Part of my wife, Anna’s, bucket list in life was to go to Yellowstone National Park and see ” Old Faithful”. The whole area of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Grand Tetons and Yellowstone is full of the wonders of God’s creation. God went “nuts” in the beauty and and grandeur this area.
It turns out that “Old Faithful” geyser is not as faithful as you might think. It and other geysers in the area explode but not one on a set schedule. I had assumed the myth that “Old Faithful” went off every hour on the hour, but that is not quite true. It erupts every 50 to 60 minutes when it feels like it. It is magnificent to watch.
Saint James writes on faith, If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well, ” but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it? So also faith of itself, if it does not have works is dead. It is madatory that we help the physical needs of our neighbors. Florida was inundated with panhandlers in the winter. Here inTulsa we have a huge homeless population. I always have the feeling that I am being scammed when I am asked for money on the street. The person asking could be an angel. Still, we all give. The truth is there are other ways to feed the hungry and clothe the naked such as Catholic Charities and the Salvation Army.
Nonetheless, at the end of the epistle for today James writes, For just as a body without a spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.
Saint James is asking us whether our faith is dead? Are we just going through the motions?
In life we all have low spots. I have had them myself. Life is not all the sweets and roses of Valentines Day. Sometimes a person’s spirit is worn down. We see people break the law and they somehow get a way with it. Or we see someone take advantage of another person and they get away with it. I don’t like bullies. Sometimes the injustices of the world weigh us down. We pull back and forget that our faith and works demand action.
What inspires me are others and their selfless giving. There is a restaurant owner in Tulsa who cooks for the homeless five days a week. Recently in the news there was a person who just lost their life saving a drowning man. The man survived but the person who saved his life died because of a weak heart and other medical complications.
Saint Mark in our Gospel today quotes the words of Jesus, Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the Gospel will save it. What profit is there for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?
On a practical basis, I asked myself, how can I put these two scriptures into practice? It seems to me that we are following Jesus example by feeding the hungry and clothing the naked (Matthew 25:35-45) . It is unimportant if we think the person is deserving but we must take care of those who are incapable for any reason. This is faith that is living.This is taking up the cross of Christ. The most important thing we can do is pray for anyone in distress. Yes we have to take care of their needs, but prayers are the ultimate gift. No one knows you are praying for them. It is between you and Jesus. This is the beauty of prayer.
“Old Faithful” may not be on time but we must be consistent in our efforts to pray for those whom we love and those we don’t know. I have gotten out of the habit but I used to offer my Communion intentions at Mass for anyone who needed those graces the most. Because of today’s scripture, I am starting again.
We are not only laying down our life by material goods and prayer for our neighbors. We have to pray for the world. Part of my daily prayers are the Ukrainians and the Russians who may be going to war. Pope Francis is following this scripture when he urges peace. The human suffering that could happen is unimaginable. Without taking sides, we have to pray for everyone including a bully.
Jesus laid His life down for all of us. Good and Bad. He says that we must do the same. Our faith demands action.
God Love You Always
Bob Burford
PS: Pray for all those who have Cancer and their caregivers.
Picture Credit : “Early summer crowd at Old Faithful” by YellowstoneNPS is licensed under . To view a copy of this license, visit undefined?ref=openverse&atype=rich
