Holy Martyr Boniface (230).
Nativity Fast.
James 1:19-27. Mark 10:17-27.
Read James 1:19-27
It is necessary to live our faith. St. James says, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” (Jam. 1:22). He likens one who hears the word but isn’t a “doer” of it to someone who looks at his face in a mirror and then walks away, forgetting what he looks like. What we do and how we choose to live is important. The word we hear is active and draws us to action.
James teaches that “religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world” (Jam. 1:27). It takes effort to visit orphans and widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unstained from the world. Our faith is not a passive one. Faith is not merely mental assent to an idea. Faith transforms us and demands that we strive to live in a godly way. Elsewhere in today’s reading, James also explains that “the anger of man does not work the righteousness of God,” and so everyone must “be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger” (Jam. 1:19-20). As we live our faith and pursue wisdom, we should strive to be patient, gentle, and compassionate towards others. We cannot let anger control us and lead us to sin.