Ãâó: http://archive.catholic.com/thisrock/1993/9302ntg.asp
N e w T e s t a m e n t G u i d e
James
By Antonio Fuentes
This letter, which was accepted as canonical from the second
century onward, is attributed to James, the son of Cleophas and of Mary, the
Blessed Virgin's sister or cousin. To distinguish him from the other James, the
son of Zebedee (cf. Matt. 10:2-4), this James is called "the less"
and, also, "the brother (= cousin) of the Lord" (Matt. 13:55).
From the Acts we know that he enjoyed great authority in the church of Jerusalem
(Acts 15:13-19). Paul describes him as one of the pillars of the Church (Gal.
2:9) and gives him a prominent place among those to whom our Lord appeared after
his Resurrection.
James the apostle was, then, bishop of Jerusalem until his death in the year 62.
He wrote his letter around the year 60. In it he shows himself to be steeped in
the Old Testament and in the teachings of Jesus deriving from the Sermon on the
Mount; and he passes these on in a document of high literary quality. As he
himself says, he is writing to "the twelve tribes of the Dispersion"
(1:1), that is, to Christians of Jewish origin scattered throughout the
Greco-Roman world.
He seeks to encourage them to bear persecution bravely and to practice the
Christian virtues, especially patience in the face of trial (1:1-12) and control
of the tongue (1:26; 3:1-18), for, as we well know, prudence in speech prevents
many sins, whereas uncontrolled talk can lead to further lack of self-control
and even to speaking badly about one's neighbor behind his back, thereby
committing sins against charity and even against justice.
James also gives great importance to care for the poor and humble, advising
Christians not to give preference to people who are well-to-do or have a high
social position--the reason being that Jesus Christ was no respecter of persons,
and Christians should imitate him. Our Lord loves both poor and rich, educated
and uneducated. He gave up his life for everyone. We should not grade people
according to their position, much less according to external appearances
(2:1ff), for a person's quality is something that derives from his union with
God: The more humble and understanding he is, the more honor he deserves.
The apostle energetically criticizes the rich (5:1ff), that is, ambitious and
greedy people, who not only do not use their wealth properly but defraud
laborers of their wages. They make wealth their main objective; they show no
pity to their poor neighbor and do not even give him what justice demands.
People like this seem to be very fortunate and privileged, but in God's eyes and
in their own conscience they are the ones to be pitied. James' denunciation in
5:1ff is very direct and hard-hitting.
All this ties in with the central message of the letter: "Faith, by itself,
if it has no works, is dead" (2:17), for "a man is justified by works
and not by faith alone" (2:24). Ever since the time of Luther, who
discredited this letter because it did not fit in with his doctrine of faith
without works, many people have tried to make out that it is at odds with Paul's
teaching "that a man is not justified by works of the law but through
faith" (Gal. 2:16, Rom. 3:20).
But the contradiction is only apparent, because from the context it is clear
that James (who knew the letter to the Galatians) is talking about the
"good works" which Jesus recommended in the Sermon on the Mount, for
"not every one who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of
heaven, but he who does the will of my Father" (Matt. 7:21). Paul, on the
contrary, is referring to the Old Covenant, which he regarded as superseded, and
he is taking issue with these Judaizers who made out that Christians had to keep
the observances of the Mosaic law if they were to attain salvation.
Paul and James, then, are at one. Paul shows this when he speaks of "faith
working through love" (Gal. 5:6); and in Romans he is even more specific
when he says that God "will render to every man according to his
works" (Rom. 2:6).
Faith it is that brings us to know God and love him. Therefore, knowledge of the
truth should never be a cerebral thing: It should be something practical,
something that helps us love God and our neighbor as ourselves, which implies a
daily effort to do God's will and keep his commandments.
Finally, the letter contains a very interesting passage about the sacrament of
the anointing of the sick (5:14-15), as indicated by the Council of Trent. James
here promulgates a sacrament instituted by Jesus.
As Vatican II puts it, "By the sacred anointing of the sick and the prayer
of priests the whole Church commends those who are ill to the suffering and
glorified Lord that he may raise them up and save them. And indeed she exhorts
them to contribute to the good of the people of God by freely uniting themselves
to the passion and death of Christ." (Dogmatic Constitution on the
Church [Lumen Gentium], 11). Thus, as a result of anointing and
prayer the sick person will be saved--and will be healed, if that is God's will,
and any sins he has committed will be forgiven.