This coming Sunday, October 26, we will celebrate our Patronal Feast. This is a special Sunday on which we honor the saint after whom our parish is named, Saint James of Jerusalem, the brother of Our Lord Jesus Christ. It’s a little bit like a birthday party for the congregation, and so we’ll be thanking God for the gift of another year of parish life and ministry in the city of Long Beach.
But our Patronal Feast is more than just a commemoration. It’s also a time for us to remember who we are. Much as religious orders strive to express the charisms – the unique spiritual gifts for mission – of their founders, we are called to express the charisms of our church’s patron saint. In a very particular way, that means renewing our commitment to the vision that St. James of Jerusalem stood for. So, this Sunday, we'll reflect on that vision, asking his prayers, and God’s gracious help, to make that vision real in the world around us.
So, who was James of Jerusalem? What was his message? What charisms did he express?
The New Testament tells us that James was a near kinsman of Jesus who was favored with a special appearance of the Lord before his ascension (1 Corinthians 15:7). Eventually, he became the first Bishop of Jerusalem and presided there over the first church council, when conflict erupted over whether Gentile converts should be held to the letter of the Mosaic law. James, a strictly observant Jewish Christian, exercised visionary leadership on a breathtaking scale, confirming the council’s decision with these words: “My judgment is that we should impose no irksome restrictions on those Gentiles who are turning to God” (Acts 15:19). For his wise guidance, purity of heart, and liberality of spirit, he came to be surnamed "the Just".
In the epistle traditionally attributed to him, James urges us to the practice of real discipleship: Faith without works is dead. He warns us against destructive habits and attitudes that, if we don’t keep our eyes open, can creep in through the church’s back door: formalism, which clings to ceremony but forgets love and purity of heart (1:27); extremism, which uses religion as a pretext for violence (1:20); worldliness, which gives preferential treatment to rich people and gives poor people second best (2:2); false witness, which uses words to manipulate others (3:2-12); party-spirit (3:14); evil and divisive speech (4:11); showing off (4:16); and abuse of power (5:4). And, in turn, he exhorts us to be supernaturally patient – in trial (1:2) , through performing good works (1:22-25), when provoked (3:17), when oppressed (5:7), when persecuted (5:10) – knowing that there is nothing to fear, for the Lord himself is near.
James' epistle is also the chief biblical text for the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick. James writes:
"Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. And their prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make them well. And anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven." (5:14,15).
How are we being called to express the spirit, message and vision of St. James of Jerusalem – James the Just! – in the year ahead?
“Grant, O God, that, following the example of your servant James the Just, brother of our Lord, your Church may give itself continually to prayer and to the reconciliation of all who are at variance and enmity; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.” (Lesser Feasts and Fasts, collect for Saint James of Jerusalem)
Father Chris+
Thursday, October 23, 2008
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