Tuesday of the
Sixth Week in Ordinary Time
(James 1:12-18; Mark 8:14-21)
The Letter of James is often said to counterbalance the
Letters of St. Paul where the latter emphasizes faith as the sole criteria for
salvation. James says in distinction
that unless faith is lived in charity, it is useless. In today’s passage James corrects another
frequently misunderstood dictum in Scripture.
In the “Our Father” Jesus teaches his disciples to pray, “’Lead
us not into temptation…’” Is he implying that God might tempt people to sin as a
lustful young man might tempt his date into his apartment? That cannot happen, and James intends to
chase the idea from people’s mind lest they make excuses for their sins.
Nevertheless, Jesus’ prayer has real meaning. God seems to permit that humans be tried until
their faith is about to break. Parents suffer
the loss of children, and the lonely feel drawn to ruinous pleasures. At these junctures we should cling to James’ advice. He says that God created us in love and will provide
the means to overcome all threats to our salvation.
