Lowly States
Do you believe God doles out poverty and wealth?
Do not praise individuals for their good looks, or loathe anyone because of appearance alone. The bee is small among flying creatures, but what it produces is the best of sweet things. Do not boast about wearing fine clothes, and do not exalt yourself when you are honored; for the works of the Lord are wonderful, and his works are concealed from humankind. Many kings have had to sit on the ground, but one who was never thought of has worn a crown. Many rulers have been utterly disgraced, and the honored have been handed over to others. Do not find fault before you investigate; examine first, and then criticize. Do not answer before you listen, and do not interrupt when another is speaking. Do not argue about a matter that does not concern you, and do not sit with sinners when they judge a case. My child, do not busy yourself with many matters; if you multiply activities, you will not be held blameless. If you pursue, you will not overtake, and by fleeing you will not escape. There are those who work and struggle and hurry, but are so much the more in want. There are others who are slow and need help, who lack strength and abound in poverty; but the eyes of the Lord look kindly upon them; he lifts them out of their lowly condition and raises up their heads to the amazement of the many. Good things and bad, life and death, poverty and wealth, come from the Lord. The Lord's gift remains with the devout, and his favor brings lasting success. One becomes rich through diligence and self-denial, and the reward allotted to him is this: when he says, "I have found rest, and now I shall feast on my goods!" he does not know how long it will be until he leaves them to others and dies. Stand by your agreement and attend to it, and grow old in your work. - Ecclus. 11:2-20
We say that everything comes from God, and I believe that. God created all things, every one of us, in His image.
To me, that means we are God-like to some extent, but we have free will, the ability to choose how we live, and how we react to the events that impact us in this life.
Even in the Book of Job, it wasn't God who did these things to Job. Life did them. God chose Job to be the one to be tested by life's challenges because God knew Job to be faithful and strong. God was with him through it all, even though at times, Job thought He wasn't.
So, the wisdom we seek in wanting to know God is really that one question, Why?
Why do I have to suffer through this?
Maybe the question should be How? How will I suffer through this?
With God's help. That's what we learn at Baptism. I will, with God's help.
So, Ben Sira is correct when he says that God lifts us out of our lowly conditions.
When we need Him most, He is there.
More to come...