21:27-28 When an ungodly man curses his adversary (literally,
“curses Satan”; compare Job 1:6-12), he curses his own soul. Perhaps
this means that the wicked shirk responsibility for their own sins by “cursing
Satan” instead of confessing their guilt. Yet by failing to repent of their
wrongdoings, they ultimately curse themselves. A whisperer who gossips
or discloses another’s faults for no valid reason commits detraction (Catechism
2477). In doing so, he harms his own reputation more than that of the one he is
gossiping about and defiles his own soul, so that he is disrespected and
hated in his own neighborhood (Sir 5:14; 19:4-17; 28:13). (André
Villeneuve, Sirach [Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture; Grand
Rapids, Mich.: Baker Academic, 2025], 178)