On two levels

The texts today in the Roman Catholic Lectionary reach us in and about two levels.  Friar Jude Winkler points out the two messages in the letter of James. The first identifies gossip as a sordid and wicked practice which needs to be combatted with attention to listening and reluctance to speak. The second level addresses the deeper level of relationship to God which is characterized as being a doer and not just one who talks the talk. The psalmist praises those who walk the walk which involves rejecting behaviour which brings scandal and as James concludes in the end of his passage those who attend to the needs of the poor, excluded and dispossessed. Francis of Assisi encouraged the faithful to preach the Good News and if necessary, use words. The life of the disciple is the level of witness which is not always easy. Friar Jude points to the healing of the blind man in the Gospel of Mark today in two stages as being about the two stage conversion of the apostles. The first stage of love and attraction, which we know, is the relationship with Jesus which makes us feel great and supercharged. It brings us pleasure. As the apostles approached Calvary with Jesus they came to a second level of relationship through struggle and death to self which completes their journey to full restoration of sight. The second half of life, referred to by Richard Rohr, is that level of living in relationship with God where the battles with ego and self service can be won more than lost through the power of the indwelling Spirit in resonance with the Holy Spirit.