Feria Quinta infra Hebdomadam III post Octavam Paschæ
(Sirach 31:8-11; Matthew 18:1-5)
As the Church journeys through the third week after the Octave of Easter, she continues to bask in the radiant light of the Resurrection while drawing the faithful ever more deeply into the mystery of sanctification. In this liturgical moment, the traditional readings offer both consolation and exhortation: from the Book of Sirach (Ecclesiasticus), a hymn of praise to the virtuous steward; and from the Gospel according to St. Matthew, the Lord’s summons to childlike humility.
I. The Virtuous Steward: Sirach 31:8–11
“Blessed is the rich man that is found without blemish, and hath not gone after gold.” (Sirach 31:8)
This passage, drawn from the sapiential tradition of the Old Testament, proclaims a beatitude—a rare one indeed. It speaks of a man of wealth who is both just and blameless, who possesses riches but is not possessed by them. The Church, in her wisdom, sets this reading before us not to glorify wealth, but to elevate the virtue of temperance and detachment amidst abundance.
St. John Chrysostom, in his Homilies on the Gospel of Matthew, warns of the spiritual peril of riches, noting, “Riches are not forbidden, but the price of them is exacted”—meaning that the wealthy will be judged not by what they had, but by how they used it. Sirach extols the man who has passed through the temptations of gain, bribery, and self-indulgence, yet remains stainless.
St. Cyprian of Carthage, writing during times of persecution and ecclesial poverty, affirms the same in his treatise On Works and Alms, reminding the faithful that the test of one’s righteousness is not wealth, but whether one clings to Christ more than to coin: “The man who is tried and found faithful is he who, having the means, despises them for the sake of God.”
In the Easter season, this takes on particular resonance. The Risen Christ has conquered death; what, then, is the silver of this world but dust in the tomb? The just man of Sirach stands as a type of the redeemed soul, who, having passed through the test of temporal stewardship, receives “an everlasting name” (v. 11)—an echo of the eternal inheritance promised to the saints.
II. The Little Ones of the Kingdom: Matthew 18:1–5
“Except you be converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt. 18:3)
In contrast to the dignified praise of the blameless rich man, Our Lord offers an image startling in its simplicity: the child. The apostles ask a question born of ambition—“Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”—but Christ responds not with rebuke, but with redirection. He places a child in their midst and teaches them that entrance into the Kingdom itself depends not on greatness, but on conversion, on becoming small.
St. Jerome, commenting on this Gospel, writes: “A child is not wrathful, is not deceitful, does not covet honors, is not envious. So, likewise, he who is humble and gentle will be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” The child becomes a living icon of the soul in grace—pure, trusting, humble. This transformation is not sentimental but radical. The Greek word for “be converted” (στραφῆτε, straphēte) implies a full turning, a metanoia. Christ demands a moral and spiritual inversion of worldly values.
St. Augustine, in his Sermons on the New Testament, exhorts the faithful not merely to imitate childish simplicity but to surrender adult arrogance: “You wish to be great? Begin from the least. You wish to build a high building? Think first about the foundation of humility.” For in humility is hidden the power of resurrection. Christ did not rise in majesty until He had stooped to the Cross.
III. A Resurrection Lens: The Season of Paschaltide
The convergence of these two readings in the context of Feria Quinta in this Eastertide offers a profound meditation: detachment and humility are not merely moral virtues—they are the marks of the risen life. Both the rich man who triumphs over greed and the child who embodies trust speak of the same reality: a soul no longer bound by the logic of the world, but animated by grace.
The liturgy during Paschaltide does not cease to instruct; rather, it deepens our paschal joy with moral clarity. As St. Leo the Great teaches, “Let the Christian recognize his dignity, and becoming a partner in the Divine nature, let him not return to the old baseness by degenerate conduct.” The child and the blameless steward are witnesses to this dignity restored by Christ.
In them we see the twofold fruit of the Resurrection: moral excellence in the world, and spiritual innocence before God.
Final Exhortation
Let us then, in this blessed season, ask the Risen Lord for the grace to be found without blemish in our stewardship, and to be made little in heart. Let us imitate the blameless man of Sirach in his temperance, and the child of the Gospel in his simplicity. For in so doing, we prepare to enter the Kingdom not merely at the end of our lives—but even now, in the hidden life of grace.
Veni, Domine Iesu. Da nobis cor novum et spiritum infantiae.
Come, Lord Jesus. Grant us a new heart and the spirit of childhood.
Suggested Prayer for the Day:
Prayer for Humility and Detachment
O Lord Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, who called the little ones to Thyself and praised the just man found faithful, grant me the grace to walk in simplicity and integrity. Deliver me from the snares of pride and the allure of riches. Make me a true child of the Resurrection, poor in spirit, rich in mercy, and steadfast in Thy service. Amen.