He garnished his works for ever, and in his hand are the chief of them to all generations: they neither labor, nor are weary, nor cease from their works.
All Commentaries on Wisdom of Sirach 16:27 Go To Wisdom of Sirach 16
Eucherius of Lyon
AD 449
There is the story of the man who asked another where he thought God could be found, and the other responded, "Run close behind me!" So he ran behind him, until they came to a wide desert. The guide then showed him the peace of that vast solitude and said, "Here is where God is!" And indeed, is it not right to think that God would be more easily reachable there? Even at the beginning of time, when God made all things with wisdom, adapting them one by one for future needs, he in no way left this part of the world useless and without importance. Indeed, since he created everything not only because he felt generous at that moment but especially because he already knew the future, he provided solitary places. I think he did this for the saints who would frequent them"this is how I see it. God wanted to give the places that are rich in fruit to others and to the saints, instead of those more generous lands, this fruitful one. In this way the deserts would also become fertile, and the valleys would be covered with abundant crops, while he "from on high would water the mountains," thus remedying the unproductiveness of those places, filling a barren place with inhabitants.
