:7).
Ben Sirach spends 10 verses on David and finishes as follow.
The Lord took away his sins, and exalted his power for ever; he gave him the covenant of kings and a throne of glory in Israel (Ben Sirach 47:11).
David's sins occupied only one quarter of a verse, one fortieth of the whole eulogy! Of course, I should not be too harsh on Ben Sirach. After all, this book is meant for edification, for the education of the youth.
since it is necessary not only that the readers themselves should acquire understanding but also that those who love learning should be able to help the outsiders by both speaking and writing (Ben Sirach 0:1-14).

Returning to David, Ben Sirach recounts famous incidents of David's life, such as killing a lion, defeating Goliath and composing songs for the Lord etc. His interpretation of David's life is summarized in the following verse.
In all that he did he gave thanks to the Holy One, the Most High, with ascriptions of glory; he sang praise with all his heart, and he loved his Maker (Ben Sirach 47:8).
This is the example Ben Sirach wants to impress on his young readers. We do not expect "objective" historical facts but summarized idealized figures to inspire. The Chinese also have a rich culture of educational materials to hand on the tradition to the young such as 三字經、幼學故事瓊林 etc. May the merciful Lord remember us Chinese. Amen.

Dear Lord, allow us to exercise our rationality to dig up the truth. The truth will set us free. Amen.

Which is wiser?

Social scientists classify religions broadly into two types: revelation religions and wisdom religions.
Revelation religions are top-down. They provide answers to existential questions from a deity above. Knowledge about the destiny and well-being of the people is revealed by God. Judaism-Christianity-Islam are typical examples of revelation religions.
Wisdom religions are bottom-up. Some people have gone through vigourous reflections, meditation, learning and a host other human activities. They come up with an enlightenment, an insight into those perennial questions of human existence. Gradually, a system of teachings, ceremonies and institutions evolve into being. Buddhism, Taoism, Confucism etc. are such examples.
These two types of religions will have different interpretations of the meaning of wisdom. For Buddhism, Taoism and Confucism, wisdom is the fruit of human efforts. It is a distillation of their experiences, an insight into difficult situations, the ability to judge or discern what is right, true or lasting etc. Look up any dictionary and you will find such explanations. For Christianity and Judaism, wisdom comes from God. Therefore, they hold the idea that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Which is wiser? Following the Christian tradition, I choose to continue reading Ben Sirach and do no better than paraphrasing it.
My son, if you come forward to serve the Lord, prepare yourself for temptation (Sirach 2:1).
Temptation is inevitable so long as we continue to lead a mortal life. There are needs to satisfy and there are many shortcuts to satisfy them. For me, these shortcuts are temptations. Ben Sirach has a lot of advice to offer.
Set your heart right and be steadfast, and do not be hasty in time of calamity.
Cleave to him and do not depart, that you may be honored at the end of your life.
Accept whatever is brought upon you, and in changes that humble you be patient (Sirach 2:2-4).
Trust in him, and he will help you; make your ways straight, and hope in him (Sirach 2:6).
Set your sight to the will of God and stick to it. Trust and hope in God. Be patient and not hasty. Do not depart from His will. Then, we will be able to weather through all temptations.
Fear of the Lord is our only defence. In the end, good things, everlasting joy and mercy will be our reward (Sirach 2:7-9). How do we know we will be rewarded? We don't know. Just trust in Him. For Christians, there is a foundation for this trust, the Holy Spirit. Jesus has given us the Holy Spirit as a guarantee.
he has put his seal upon us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee (2 Corinthians 1:22).
Pray to the Holy Spirit in our hearts to verify. The Holy Spirit sets Christianity apart from Judaism, though they have the same root. Returning to the question of temptation, it is consoling to read that God is compassionate.
For the Lord is compassionate and merciful; he forgives sins and saves in time of affliction (Sirach 2:11).
No matter how badly we fail, God forgives and saves because He is God and our Creator.
What will happen to those who are unsure and unsteady? Ben Sirach paints the following picture.
Woe to timid hearts and to slack hands, and to the sinner who walks along two ways!
Woe to the faint heart, for it has no trust! Therefore it will not be sheltered.
Woe to you who have lost your endurance! What will you do when the Lord punishes you? (Sirach 2:12-14)
We cannot take the best of two worlds. If we decide to follow God, we cannot beat the drum and then back off. Christianity is a risky business. Buying insurance does not improve our odds of winning. Once we decide to follow God, it is not wise to walk along two ways. The outcomes are clearly delimited.
In conclusion, fear the Lord.
Let us fall into the hands of the Lord, but not into the hands of men;
for as his majesty is, so also is his mercy (Sirach 2:18).

My dear Advocate, You are my guarantee. Accentuate in me the fear of You to dampen my arrogance. Pray that I seek always Your approval and not man's. Allow me to love You more. Amen.

Wisdom of Ben Sirach

Among the books of the Old Testament in the Catholic version of the Bible, the Hebrew texts of seven of them no longer exist. These books and a few more came down from the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew scripture. Scholars suspect that some of these 7 books were Greek to start with and not Greek translations of Hebrew texts. The book I am reading in these two days is Ben Sirach. According to its preface, this book was a Greek translation of a Hebrew text. We can only take its words.
The book began with an ode, singing praises to Wisdom (Sirach 1:1-8). Then it brings in the concept of the fear of the Lord (Sirach 1:9-30). Ben Sirach is not the only book to equate wisdom with the fear of the Lord. The books of Job, Psalm and Proverbs do likewise.
Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding (Job 28:28).
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all those who practice it.
His praise endures for ever! (Psalm 111:10)
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction (Proverbs 1:7).
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight (Proverbs 9:10).
The fear of the LORD is instruction in wisdom, and humility goes before honor (Proverbs 15:33).
Ben Sirach does a more thorough treatment of the topic.
First of all, Ben Sirach tells us the benefits of the fear of the Lord.
The fear of the Lord is glory and exultation, and gladness and a crown of rejoicing.
The fear of the Lord delights the heart, and gives gladness and joy and long life.
With him who fears the Lord it will go well at the end; on the day of his death he will be blessed (Ben Sirach 1:9-11).
Modern men have difficulty appreciating fear. Fear is negative and unpleasant. However, fear preserves our life. Without fear, we will do a lot of harmful things to ourselves and others. Fear is a necessary evil. But Ben Sirach sees fear, especially the fear of the Lord, in a positive way. It is glory, gladness and joy because with the fear of the Lord, all will go well in the end.
Now, Ben Sirach turns his attention to the relation between the fear of the Lord and wisdom.
To fear the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; she is created with the faithful in the womb.
She made among men an eternal foundation, and among their descendants she will be trusted (Sirach 1:12-13).
Sounds familiar. It echoes the basic tenet of all Israelite wisdom literature. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom because it is the trustworthy foundation of life.
To fear the Lord is wisdom's full measure; she satisfies men with her fruits (Sirach 1:14).
When you have wisdom and your wisdom comes to its fullness, you will fear the Lord because by then, you will be dumbfounded. You will find the Lord and His creation awesome. By then, you will be rewarded with the fruits of wisdom.
The fear of the Lord is the crown of wisdom, making peace and perfect health to flourish
He saw her and apportioned her; he rained down knowledge and discerning comprehension, and he exalted the glory of those who held her fast. (Sirach 1:16-17).
When one fears the Lord, he will be given knowledge and discerning comprehension. With them, one attains glory (crown), peace, perfect health and a long life.
To fear the Lord is the root of wisdom, and her branches are long life (Sirach 1:18).
For Ben Sirach, the fear of the Lord is the beginning, the fullness, the root and the crown of wisdom. Once again, modern men should be forgiven for their ignoring the ways of God because they entertain the notion that there is "no need of the hypothesis of God". Without God, they have other objects to fear instead: fear of aging, of aliens, of darkness, of disapproval, of enclosed spaces, of failures and of successes, of insects, of unemployment and of death etc. To outsiders, these fears are irrational. But for these pitiful people involved, these fears are authentic. In the end, the fear of the Lord seems to be the best option.
Then, how do we proceed with this precious fear of the Lord? Ben Sirach continues to offer some advice.
A patient man will endure until the right moment, and then joy will burst forth for him.
He will hide his words until the right moment, and the lips of many will tell of his good sense (Sirach 1:23-24).
Obviously, a man of wisdom is able to master his tongue. He will speak at the right moment.
If you desire wisdom, keep the commandments, and the Lord will supply it for you (Sirach 1:26).
Therefore, the simplest and wisest way is to keep the commandments.
Be not a hypocrite in men's sight, and keep watch over your lips (Sirach 1:29).
True to yourself and keep watch over your lips. It is not easy. Who doesn't want to appear good? Who doesn't want to enlarge oneself? Good advice!
To conclude
Do not exalt yourself lest you fall, and thus bring dishonor upon yourself.
The Lord will reveal your secrets and cast you down in the midst of the congregation (Sirach 1:30).
Be humble and make this your true self.

Dear Lord, I am a man of simple mind. Cultivate in me a proper fear of You. Guard my tongue that I may speak edifying word to encourage others. Amen.

Feast of St. Lucy

Today, the Catholic Church celebrates the feast day of St. Lucy (283-303). The churches both east and west have begun her veneration very early in their history because of her legendary bravery in bearing witness to her faith. Legends of miracles grew around her life. For example, Diocletian had her eyes plucked out, but God restored them. Therefore, we have sacred pictures depicting a virgin martyr holding a dish on which there are two eyeballs. St. Lucy is made the patron saint for the blind. Indeed, her name means 'light'. Giving light to the blind is really meaningful. We Christians are supposed to be the light of the world (Matthew 5:14). Therefore, it is very appropriate to ask St. Lucy to pray for us so that we may bear witness to God's love courageously like her.
We bear witness to God's love in our different stations of life. John the Baptist did it in a dramatic way. He led a life of poverty in the wilderness, eating locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed the advent of the Messiah, preached repentance and baptized the Jews in River Jordan. Before his arrest and martyrdom, he baptized Jesus. He died a true prophet, beheaded by Herod Antipas. His followers were not disbanded and continued to spread. According to Acts of the Apostles, St. Paul found some disciples of the Baptist in Ephesus and baptized them in the name of Jesus (Acts 19:3-4). Probably, the Baptist movement was absorbed into Christianity. They never gained independent existence and did not leave us any written document mentioning their whereabouts. Their status has been defined by others.
Christians found a role suitable for the Baptist --- Elijah who was taken up to heaven in a chariot of fire. Part of the book Wisdom of Jesus Son of Sirach (aka Ben Sirach), retells the history of Israel. Though the Hebrew version of this book has not been found and therefore Martin Luther did not include it into the canon, the Catholic Church has never questioned its canonicity. In chapter 48, eleven verses are devoted to the story of Elijah (Sirach 48:1-11). They included the miraculous drought, the calling down of fire from heaven, the raising of the dead, the theophany at Mount Horeb, the anointment of a king to inflict punishment as well as a successor prophet and his assumption into heaven in a whirlwind. Then Ben Sirach tells of the future.
you who are ready at the appointed time, it is written, to calm the wrath of God before it breaks out in fury,
to turn the heart of the father to the son, and to restore the tribes of Jacob (Sirach 48:10).
Indeed, this line is a paraphrase, an interpretation of the last 2 verses of the Old Testament.
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of the LORD comes.
And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the land with a curse (Malachi 4:5-6, 3:23-24 MT)
Malachi carried out his prophetic mission around 400 years before Christ. He prophesized the coming of Elijah before the Messiah to prepare the hearts of the people so as to avoid being cursed by God. Therefore, 200 years before the birth of Christ, the people continued to understand the coming of Elijah as a calming of the wrath of God. However, they added a new element which was lacking in Malachi --- the restoration of the tribes of Jacob. They were entertaining a nationalistic idea under the Greek Empire. This was understandable especially when the Jews suffered under the process of Hellenization.
Let's come back to the Christian treatment of the Baptist. They could not deny the fact that Jesus was baptized by the Baptist. Therefore, the Baptist was the master of their Master. Naturally, the Christ movement should be led by the Baptist movement. This posed an embarrassing situation for the Christians. However, Jesus offered a utopia which the Baptist movement lacked --- the Kingdom of Heaven. As far as the written records go, Christianity has been more superior than the Baptist movement which did not survive. Christians restored the limited Elijah role to the Baptist according to Malachi, not the expanded one according to Ben Sirach. The mission of the Baptist was seen as a preparatory one, not as a nationalistic liberating one.
And the disciples asked him, "Then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?"
He replied, "Elijah does come, and he is to restore all things;
but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not know him, but did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of man will suffer at their hands."
Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist (Matthew 17:10-13).
The Baptist could not be a perfect match of Elijah who had worked many miracles. The Baptist did not work even one. God delivered Elijah from the hand of the evil Jezebel but did not save the Baptist from being murdered by Herodias.

My sweet Lord, You have given us St. Lucy, a model martyr. May her prayer help us bear witness to the great love of our Father in heaven. Amen.

Ben Sirach's views on Elijah

Ben Sirach means 'Son of Sirach'. When the Jewish rabbis met at Jamnia around 100 AD to define the canon of Hebrew Scripture, the Hebrew version of Ben Sirach was lost. Only the Greek version was available. Therefore, Ben Sirach was not included in the Hebrew Scripture and during Reformation ever since Martin Luther followed the Jamnia Council to throw out the Greek books in the Bible, Ben Sirach has been excluded from the Protestant Bible. Later in the twentieth century when fragments of Hebrew Ben Sirach were recovered from two different places, it is too late for the Protestant churches to put Ben Sirach back into their Bibles. Too bad.
Ben Sirach belongs to the genre of Wisdom literature. It is similar to the Proverbs except that it is not a collection of aphorisms. It is an extensive exposition on Wisdom. The second half of the book is a commentary on the lives of OT figures (Ben Sirach 44:1-50:21). Today, we read of his commentary on the life of Elijah. It is worth quoting in full.
Then the prophet Elijah arose like a fire, and his word burned like a torch.
He brought a famine upon them, and by his zeal he made them few in number.
By the word of the Lord he shut up the heavens, and also three times brought down fire.
How glorious you were, O Elijah, in your wondrous deeds! And who has the right to boast which you have?
You who raised a corpse from death and from Hades, by the word of the Most High;
who brought kings down to destruction, and famous men from their beds;
who heard rebuke at Sinai and judgments of vengeance at Horeb;
who anointed kings to inflict retribution, and prophets to succeed you.
You who were taken up by a whirlwind of fire, in a chariot with horses of fire;
you who are ready at the appointed time, it is written, to calm the wrath of God before it breaks out in fury, to turn the heart of the father to the son, and to restore the tribes of Jacob.
Blessed are those who saw you, and those who have been adorned in love; for we also shall surely live.
It was Elijah who was covered by the whirlwind, and Elisha was filled with his spirit; in all his days he did not tremble before any ruler, and no one brought him into subjection.
Nothing was too hard for him, and when he was dead his body prophesied.
As in his life he did wonders, so in death his deeds were marvelous.
For all this the people did not repent, and they did not forsake their sins, till they were carried away captive from their land and were scattered over all the earth; the people were left very few in number, but with rulers from the house of David.
Some of them did what was pleasing to God, but others multiplied sins (Ben Sirach 48:1-16).
It sounds very much an eulogy, a hymn listing his wonderful deeds, omitting his killing of 550 men. There are also things he did which are not recorded in the books of Kings. For example, when did he calm the wrath of God before it breaks out in fury (Ben Sirach 48:10a)? How did he turn the heart of the father to the son and to restore the tribes of Jacob (Ben Sirach 48:10b)? Where was his dead body which prophesied (Ben Sirach 48:13)? A band of men were dispatched to look for his corpse for three days after he was taken up to heaven. Of course, nothing was found (2 Kings 2:17-18). What other wonders did Elijah do in death (Ben Sirach 48:14)? What was in the mind of the author when he wrote this? Or were there some other folklore which did not enter the canon?
Ben Sirach began commenting on the lives of these OT figures with Noah up to the Maccabees. He wrote of them in the third person except for two, Solomon and Elijah. These two were addressed in the second person and in immediate succession with no other person in between. The use of the second person shows his admiration for these two figures. However, he did not gloss over the stains of Solomon (Ben Sirach 27:19-21). It is understandable because Solomon was supposed to be the fountainhead of the wisdom tradition. Ben Sirach saw his work a continuation of Solomon's work in the Greek Empire. Once more, I have raised more questions than reflecting on the inspired word of God. I hope I am on the right path.

My Advocate, allow me to listen to the wisdom of Yours through Ben Sirach. I know that You have been very patient in waiting for my repentance. Help me hold on to my faith in good times and bad. Allow me to repent before it is too late. Amen.