Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time
August 29, 2021
“Humbly welcome the word that has been planted in you and is able to save your souls. Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deluding yourselves. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their affliction and to keep yourself unstained by the world.”
The letter of St. James offers us clear, practical examples for Christian living for today. He could have invented the current expression, ‘Walk the walk, don’t just talk the talk.’ How clearly I can recall the summer school of Catholic action at Fordham in New York calling young people to apostolic action. The foundation of it all was found in the Word of God, which we read daily, listen to weekly, and discover ways to live it. Welcome that word.
The Word of God from the beginning addressed the needs of the most vulnerable. They were represented by orphans and widows, but today we might add single mothers, ex-offenders, immigrants and those marginalized in our society. If we feel uncomfortable with current examples, good. As we respond to them, we are keeping ourselves unstained by the world.