Feast of St. James
We are afflicted in every way, but not constrained; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our body. For we who live are constantly being given up to death for the sake of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you. 2 Corinthians 4:8-12
“…[W]hoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave. Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:26-28
Piety
Jesus, place us with you in the presence of Our Father. Everything indeed is for you, so that the grace bestowed in abundance on more and more people may cause the thanksgiving to overflow for the glory of God. We constantly face sin and death in our lives. Help us make your spirit, Jesus, manifested in our piety, study and action. Amen.
Study
By all comparisons, our existence today is remarkably more comfortable than the life that St. Paul experienced. We have clean running water in our homes. We have ice cubes in our frost-free freezers. We have central heating and air conditioning. No chopping fire wood. We have New Balance shoes. We have the Boston Celtics (or your favorite team). We have Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl Ice Cream from Ben & Jerry. We have nonfat vente café mocha at Starbucks. I’ll stop there but you get the point.
Despite lacking all this and more (and being held in chains by the Romans), St. Paul looked at the glass as half-filled. St. Paul dealt with his conditions by relying upon his faith in the presence and ultimate triumph of life, in his own and every Christian existence, despite the experience of death.
St. Paul asks us to look up, too. For him, the negative never completely prevails; there is always some experience of rescue, of salvation. It reminds me of the song “Looking Up: Three Days in September” written by WAMMIE award-winning DC recording artist Cletus Kennelly after September 11 when the planes were all grounded. In the short term, we looked up to empty skies. But in the long run, life returned to more normal routines…even if our days were color-coded for terrorism. (You can listen to “Looking Up” here at http://www.myspace.com/cletustunes)
Jesus warns us not to get too complacent. We are destined to share in the cup that passes over his lips, too.
Action
Things are indeed looking up for some. Just last week, the stock market jumped over the 9,000-point level for the first time since January. Mark Buehrle pitched a perfect game for the Chicago White Sox. And the latest Harry Potter movie is out.
But there is no joy in all corners of Mudville. Without quality, affordable health and dental care, present existence does not appear glorious at all to all people. How can people see themselves as a “treasured earthen vessel” if they are in physical, emotional and spiritual pain? Despite our creature comforts, these lull us into laziness while we see the ravages of neglect all around us. While politicians fight about health care reform, they fail to see the problem of families, children, the elderly and the poor who do not have access to the healing powers of modern medicine. They don’t have the money to play the health care game.
As Jim Wallis recently commented on the Sojourner’s website and blog: “In a nation as prosperous as ours, all Americans should have access to quality, affordable health care. Reasonable people may differ on how best to accomplish this goal, and I welcome a rigorous policy debate about it, but it should be a moral priority for all of us. We must work together to find common ground that will provide quality, affordable health care to all Americans.”
Let’s work to find common ground on tough issues so all Americans can share in “Looking Up.” We can use our inheritance of life to bring joy to others.
