The Catholic Epistles of the New Testament

The Epistle of St. James

• The Epistle of St. James is one of the 7 Catholic epistles in the New Testament.
• It is called "Catholic" because it was not written to a specific person or church, but to all Christians.
• The writer of the Epistle is St. James, the cousin of Lord Jesus Christ and the bishop of Jerusalem.

Theme and Purpose

• The Epistle of St. James offers instruction for those experiencing problems such as persecution, economic injustice, poverty, apostasy, and fragmentations within the Church.
• St. James aims to rekindle true living faith and encourages repentance, patience, and self-control.

Trials and Perseverance

• Trials are outward circumstances faced by all believers, such as conflicts, sufferings, and troubles.
• Trials are not pleasant, but they can improve and purify our faith, producing patience and endurance.
• The Godly reactions to trials are joy and perseverance.

Wisdom for Trials

• St. James encourages us to find faith in a relationship with God through prayer.
• We should request knowledge, understanding, and correct judgment to deal with life's trials.
• The wisdom of God does not necessarily get us out of trouble, but it gives us insight on how to learn from troubles and difficulties.

Temptations

• God does not tempt us, but we are tempted when we are drawn away from God by our desires.
• We fall into temptations because we allow ourselves to do so.
• Sin grows and ultimately brings death: separation from God spiritually and physically.

The Corrective: Hear and Do

• As children of God, we must be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger.
• We must uproot the seeds of evil and plant the seeds of the Word of God.
• We must restrain our tongues, be merciful to others, and be unspotted from the world.

Faith and Works

• St. James emphasizes the essential relationship between faith and works.
• Three examples of faith and works are:
  • Mastery over speech: what proceeds out of the mouth flows from the heart.
  • Ministry to the needy: faithful Christians must be the guardians of the poor.
  • Moral purity in thought and deed: a traditional indicator of a working faith.

The Law of Love

• St. James warns us against judging others by earthly standards of rank, wealth, achievements, and appearance.
• A person's dignity and worth come from God, not from fellow humans.
• Favoring the rich over the poor is an example of fainthearted faith that comes from unjustly judging and showing partiality.

Faith that Works

• Faith that saves is a "complete" faith, one that trusts and lives with God.
• Complete faith is both faith and works.
• Faith produces works and works makes faith perfect and complete.

The Work of Faith: Controlling What We Say

• St. James warns us about the importance of controlling what we say.
• What we say reveals who and what we are.
• Only by the work of the Holy Spirit within us can the tongue be brought under control.

Godly Counsel

• St. James warns us about counseling others.
• If we are truly wise and understanding, let us show this wisdom with good conduct.
• We should refrain from counseling others with our "wisdom" that can be rooted in pride and sinful passions.

Lack of Faith and Works: Quarrels in the Church

• Wars and fights in the Church are another example of the result of faith without works.
• These disputes come from worldly desires and passions that cause disruption in the body of Christ.

Conquering Pride and Self-Seeking Pleasures

• We can conquer pride and self-seeking pleasures by:
  • Stopping prayers for self-centered pleasures.
  • Renouncing the world and building a friendship with God.
  • Yielding to the Holy Spirit who dwells in us through Chrismation.
  • Being humble, recognizing that God resists the proud.
  • Resisting Satan and submitting to God.

Criticizing Others

• When we criticize others, it is another example of pride that becomes evident in what we say.
• It is a lack of faith combined with evil works that is an offense to the person and God.

Being Overly Confident

• True faith is to completely depend upon God and to seek ways to do good works.
• We should begin all that we do and say with, "If God wills…"
• We must not boast or be arrogant, as God resists the proud.

Sins of Omission

• Not doing what we know is right is equally sinful as doing something wrong.
• Common sins of omission that youth commit today include:
  • Not praying regularly.
  • Not attending Church services.
  • Not helping those in need.

Warning to Rich Oppressors

• St. James describes in great detail the fate that awaits the unjust rich and how their wealth will condemn them.
• He is referring to those who have become rich unfairly by stealing, cheating, and taking advantage of others.

Encouragement to the Oppressed

• We should stop grumbling at each other, and we must not demand that life be "fair."
• We must be patient and wait on the Lord, realizing that plants do not produce fruit overnight.
• We must not swear by God as a way of proclaiming proof of truthfulness.

The Work of Faith: Healing

• Salvation involves the whole person, body and soul.
• The Sacrament of the Unction of the Sick has a double purpose, the healing of the body and forgiveness of sins.
• Praying and oil are used in combination during the healing of the sick.

Restoration

• St. James tells us the importance of the work of faith in bringing back a fellow Christian who turns away from Christ.