Thursday of the
Sixth Week in Ordinary Time
(James 2:1-9; Mark 8:27-33)
In a disturbing book published a few years ago sociologist
Charles Murray wrote that the rich are more likely to have Christian values than
the poor. That is, they are more likely
to go to church, to get married, and to work than their poor counterparts. The report raises the question about how to
respond to James’ assertion in today’s first reading that the poor, not the
rich, deserve praise.
James is making a sweeping but not inherently unfair
generalization that the poor are often ignored while the rich receive most people’s
favor. As everyone knows, the rich have fluid
resources (money) that might be employed for any cause. The poor on the other hand have problems
that are hard to deal with. Yet the poor
are not only created in the image of God, but they also represent Christ who
walked the earth as a poor man. James
urges that Christians concern themselves with their needs at least as much as
they court the rich for possible favors.
For decades faith based community organizing linked
church-goers from well-to-do areas with the inner-city faithful in alliances working
for the common good. The results were
both tangible and spiritual. Laws were
passed that improved community life, and people of all stripes knew one another
as colleagues. Sadly many of these
coalitions fell apart from the lack of a coherent political vision. Somehow the spirit of the community
organizations must be revived to allow the poor to thrive along with the rich in
the sight of God.
