The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to meditate on the role of humility and trust in our relationships with God and others.
Signs of Faith
The reading from the Letter of James shares wisdom about the value of trials for Faith and Wisdom as he contrasts poverty and riches.
* [1:9–11] Throughout his letter (see Jas 2:5; 4:10, 13–16; 5:1–6), the author reaffirms the teaching of Jesus that worldly prosperity is not necessarily a sign of God’s favor but can even be a hindrance to proper humility before God (cf. Lk 6:20–25; 12:16–21; 16:19–31).1
Psalm 119 praises the glories of God’s Law.
* [Psalm 119] This Psalm, the longest by far in the Psalter, praises God for giving such splendid laws and instruction for people to live by. The author glorifies and thanks God for the Torah, prays for protection from sinners enraged by others’ fidelity to the law, laments the cost of obedience, delights in the law’s consolations, begs for wisdom to understand the precepts, and asks for the rewards of keeping them.2
In the Gospel of Mark, the Pharisees demand a sign from Jesus.
* [8:11–12] The objection of the Pharisees that Jesus’ miracles are unsatisfactory for proving the arrival of God’s kingdom is comparable to the request of the crowd for a sign in Jn 6:30–31. Jesus’ response shows that a sign originating in human demand will not be provided; cf. Nm 14:11, 22.3
John Shea, S.J. comments that the Pharisees ask Jesus for a sign and Jesus simply sighs from the depth of his spirit. This reading takes place immediately after Jesus fed 4,000 people with seven loaves, which is a lot of Valentines! That act of generosity was a huge sign, but the Pharisees’ hardness of heart prevented them from seeing what was right in front of them.
When our focus is on God, then we can see things as they truly are. Trials and hardships, as James tells us, become the occasion for joy because they purify our faith, develop our character, and help us cultivate perseverance. When our focus is on God, we recognize the good things in our lives (like discounted Valentine’s Day chocolate!) and respond with gratitude instead of doubt and suspicion. Today we ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, for the wisdom to see things as they truly are.4
Don Schwager quotes “Why does this generation seek a sign,” by John Chrysostom (347-407 AD).
"But for what sign from heaven were they asking? Maybe that he should hold back the sun, or curb the moon, or bring down thunderbolts, or change the direction of the wind, or something like that?... In Pharaoh's time there was an enemy from whom deliverance was needed (Exodus 3-15). But for one who comes among friends, there should be no need of such signs." (excerpt from GOSPEL OF ST. MATTHEW, HOMILY 53.3)5
The Word Among Us Meditation on James 1:1-11 comments that doubts can destabilize us so that we become like a wave “tossed about by the wind” (1:6). But we don’t have to let that happen! God has given us two “anchors” that can help us stay faithful when doubts inevitably arise.
You never have to passively allow doubts to toss you about. Whenever they surface, remember that you can do something about them. God has already equipped you to deal with them! “Lord, anchor me in prayer and your word so that I can overcome my doubts and stay faithful to you.”6
Friar Jude Winkler introduces James' wisdom about suffering and perseverance. Half hearted prayer reflects our need for greater trust. Friar Jude reminds us that our true measure of trust in God comes when things are falling apart.
The USCCB Introduction to the Letter of James offers additional background.
CAC teacher James Finley understands meditation and prayer as the opportunity to realize God’s constant love for us at all times.
To practice meditation as an act of religious faith is to open ourselves to the endlessly reassuring realization that our very being and the very being of everyone and everything around us is the generosity of God. For God is creating us in the present moment, loving us into being, such that our very presence in the present moment is the manifested presence of God. We meditate that we might awaken to this unitive mystery, not just in meditation, but in every moment of our lives. [1]7
Carmelite nun Ruth Burrows has reflected deeply on the nature of prayer through her numerous books.
The essential thing we have to do is believe in the enfolding, nurturing, transforming Love of God which is the Reality: the Reality that is absolutely, totally there whether we avert to It or not. Prayer, from our side, is a deliberate decision to avert to It, to respond to It in the fullest way we can. To do this we must set time aside to devote exclusively to the ‘Yes’ of faith.7
Meditative prayer is an opportunity to open ourselves to the nudges of the Spirit to live humbly trusting in God.
References
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