FAITH AND WORKS---The Story of
Saint James
James was the ½ brother of Jesus
And along with his brother John
Were called “the Sons of Thunder”
He was
One of the 3 witnesses of Christ
At the Transfiguration
And was present
At Jesus’ agony in the garden
He never believed
That Christ was the Messiah
Until after the Resurrection
At Pentecost
James received the Gift of the
Spirit
Along with the other Apostles
And sets out
To help
In building the Kingdom
of God
James in his writings
Points out that faith alone is insufficient
We must have faith
That manifests itself
In action or good deeds
“What good is it, my brothers,
If a man claims to have faith
But has no deeds
Can such faith save him
Suppose a brother or sister
Is without clothes and daily food
If one of you goes and says to him
“Go I wish you well
Keep warm and well fed”
But does nothing
about his physical needs
What good is it
In the same way
Faith by itself
If it is not accompanied by action
Is dead” James 2:14-17
James also
Teaches us about patience and pure religion
He tells us
That patience is a godly virtue
And that a believer
Needs to possess it
In order to become
Perfect and complete in Christ
Like Saint Francis,
James believed
That being a Christian
Is living righteously before God
And as an example
To others in this world
Particularly orphans and widows
And so Lord
We pray that today
We come to understand the teachings
Of Saint James
We are saved by faith alone
But real faith never stands alone
That faith without good deeds
Is NOT real faith
James is believed
To be the first Apostle
To die for the cause
Dear Lord
We pray that we receive
The spirit of Christ in our hearts
NOT that we die like James
But that we live like him
Expressing our SPIRIT
NOT only in our faith
But in our ACTION
Robert P. Wallman
7-25-11
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