St James Catholic Church

Today’s Gospel is a difficult one with severe warnings about sin and hell. The second reading isn’t much easier to take warning of the corrosive effects of wealth and pleasure.

Again and again in his letter, James commands Christians to put faith into action. We hear an explicit warning, “Behold, the wages you withheld from workers who harvest the fields are crying aloud, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord.” For us to store up treasure for ourselves while those who do the work that allows us to have such treasure is sinful. Let us imitate the generosity of the Father, as we have seen in so many of Jesus’ parables, working toward a world where everyone from migrant workers who literally harvest our nation’s fields to those who cannot seem to break out of the cycle of poverty are compensated with a just wage.

In the Gospel, Jesus gives his disciples pause when they accuse a stranger of appropriating their ministry. He turns the tables on them, absolving anyone who does good in his name while condemning them if they have something in themselves that causes them to sin. Do not judge others’ motivations, look at your own. Then cut away those things that lead us to sin. Let us accept the challenge of taking a good look at our lives deciding what we need to change in order to remain on the path to the Kingdom.

Love, Peace, Joy,

Fr. Bob

Friday, October 4th is the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi. He is associated with patronage of animals and environment. So, on Saturday, the 5th, we will have the annual pet blessing at 10:00 AM at the Marian Shrine.

All pets (leashed, caged, boxed, or tanked) welcome!