St. James was one of the most practical of the Apostles. His Letter to all Christians, which we have been listening to for the last few Sundays, is direct and stark, not some kind of an abstract, pie-in-the-sky theological treatise. In today's passage, he puts before us two contrasting ways to live life, hoping to motivate us to renew our choice for the better way. Let's take a closer look at these two ways.
Part I: The Path of Wisdom
The first way is the way of wisdom. St James specifies that this wisdom is not just worldly wisdom, not just the street-smarts of a clever criminal or greedy business tycoon. No, this wisdom is "from above." It is a share in God's own vision of life. When we follow this vision, St James explains, we experience "righteous-ness and peace."
Righteousness means a right relationship with God, and peace means a right relationship with the world and the people around us. Those right relationships are what give our lives the meaning, the creativity, the fruitfulness, and the fulfillment that we all desire. St James is so convinced about this way of wisdom that he uses eight separate terms to try and describe it. Each one of them reveals a different aspect of the beauty and power of God's wisdom.
Part II: The Path of Passions
Those are only two of the worthy characteristics St James identifies with the way of wisdom. But what is the second way that he identifies? The second way is the way of "passions." What St James means by passions are self-centered desires - whether for pleasure, power, or popularity. And the result of letting these desires rule our life is the exact opposite of the result given by true wisdom. Instead of peace and fulfillment, it leads to "wars and battles," if we translate the Greek literally. And this makes perfect sense.
If our dominant desire is to make money, maximize our pleasure, or climb the ladder of success, we will necessarily see other people not as neighbors and fellow-travelers, or brothers and sisters in Christ, but instead as potential competitors or obstacles. And if we are slaves of selfish passions, we will not hesitate to eliminate any obstacle to their fulfillment.
The result? Back-stabbing, literally and figuratively; slander; deception; manipulation. Wars and battles. This is the atmosphere created when we allow ourselves to be enslaved by our self-centered desires.
Conclusion: More Than a Reminder
So today the Church is putting before us two ways: the way of wisdom, which leads to righteousness and peace, and the way of self-centered passion, which leads to passing pleasures accompanied by destruction, "disorder and every foul practice." But isn't this kind of a useless reminder? After all, we are here today because we all believe in Jesus Christ and are doing our best to follow him faithfully, to live by wisdom and not by passion, right?
St James didn't think so. He was writing to Mass going Catholics just like us, and yet, the Holy Spirit inspired him to deal with this uncomfortable topic head on. We are all still sinners, engaged in spiritual warfare, surrounded by temptations. We need reminders, even when they make us uncomfortable.
But in this Mass, and in every Mass and every sacrament, we are doubly blessed, because we don't just receive a reminder about the path we should be following in life; we also receive divine strength to stay on that path or get back onto it. In the celebration of the Eucharist, Christ himself, the very source of all "wisdom from above," comes anew into our presence, our lives, and our community.
As he does, let's welcome him with open, grateful hearts, and renew our commitment to be his faithful friends, promising to take whatever steps are necessary to build our lives on the wisdom from above.