“Why is one day
More important than another?
All the daylight in the year
Is from the sun.
By the Lord’s wisdom
They were distinguished.
He appointed
The different seasons.
He appointed
The different festivals.
He exalted some days
He hallowed some days.
He made some days ordinary.
All human beings come
From the ground.
Humankind was created
Out of the dust.
In the fullness of his knowledge
The Lord distinguished them.
He appointed their different ways.
He blessed some.
He exalted some.
He made some holy.
He brought them
Near to himself.
He cursed some.
He brought some low.
He turned them out of their place.
Like clay
In the hand of the potter,
To be molded as he pleases,
We are all in the hands
Of our maker
To be given
Whatever he decides.”
Sirach asks the question why some days are more important than others. After all, the sun shines every day, so what is the difference? Sirach’s response is that the Lord’s wisdom distinguishes between ordinary days and the different seasons. The Lord, not humans, have made holy days and festival days. Using the chapter one story of Genesis, chapter 1, he mentions that all humans come from dust, yet some are better than others. Some were blessed and lifted up. Some were holy and close to God. On the other hand, some were cursed. They are all like clay in the great potter’s hands. He molds them however he pleases and whatever way he decides. This is a very deterministic view of humans since everything is controlled by God.
