They that eat me shall yet be hungry, and they that drink me shall yet be thirsty.
All Commentaries on Wisdom of Sirach 24:21 Go To Wisdom of Sirach 24
Augustine of Hippo
AD 430
Christ is for you both the shepherd and the door; he is both the pasture and the provider. "I alone am the door of the sheep," I declare. "The one who enters through me I will accept. He will be able to come and go and to find the pastures." The pastures the good Shepherd has prepared for you and where he has placed you are not those various sweet, mixed grasses that you love, which are here one minute and gone the next according to the changing of the seasons. The Word of God is your pasture, and its commandments are the sweet fields where you graze. Those pastures were savored by the one who sang to God, "How sweet are your words to my palate, more than honey in my mouth." The same person refers to these pastures when addressing the sheep of the Lord: "Taste and see how sweet the Lord is." Therefore, read the laws of the Decalogue of the Old Testament where they tell us "not to kill, not to steal, not to speak false testimony," and those that follow. Read the New Testament"s praise of these commandments: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth," and those that follow, and still many more transmitted from the prophets and the apostles. These are the pastures referred to when the Shepherd turns and exclaims to the sheep, "Work for food that does not perish." It does not perish because the Word of God remains forever. The Word of the Lord is your food, indeed, not only food but also drink. Thus, through the prophet, he addresses the people of old: "However many partake of me will still be hungry, and however many drink of me will still have thirst." And referring directly to himself he says the same thing: "My flesh is real food, my blood is real drink." These pastures are found next to the water that recreates, and these pastures and water are found only in the catholic church. Here your pastures are found in the commandments of life, here is found the fountain of water that flows to eternal life. Those streams will renew you when you come to be baptized in order to be restored in Christ. This is the water that must water your pastures so that you can grow; only the baptism of Christ produces fruits from the commandments, and only these nourish us so that we may be satisfied.
