Word to the Wise
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 - Monday in the 6th Week in Ordinary Time
[Jas 1:1-11 and Mark 8:11-13]Blessed is he who perseveres in temptation, for when he has been proven he will receive the crown of life that hepromised to those who love him. No one experiencing temptation should say: "I am being tempted by God"; for God is not subject to temptation to evil, and he himself tempts no one. Rather each person is tempted when lured and enticed by his desire. Blessed is he who perseveres in temptation, for when he has been proven he will receive the crown of life that hepromised to those who love him. No one experiencing temptation should say: "I am being tempted by God"; for God is not subject to temptation to evil, and he himself tempts no one. Rather each person is tempted when lured and enticed by his desire. Blessed is he who perseveres in temptation, for when he has been proven he will receive the crown of life that hepromised to those who love him. No one experiencing temptation should say: "I am being tempted by God"; for God is not subject to temptation to evil, and he himself tempts no one. Rather each person is tempted when lured and enticed by his desire.
The Letter of James speaks to a very practical moral concern. How responsible are we for our moral decisions? Are we simply slaves to external temptations or slaves to our internal appetites and, either way, simply tools in the hands of forces we cannot control? The response in Christian terms is that we do not have to be slaves to either of those two "masters." God has given us moral freedom to make decisions. We can compromise that freedom through choices that lead to the slavery of addiction which makes us slaves of both external factors (the particular addiction or phobia) and our internal dependence. Yet, we can still overcome all of that by a choice to seek recovery through 12 step programs or other paths.
There is no question that human persons can become overwhelmed by forces that are not in their control. Poverty, hunger, oppression, and other forces can render a person helpless. These forces can lead to violence when a person becomes desperate, or they can lead to total apathy and make decision-making impossible. The Letter of James is not directed to these extreme situations but rather to the vast range of options that in ordinary living confront us every day. It is easy to blame someone or something else for our destructive choices. The American comedian Flip Wilson, in one of his character acts, had the line, "The devil made me buy that dress!" The devil doesn't make us do anything. Even in the Garden of Eden, Eve and Adam retained freedom but sought what they could not have. The Letter of James offers us an opportunity to reflect on how we deal with temptation and our choices. Just think about your day! AMEN