In today’s readings, the philosophy of the world which extols wealth, power, pleasure and honour in their extreme forms, is condemned. It’s not such a blessing to be “rich” as the world tries to convince us, especially if it makes us poor spiritually and towards our neighbour.
Saint James begins today by hurling woes against the rich:
“Come now, you rich, weep and wail over your impending miseries. Your wealth has rotted away, your clothes have become moth-eaten, your gold and silver have corroded, and that corrosion will be a testimony against you”
Saint James is envisioning the passage of a person who remained greedy in this life into the next. The corrosion of his own riches will testify against him. He failed to use his money for good. Failed to repent. And appeared before the Creator poor and wretched.
“You have stored up treasure for the last days.”
Here once again is that presumptuous arrogance that was denounced yesterday as foolish when recalling Jesus’ parable concerning the foolish rich man who wanted to build huge reservoirs for his abundant grain, so that he could relax for the coming years, forgetting to share some of that abundance with the less fortunate.
We forget that our time here is but a breeze compared to the unceasing time of eternity which we will step into after this pilgrimage is done. Let’s be wise. And absolutely, let’s make sure to be honest and just… Saint James continues his godly condemnation of wickedness, especially when it directly causes the suffering of others:
“Behold, the wages you withheld from the workers who harvested your fields are crying aloud; and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.”
It’s almost as if James is adding this extra nugget of culpability to the foolish man in our Lord’s parable. That is, not only was he presumptuous in greedily storing up his grain for years to come, but this was most likely a man, according to James, who had simultaneously withheld wages from his workers as well. And then, almost as if turning our attention to the greatest ignominy of all time when the spotless Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world was slaughtered without uttering one complaint, St James says,
“You have lived on earth in luxury and pleasure; you have fattened your hearts for the day of slaughter. You have condemned; you have murdered the righteous one; he offers you no resistance.”
In today’s gospel, that Righteous One instead points out the generosity even in little things that will be noticed by the Almighty:
“Jesus said to his disciples: Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ, amen, I say to you, will surely not lose his reward.”
There are those who kill Christians for being Jesus’ followers, and there are those who go out or their way to bring them “a cup of water” … that is, they show special attention to the ones whom they see are lovers of Jesus. Our Lord says that he takes note of their kindness and will compensate it. But he also points out the horrors of doing the opposite in scandalizing one of these his followers.
Interestingly the Lord doesn’t invite such a one to repentance but says that it is better to tie a millstone around their neck and cast themselves into the sea. If this is the case, how terrible is the pain of hell, if the Lord suggests this course of action where death now will spare him more intense torments in hell later? Did you catch that? He says it would be better … meaning what traditional theology has always taught us that there are levels to the punishments experienced in hell, different intensities, as there are also levels of bliss in heaven, and why? Because God’s justice is perfect. To some 20, to some 50, to others 100, whatever is the just recompense for whatever our actions have merited.
And yet brothers and sisters, we need to truly move towards loving God for who he is, rather than for what he can give or take away from us. Let us think of our struggling brothers and sisters who cannot give us anything in return, not because some day God will reward us, and indeed he will, but because we love him and wish to do his will. Our Lady, Queen of Saints, pray for us.
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