We proceed with the somber, edifying and holy counsels of Saint James in his Epistle, where today he warns us about being patient with others because it is linked to the judgment to come. So he says,
“Do not complain, brothers and sisters, about one another, that you may not be judged. Behold, the Judge is standing before the gates.”
This urgency, of Christ “standing at the gate” indicating his second coming is meant for the “last days” by which we mean the entire span of time between the Incarnation and the Second coming. Given that Jesus had already been among us and then glorified in his risen form, each forthcoming day was considered a possible “last day”.
In truth, the Catholic Christian ought to live in such a way where each day is his last. Can you imagine how many things would change? How many important things would be said and done? It’s only our pride and other circumstances that make us procrastinate change, thinking we have lots of time. Time flies by, and when we come to the end of our days, how will we stand before God? This is one of James’ permeating themes throughout his epistle.
Up till then, the “saints” of the Old Testament people were the prophets and so James urges his listeners to pay attention to the calibre of life these individuals lived—steeped in a deep relationship with God. Such was the figure of Saint Job. And yes, we can call Old Testament saintly figures, saints, for as The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us, “The patriarchs, prophets, and certain other Old Testament figures have been and always will be honored as saints in all the Church's liturgical traditions” (CCC 61).
What does James highlight in Job? Well, much like the other prophets and patriarchs who endured suffering but remained faithful and loyal to God, so too Job, in his quiet perseverance never once uttered a word of complaint as he saw his family and possessions disappear before his eyes:
“…the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” Job 1:21.
When the Lord takes from us, it’s normally to give us something better. And when he gives something to us, it’s probably to remove something detrimental to our eternal salvation. In all cases, James inspires us to praise the Lord for his goodness, kindness and mercy.
Lastly, as Jesus did in the gospels (Matt 5:33-37), James warns his listeners regarding indiscriminate swearing. First, because our tone and phrasing can be offensive to God, especially if we are making a false oath. “By heaven or by earth” were substitutes for the original form of an oath, to circumvent its binding force and to avoid pronouncing the holy name of God. James’ words are very close to Christ’s in the Sermon on the Mount. James is not condemning the taking of solemn oaths, but rather, he is condemning the flippant use of God’s name or a sacred object to guarantee the truth of what is spoken.
On the contrary, he tells the community: “…let your “Yes” be yes and your “No” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.” A Christian proves his true identity and deeds, not by taking oaths which may be offensive to God, but rather by their very conduct. “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” John 13:35. They are people of their word. So it should not be necessary to convince others of the truth of what they are saying by resorting to swearing oaths. It is a quality every one of us should be known for in our relations with those around us.
Speaking about being true to our word, in today’s gospel Jesus is challenged on the question of the binding nature of marriage. We are actually told that this was to test him. Trying to place him on the wrong side of the Mosaic law, Jesus answers with another question: What did Moses command you? Their answer reiterates the Book of Deuteronomy where Moses says:
“Suppose a man enters into marriage with a woman but she does not please him because he finds something objectionable about her, so he writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand,
and sends her out of his house; she then leaves his house and goes off to become another man’s wife. Then suppose the second man dislikes her, writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house (or the second man who married her dies): her first husband, who sent her away, is not permitted to take her again to be his wife after she has been defiled, for that would be abhorrent to the Lord, and you shall not bring guilt on the land that the Lord your God is giving you as a possession” Deuteronomy 24:1-4.
Jesus reminds them that this law was given by Moses due to the moral weakness of the men who couldn’t hold on to one woman. He then challenges this rule with words from the creation story itself in Genesis (1:27; 2:24):
“…God made them male and female. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”
Jesus highlights the fact that the two become one body and concludes:
“Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”
The apostles find Jesus’ words and tone a bit, harsh, shall we say? But Jesus intensifies his pronouncement: a man who divorces his wife and marries another is guilty of adultery and a woman who divorces her husband and marries another is also guilty of adultery. He does not recognise divorce. Jesus is attacking a situation where men, when they got tired of their spouse and found someone more interesting, simply wrote a piece of paper and unilaterally dumped the first wife, leaving her high and dry. Jesus rightly deplores such a situation. His final remark indicates something new for his time (and often not yet accepted in our own): equal rights and equal responsibilities for both partners. Women are not commodities to be picked up and dropped off at will. As a priest, I have witnessed many beautiful marriages where spouses remain in love, and in fact have cultivated and grown that love since their wedding day having built something beautiful through their highs and lows. I have also seen the complete opposite, where many good women have been betrayed and continue to be abused by habitual violations and it is something that is heart-breaking.
In our culture, where divorce is becoming more commonplace, we need to understand that there is something more than just the natural breakdown occurring, but rather a full-out assault of Lucifer and his infernal spirits on the family unit as a whole. This is why, a person (most often, a woman), who decides to remain in a marriage even when infidelities are proven, is such a testament to the spiritual power they wield, which is anything but “fanatical”, and rather heroic and blessed by God in very special ways. I have also seen, couples who were indefinitely severed from one another, yet how with prayer they were able to begin anew. We need to remember, that with Christ, there is always hope. Just like he brought life back into a dead body, so he can bring life back into a wife and husband’s depleted marriage, and make them one body again. What man has divided, God can reunite. Hence, the response from us, the Catholic onlookers, to this unfortunate reality, and often times diabolically induced division, ought to be empathy, compassion, and prayer, and this is where the larger Body of Christ’s Mystical Body comes in, to heal the one body of husband and wife that is struggling. Let us lift up today, all couples who may be struggling. Let us pray that the Lord will strengthen all of our vows, whatever vocation we have been graciously called to, so that our “yes” may mean yes, and our “no” to the world, may mean no to Satan who wishes to sift us as wheat. And may we always remember, that defending us and raising up our needs always, is that Immaculate Mother Mary, Spouse of the Holy Spirit, but also Spouse of Saint Joseph, who like at Cana and throughout her life, was always attentive to the needs of her children, entrusted to her by God, and present always throughout the joys and sorrows of their lives. Our Lady, Queen of the Family, pray for us.
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