Forefeast of the Nativity of Christ. Holy Priest-Martyr Ignatius the Godbearer.
Nativity Fast. Abstention from meat and foods that contain meat.
James 2:1-13. Mark 10:23-32.
Read James 2:1-13
Have you ever treated somebody better or worse based on their appearance? Sometimes this even happens at our parishes. We might be suspicious of unfamiliar faces, being unwelcoming to newcomers. Many of us have the terrible tendency to make unfair judgments about other people for superficial reasons without getting to truly know them. There is even a phenomenon called “attractiveness bias” which indicates that attractive people tend to be treated better than unattractive people.
Our worth is not found in our wealth, good looks, health, or any other human criterion. Each of us has immeasurable worth because we are beloved by God. God created you because He loves you. He didn’t have to create you, but He wanted to. He sustains your existence and fills your life with His grace and blessings. He didn’t create you to die but rather so that you may have eternal life with Him.
In today’s reading, St. James tells us that showing partiality—favoritism—is a sin (Jas. 2:9). He condemns the maltreatment of the poor with preference given to the rich. Christ teaches us that the second-greatest commandment is to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Mk. 12:31). As the Parable of the Good Samaritan teaches us, the “neighbor” to the man who fell among thieves was the Samaritan, the one who showed mercy, and we are commanded to “go and do likewise” (Lk. 10:36-37).
Let us always remember that “mercy triumphs over judgment” (Jas. 2:13). Christ, Who will judge the living and the dead, instructs us to “be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful” (Lk. 6:36). Christ is Judge; we are not. Even though Christ is the judge, we have faith in His love and mercy. In February 2022, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI had written a letter regarding the report on abuse in the Archdiocese of Munich-Freising. He closed his letter with a beautiful paragraph, well worth closing our reflection today:
Quite soon, I shall find myself before the final judge of my life. Even though, as I look back on my long life, I can have great reason for fear and trembling, I am nonetheless of good cheer, for I trust firmly that the Lord is not only the just judge, but also the friend and brother who himself has already suffered for my shortcomings, and is thus also my advocate, my “Paraclete”. In light of the hour of judgement, the grace of being a Christian becomes all the more clear to me. It grants me knowledge, and indeed friendship, with the judge of my life, and thus allows me to pass confidently through the dark door of death. In this regard, I am constantly reminded of what John tells us at the beginning of the Apocalypse: he sees the Son of Man in all his grandeur and falls at his feet as though dead. Yet He, placing his right hand on him, says to him: “Do not be afraid! It is I…” (cf. Rev 1:12-17).