The Letter of James: one of the written witnesses to the faith and life of the early Church will be the verses of the liturgy's first reading for the next two weeks. A point of history is in order. The person who composed the letter, albeit attributed to "James," is not the apostle James. The writer James identifies himself in the first sentence: "a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. That is it. The letter is a didactic presentation to the Jewish people everywhere from the apparent spiritual leader of the Jewish Christian community living in Jerusalem.
From the outset James encourages and exhorts: seek wisdom, persevere and be strong in faith. Clearly servant James wishes to instill a genuine foundation in the hearts and minds of his audience. Can we not see in James' beginning words how he hopes the Christian community will live in the love of God? Surely he wants God's people to live in the love of God. There is a wonderful quote attributed to Simone Weil in the May Magnificat for today's reflection.
"It is not by the way a man talks about God, but by the way he talks about things of the world that best shows whether his soul has passed through the fire of the love of God."
Is this not an excellent insight for modern society to chew on! Perhaps a question might be: Is this not the attachment we have to God and the graces we have from the Holy Spirit that enables us to see with wisdom the ways that "things of the world" can detach us from truly understanding our God?
Perhaps we can recall an insight that was so strong in the final years of the life of Fr. Henri Nouwen. In seven words he speaks volumes to contemporary people seeking to know themselves, their God and to live in wisdom: the heart is more important than the mind.
St. Bernard, famous abbot, wrote that "There are three ways for wisdom or prudence to abound for you: if you confess your sins, if you give thanks and praise, and if your speech is edifying." Therein lies the challenge for us today!
