Tuesday of the Seventh
Week in Ordinary Time
(James 4:1-10; Mark 9:30-37)
Aldous Huxley published Brave
New World in 1932 as a warning for the future. He predicted the hedonism of gratuitous sex
and drugs that has become reality. At
the end of the novel the main character is seen whipping himself in an effort to
beat back desires of the flesh. The passage
from the Letter of James that we hear today relates a similar message as Brave New World.
The writer is intensely aware of the power of carnal desires
to overwhelm wisdom and even rationality.
Quite shockingly, after addressing his readers as “beloved” at the
beginning, he calls them “adulterers” in this passage to impress on them the
urgency of the situation. He cuts no
slack for delay or tolerance. Rather he
admonishes, “Cleanse
your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you of two minds.”
If we
are to preserve ourselves for the coming of Jesus Christ, we must act as James
exhorts his readers. Whipping ourselves is
unnecessary, but occasional fasting and constant vigilance over what we look at
should become norms. Beyond individual
discipline, we need to inculcate a culture of human dignity and respect. Such a culture would ban the death penalty as
well as abortion. It would also encourage
everyone to strive for the common good.
