Scripture: James 2:5-8
My dear brothers and sisters, listen! Hasn’t God chosen those who are poor by worldly standards to be rich in terms of faith? Hasn’t God chosen the poor as heirs of the kingdom he has promised to those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor. Don’t the wealthy make life difficult for you? Aren’t they the ones who drag you into court? Aren’t they the ones who insult the good name spoken over you at your baptism? You do well when you really fulfill the royal law found in scripture, Love your neighbor as yourself.
Thought for the Day: Once again, we find ancient words with a contemporary relevance. In the days of James, the wealthy often saw their wealth as permission to do whatever pleased them…even it was at the expensive of others. Wealth had been considered a sign of divine blessing until Jesus appeared on the scene, and then old ways of thinking were turned upside down. Jesus provided insight into how the wealthy were often wealthy only because they abused the most vulnerable, and so James takes these arrogant ideas to task. It doesn’t matter whether you are a person of means or not, there is only one law and that is the law of love. If anything, the wealthy do not have special permission but special responsibility.
Prayer: Wherever I have a power or gifts, O Lord, may I use them with humility and for the sake of the most vulnerable around me. I ask this in the name of the one who gave up everything for the sake of all who were vulnerable. Amen.
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