Memory of Shabbaz Bhatti, Minister of Minorities in Pakistan; a Christian killed by terrorists for his commitment in the search of peace and dialogue.

Reading of the Word of God

Praise to you, o Lord, King of eternal glory

This is the Gospel of the poor,
liberation for the imprisoned,
sight for the blind,
freedom for the oppressed.

Praise to you, o Lord, King of eternal glory

Proverbs 30, 15-33

The leech has two daughters: 'Give! Give!' There are three insatiable things, four, indeed, that never say, 'Enough!'

Sheol, the barren womb, earth which can never have its fill of water, fire which never says, 'Enough!'

The eye which looks jeeringly on a father, and scorns the obedience due to a mother, will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley, and eaten by the vultures.

There are three things beyond my comprehension, four, indeed, that I do not understand:

the way of an eagle through the skies, the way of a snake over the rock, the way of a ship in mid-ocean, the way of a man with a girl.

This is how an adulteress behaves: she eats, then wipes her mouth and says, 'I have done nothing wrong!'

There are three things at which the earth trembles, four, indeed, which it cannot endure:

a slave become king, a brute gorged with food,

a hateful woman wed at last, a servant girl inheriting from her mistress.

There are four creatures little on the earth, though they are wisest of the wise:

ants, a race with no strength, yet in the summer they make sure of their food;

the coneys, a race without defences, yet they make their home in the rocks;

locusts, which have no king, yet they all march in good order;

lizards, which you can catch in your hand, yet they frequent the palaces of kings.

There are three things of stately tread, four, indeed, of stately walk:

the lion, bravest of beasts, he will draw back from nothing;

a vigorous cock, a he-goat, and the king when he harangues his people.

If you have been foolish enough to fly into a passion and now have second thoughts, lay your hand on your lips.

For by churning the milk you produce butter, by wringing the nose you produce blood, and by whipping up anger you produce strife.

Praise to you, o Lord, King of eternal glory

The Son of Man came to serve,
whoever wants to be great
should become servant of all.

Praise to you, o Lord, King of eternal glory

The second part of the chapter develops around a literary expedient that we have already found elsewhere (see 6:16-19) that is the numerical series. This was probably used as a method to memorize, but it also indicates that something is reaching its top. The author of these proverbs examines some situations of life from which he takes his teachings. He refers to five situations. The first concerns insatiability (vv. 15-16): there is a way of living in which we are never satisfied with what we have; what is more, those who have always want to have more like leeches repeating: "Give, give." It is the rule of our materialistic society that possession becomes an obsession and true dictatorship. The second reflection (vv. 18-20) underlines things in life that are difficult to understand because mind cannot grasp all; we need humility when looking at reality and we may not assume to know everything. The third reflection, in verses 21-23, states that there are indeed situations that cause even the earth to tremble, things difficult to comprehend, things that were probably a paradox for the society of that time. Thus not everything is understandable. Wisdom that comes from God is necessary. The fourth reflection regards small things: "Four things on earth are small, yet they are exceedingly wise!" They are ants, badgers, locusts and lizards. What is small is not without value. On the contrary the Word of God indicates that there are many virtues which we cannot find in the great, but which are hidden in the small. Moreover in the Bible the Lord looks at the small ones with special favour, like Jacob, Joseph and David. We remember Jesus’ words: "Unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." Indeed the text speaks of a solemn behaviour that imposes itself over others: that of the lion, of the rooster, of the he-goat and of the king. When we face these natural behaviours, the text warns us to watch so as not to exalt ourselves "foolishly." If we are aware of this type of behaviour, we are advised not to insist on our point, and not to be a prey to wrath which leads only to quarrelling. It is better to reflect and be silent: "If you have been foolish, exalting yourself, or if you have been devising evil, put your hand on your mouth." How much wisdom lies in this invitation to be silent, thus calming the instinct to give in to revenge and wrath that ruin relationships with others.