Homily for Thursday, Week 7 of Ordinary Time

Homily for Thursday
Week 7 of Ordinary Time

May 23, 2024
James 5: 1-6
Mark 9: 41-50
Christian Brothers, St. Joseph’s Residence, N.R.

The Worship of Mammon
(Evelyn De Morgan)

When we hear St. James castigate the rich for their selfishness and oppression of the poor, we may think he’s not talking to us.  We’re not rich and never have been.  We haven’t “lived on earth in luxury and pleasure” (Jas 5:5).

Rather, we’ve tried to be “poor in spirit,” aiming at “the kingdom of heaven” (Resp. Ps.).

That doesn’t mean we can’t ask ourselves whether we’ve truly been poor in spirit, whether we haven’t sometimes been selfish or oppressive—obviously not with overwhelming wealth but with such goods as we have or perhaps with our talents or our time and availability, or in how we’ve assisted and been gentle with God’s “little ones” of whom Jesus speaks (Mark 9:42).

“You’ve stored up treasure for the last days,” James warns (5:3).  Indeed, we have.  Jesus urges us to store up treasure in heaven (Matt 6:20) to be counted up on the Last Day.  If we’ve given many cups of water to the disciples (Mark 9:41), blessed are we.  And we can still do that, if not literally, then with kind words and listening ears, in person or with a timely phone call, letter, or email.  A word of encouragement is like a cup of water.