Today’s readings, gentle reader, reminded me of the simple fact that people are all the same – in Christ’s eyes there are no favorites – everyone is loved, everyone is worthy, and anyone might need our help at one time or another. James was truly on the mark when he told the assembly not to favor the well-dressed or rich people at their gatherings. He essentially said that status-seeking, classism, racism, sexism, ageism (bias against all ages, that is!), and all the rest of the “isms” must end. A really good idea, right? Easy for some people, harder for others… Essential for Christians, though…
If we want to bring James’ message up to our present time, we can remind ourselves that everyone who works in Human Development, the Food Pantry, the food truck, or any missionary outreach, etc., understands James very well. There are no deserving vs. undeserving, rich vs. poor – just regular people who need some help for a variety of reasons.
Religious orders follow James’ path in their ministries – for example, a part of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondolet’s (Sr. Laura Bufano and Sr. Kathleen Heffron, to keep this close to home) consensus statement describes their mission to include a “profound love of God and love of neighbor without distinction – from whom she does not separate herself.”
Jesus didn’t want to call attention to himself for his mercy to others, either…he made that very clear when he told the man not to talk about the fact that he healed him. Of course it’s good to thank God for healing, but the local people of Jesus’ day would have simply attributed it to Jesus’ human, personal power – they didn’t know Him as the Son of God incarnate. So Jesus simply did what he was meant to do – with love, not fanfare. Of course, the church has had centuries to reflect on all of this, so it seems pretty natural to us. It wasn’t so natural then, and James had to make it clear. But what does it mean in practice in today’s world? To me, it means I need to see the “dear neighbor” in a person who is selfish, or abrasive and rude – and in a lonely elder, priests and religious, a sad teenager, a sleeping infant, a struggling couple. The list goes on to infinity. With God’s help we all can do it…
Dorothy A. Hathway, CSJA
