Saint James had a one liner in the Scripture reading today that sliced through his entire letter about faith and works. Faith, if it does not have works, is dead.
Who do people say I am? We heard Jesus ask that question of others this week and we heard a variety of responses. Some of us may not answer with spoken words but instead use active deeds, and our deeds will communicate who He is.
While on vacation recently I had many opportunities to demonstrate my faith and to also communicate who Jesus is. I was not housed in a gated community or a full-service hotel. I had to pass beggars and cripples seeking a hand out. I tried to respond but also passed up the opportunity at times making a judgement call as to the worthiness of the appeal. My faith response may not have been dead but it would later feel weak.
Saint James spoke about gravitating towards those who appear to be wholesome and appealing, while avoiding those who do not. My faith would once again be tested and once again I had to conclude that unless I responded more often than not, my faith would be dead.
Families face many challenges today and one of them is making sure that both prayer and deeds nurture the faith planted in each member of the family.
