Daily Retreat 05/16/08
2008 May 16 Fri: Ordinary Weekday
Jas 2: 14-24. 26/ Ps 111(112): 1-2. 3-4. 5-6/ Mk 8: 34 – 9: 1
From today’s readings: “Do you want proof, you ignoramus, that faith without works is useless?... Blessed the man who greatly delights in the Lord’s commands.... What profit is there for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? ”
Faith Without Works is Dead
In the most famous passage from his letter, St. James insists that “faith without works is dead” and such faith cannot save! This point is actually reiterated other times in the letter (as well as elsewhere in Scripture), but nowhere in the Bible more emphatically than in this passage, which clearly explains the inter-dependency of faith and works.
There is, of course, a well-known controversy here. Martin Luther, disturbed by the balance St. James defended of faith and works, dismissed this letter as “an epistle of straw.” Luther maintained that, in regards to justification, the emphasis should shift completely to faith, with the deliberate exclusion of works! In his defense, Luther quoted from chapter 3, verse 28 of St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans “for we hold that a man is justified by faith apart from works of law!” To insure his central dogma wouldn’t be missed, Luther even added the word “alone” in the translation he prepared, “man is justified by faith ALONE apart from works of law!”
But do St. Paul and St. James really contradict each other? As always, the apparent difficulties are cleared up by reading the texts in context. In his letter to the Romans, St. Paul writes about genuine, active faith in God, whereas St. James is here distinguishing that same Pauline living faith from deceptive, dead faith. In one of the hardest-hitting, but often overlooked verses in all of scripture, St. James reminds everyone that, Even the demons believe in God --and shudder! In other words, to the man who says, “I believe in God...” and thinks he thereby has Heaven sewn up because he’s doing God some big favor by simply acknowledging His existence, St. James is so clear that that is not enough - even the demons believe in God’s existence! That kind of minimal, deceptive, dead faith can’t save!
Likewise, Paul’s dismissal of works is in fact, reconcilable with James’ endorsement of works because, from the context, note that it’s clear Paul is specifically discounting works of the law of the Old Testament - circumcision, for instance, whereas James is talking about the good works which embody Christian faith, such as feeding the hungry and clothing the naked.
Now, those corporal works of mercy remind us of what Jesus said about the Last Judgment: (This excerpt from Matthew chapter 25): “Then the King will say to those at His right hand, 'Come, O blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave Me food,” and “I was naked and you clothed Me... ” All those good works mentioned by Jesus are explicitly linked by Him as reasons for inheriting His Kingdom.
Now, let’s be clear: St. James is NOT saying, and as Catholics, we do not, I repeat, we DO NOT believe good works in themselves can ever earn justification and salvation apart from God’s grace - in fact, that idea is a heresy, a form of Pelegianism. Good works can help prepare for faith, good works give essential witness to a living faith, good works, as Jesus Himself explains, are a way of welcoming and serving Christ and freely cooperating with God’s grace, but removed from that amazing, saving grace, good works in themselves do not earn salvation, and the Catholic Church, following St. James and the whole of Scripture, is very clear about these points.
Jas 2: 14-24. 26/ Ps 111(112): 1-2. 3-4. 5-6/ Mk 8: 34 – 9: 1
From today’s readings: “Do you want proof, you ignoramus, that faith without works is useless?... Blessed the man who greatly delights in the Lord’s commands.... What profit is there for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? ”
Faith Without Works is Dead
In the most famous passage from his letter, St. James insists that “faith without works is dead” and such faith cannot save! This point is actually reiterated other times in the letter (as well as elsewhere in Scripture), but nowhere in the Bible more emphatically than in this passage, which clearly explains the inter-dependency of faith and works.
There is, of course, a well-known controversy here. Martin Luther, disturbed by the balance St. James defended of faith and works, dismissed this letter as “an epistle of straw.” Luther maintained that, in regards to justification, the emphasis should shift completely to faith, with the deliberate exclusion of works! In his defense, Luther quoted from chapter 3, verse 28 of St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans “for we hold that a man is justified by faith apart from works of law!” To insure his central dogma wouldn’t be missed, Luther even added the word “alone” in the translation he prepared, “man is justified by faith ALONE apart from works of law!”
But do St. Paul and St. James really contradict each other? As always, the apparent difficulties are cleared up by reading the texts in context. In his letter to the Romans, St. Paul writes about genuine, active faith in God, whereas St. James is here distinguishing that same Pauline living faith from deceptive, dead faith. In one of the hardest-hitting, but often overlooked verses in all of scripture, St. James reminds everyone that, Even the demons believe in God --and shudder! In other words, to the man who says, “I believe in God...” and thinks he thereby has Heaven sewn up because he’s doing God some big favor by simply acknowledging His existence, St. James is so clear that that is not enough - even the demons believe in God’s existence! That kind of minimal, deceptive, dead faith can’t save!
Likewise, Paul’s dismissal of works is in fact, reconcilable with James’ endorsement of works because, from the context, note that it’s clear Paul is specifically discounting works of the law of the Old Testament - circumcision, for instance, whereas James is talking about the good works which embody Christian faith, such as feeding the hungry and clothing the naked.
Now, those corporal works of mercy remind us of what Jesus said about the Last Judgment: (This excerpt from Matthew chapter 25): “Then the King will say to those at His right hand, 'Come, O blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave Me food,” and “I was naked and you clothed Me... ” All those good works mentioned by Jesus are explicitly linked by Him as reasons for inheriting His Kingdom.
Now, let’s be clear: St. James is NOT saying, and as Catholics, we do not, I repeat, we DO NOT believe good works in themselves can ever earn justification and salvation apart from God’s grace - in fact, that idea is a heresy, a form of Pelegianism. Good works can help prepare for faith, good works give essential witness to a living faith, good works, as Jesus Himself explains, are a way of welcoming and serving Christ and freely cooperating with God’s grace, but removed from that amazing, saving grace, good works in themselves do not earn salvation, and the Catholic Church, following St. James and the whole of Scripture, is very clear about these points.
posted by FrPitstick | 5/10/2008
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