Fr Kevin Kilgore

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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

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Gospel: Mark 8:27-33

Jesus and his disciples set out
for the villages of Caesarea Philippi.
Along the way he asked his disciples,
“Who do people say that I am?”
They said in reply,
“John the Baptist, others Elijah,
still others one of the prophets.”
And he asked them,
“But who do you say that I am?”
Peter said to him in reply,
“You are the Christ.”
Then he warned them not to tell anyone about him.

He began to teach them
that the Son of Man must suffer greatly
and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed, and rise after three days.
He spoke this openly.
Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
At this he turned around and, looking at his disciples,
rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan.
You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.” 

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Many of us remember Billy Graham, one of the most popular American preachers of the 20^th century.

He once shared a story about his wife, Ruth, who was driving through a construction zone on a highway for several miles. After carefully following the detours and warning signs, she came to the last sign that read: 

“End of construction. Thank you for your patience.”

Struck by the message, she went home chuckling, telling Billy that she wanted that line engraved on her tombstone. And when the time came, it was.

“Ruth Bell Graham. June 10, 1940 – June 14, 2007. End of construction. Thank you for your patience.”

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Like Ruth Graham, we’re all a work in progress.

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Just consider Peter in today’s Gospel. He experiences an incredible high – and a dashing fall from grace – in six short verses.

While Peter successfully identifies Jesus as the “Christ,” he doesn’t understand what that means; he doesn’t want Jesus to suffer.

It seems Peter doesn’t have God – or his plans – figured out after all. But after being rebuked, he doesn’t give up; Peter trusts Jesus and continues to follow him.

Though unsure where his path is leading, Peter’s heart remains open.

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There are times when we all struggle to understand who Jesus is – or why God’s plans for us unfold in a certain way.

But even when we stumble like Peter, remember, we’re just a work in progress.

Thank you for your patience.

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Image credits: (1) Marks Paneth (2) St. Peter in Prison, Rembrandt (3) Association of Professional Builders

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Gospel: Mark 8:22-26

When Jesus and his disciples arrived at Bethsaida,
people brought to him a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him.
He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village.
Putting spittle on his eyes he laid his hands on the man and asked,
“Do you see anything?”
Looking up the man replied, “I see people looking like trees and walking.”
Then he laid hands on the man’s eyes a second time and he saw clearly;
his sight was restored and he could see everything distinctly.
Then he sent him home and said, “Do not even go into the village.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Part of the tragedy in today’s Gospel is the fact that this poor man’s blindness was preventable.

Many children in first-century Palestine were born blind because people didn’t know how to properly care for their bodies or how to prevent the spread of disease.

As a result, this man was treated as an outcast, a loser, his whole life.

But all of a sudden, Jesus, the divine physician, comes along and heals him.

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This becomes the only miracle in the Gospels where Jesus doesn’t heal someone immediately; it takes two applications of divine spittle before this man can see clearly.

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Can’t we see something of our own stories in that?

Like this man’s blindness, some of the problems we face in life are preventable – whether it’s financial or relational ruin, spiritual stumbling, falling into unhealthy habits, or entertaining unnecessary fears.

We find ourselves in an unfortunate place – and need to be healed. And like that man, the healing we receive from Jesus often comes slowly, in stages.

Rebuilding trust takes time. Breaking bad habits is often a gradual, uphill climb. Finding our way to financial security can take years.

But it’s possible.

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Is there any area of my life where I need that slow, healing touch of Jesus? 

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May we be content to receive – not a total resolution – but incremental change where we need it most today.

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Image credits: (1) crosswalk.com (2) Steven M. Miller (3) CatholicTT