‘Veni, comede in laetitia panem tuum et bibe in cordo bono vinum tuum, quoniam iam complacuerunt Deo opera tua. Si dictum hoc obvio vulgatoque sensu declarare velimus, haud improprie dicamus iustam videri cohortationem, qua nos Ecclesiastes admonet, ut simplicem vivendi rationem amplexi ac sincerae erga Deum fidei doctrinis addicti, panem in laetitia manducemus et vinum bibamus in corde bono ; ut neque in verba malitiae prolabamur, nec ullo in anfractu versemur ; sed potius et recta semper cogitemus et, quantum fas est, misericordia et liberalitate egentibus et mendicis subveniamus : iis nimirum et studiis dediti et factis, quibus Deus ipse delectatur.

Come, eat your bread with joy and drink your wine with a glad heart; for what you do, God has approved beforehand. This exhortation of Ecclesiastes is very proper if you take its words in their ordinary everyday sense. If we embrace a simple rule of life and let our beliefs be inspired by a sincere faith in God, we should eat our bread with joy and drink our wine with a glad heart. We should not fall into slanderous speech or devote ourselves to devious stratagems; rather, we should direct our thoughts on straight paths and (as far as is practicable) help the poor and destitute with compassion and generosity – that is, dedicate ourselves to the activities that please God himself.