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James 2: 14-26
What good is it, my brothers and sisters,
if someone says he has faith but does not have works?
Can that faith save him?
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.
Indeed someone might say,
“You have faith and I have works.”
Demonstrate your faith to me without works,
and I will demonstrate my faith to you from my works.
You believe that God is one.
You do well.
Even the demons believe that and tremble.
Do you want proof, you ignoramus,
that faith without works is useless?
Was not Abraham our father justified by works
when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar?
You see that faith was active along with his works,
and faith was completed by the works.
Thus the Scripture was fulfilled that says,
Abraham believed God,
and it was credited to him as righteousness,
and he was called the friend of God.
See how a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.
For just as a body without a spirit is dead,
so also faith without works is dead.
The Word of the Lord.
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Imagine walking into a person’s garage and spotting your dream car. Then, you ask the owner, “How many miles are on it?”
“None,” he says. “I never drive it. It just sits there.”
That’s tragic for two reasons: You yourself would love to drive it. And, worse, the car will never achieve its potential; it’s meant to be driven!
What a waste.
Or a coffee pot that’s never turned on. Glasses that are never worn. A house that’s never used. A guitar that’s never played.
Such things are designed for a purpose.
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Think about yourself in the same manner.
Every human being is created for a purpose: to love God and to serve Him in our neighbor.
Christians, in particular, should be aware of this.
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In our first reading, Saint James says, “Be doers of the word, not hearers only…for just as a body without a spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.”
Anyone who’s heard the Word of God, but does not act on it is like a car sitting in a garage, a coffee pot left off, a guitar that’s never played, a light never turned on.
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In what ways do I put my faith into practice?
And, how may I be a “doer” of the Word today?
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Image credits: (1) Dreamtime.com (2) Audi R8, Pinterest (3) Spiritual Unite