Thursday
of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time
(James
5:1-6; Mark 9:41-50)
James’
diatribe against the rich may sound like over-kill. The rich are not necessarily bad. Everyone knows rich people who try to help their
neighbors. Neither will all the rich end
in misery. Even corrupt rich people can change
their lives. But there seems to be a
kind of rich person that deserves the vitriol of James’ denunciation. They exploit the young in the sex trade.
Adolescents
who enter the sex trade commonly do so between
fourteen and sixteen. They may be forced
or intimidated into going along with the seducer. The victims of sex trafficking, both
adolescent and adult, face dire consequences.
Venereal disease is, of course, a serious threat. Involvement in drugs
and alcohol is common. Victims also suffer
serious mental problems. Life expectancy
is severely compromised along with possibility of achieving satisfaction in
life.
In the
gospel Jesus warns that those who cause a child to sin would be better off
dying tragically. Even if they live in a
palace, they have lost access to the kingdom.
They deserve the opprobrium of James in today’s reading.
