Daily Liturgy
Friday February 18, 2022
Friday of 6th Week in Ordinary Time
Faith Demands Deeds
Introduction
Today, we have in the first reading one of the most important passages of James: faith demands commitment – or, as Jesus will say in the Gospel, consistent discipleship. “Faith without works is a dead faith,” a mere belief in theoretical tenets. Sometimes, James is opposed to Paul – that was Luther’s main difficulty – because Paul says we are saved by faith, not works. Both take “works” in a different sense. “Works” for Paul is the observance of the Jewish practices of the old Law, from which the Christian is liberated, but for the follower of Christ, says Paul, faith works through love, through adherence to Christ. So, let our faith shine in works of love and service.
Being a disciple of Jesus implies journeying with Jesus on the way of the cross. Christians, followers of Christ, are people marked with the cross. We make the sign of the cross not merely symbolically when we pray but also in real life, whether we like it or not. We have to learn to accept the cross with Jesus.
Opening Prayer
Lord our God,
we believe in you with all our being.
Let this faith never be a lifeless belief
in abstract truths outside ourselves,
but a deep personal commitment
to your Son, Jesus Christ.
Give us the courage, we pray you,
to live for our brothers and sisters
and if need be to lose our life for them
and for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,
who lives with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
1st Reading: Jas 2:14-24, 26
What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them?
Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food.
If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?
In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds.
You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.
You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless ?
Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?
You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.
And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend.
You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.
As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
Responsorial Psalm: 112:1-2, 3-4, 5-6
Blessed the man who greatly delights in the Lord’s commands.
Blessed are those who fear the LORD, who find great delight in his commands.
Their children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.
Blessed the man who greatly delights in the Lord’s commands.
Wealth and riches are in their houses, and their righteousness endures forever.
Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for those who are gracious and compassionate and righteous.
Blessed the man who greatly delights in the Lord’s commands.
Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely, who conduct their affairs with justice.
Surely the righteous will never be shaken; they will be remembered forever.
Alleluia: Jn 15:15
Alleluia, alleluia.
I call you my friends, says the Lord,
For I have made known to you all that the Father told me.
Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel: Mk 8:34—9:1
Jesus called the people and his disciples and said, “If you want to follow me, deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me. For if you choose to save your life, you will lose it; and if you lose your life for my sake and for the sake of the Gospel, you will save it.
What good is it to gain the whole world but destroy yourself? There is nothing you can give to recover your life. I tell you: If anyone is ashamed of me and of my words among this adulterous and sinful people, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when he comes in the Glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
And he went on to say, “Truly I tell you, there are some here who will not die before they see the kingdom of God coming with power.”
Intercessions
– For the community of the Church, that our leaders may inspire us by their faith and that we may bring our joy and peace to a world in dire need of hope and love, we pray:
– For our families, that parents may inspire their children by their living faith and help the young to become honest seekers of justice, truth and Christian hope, we pray:
– For all of us here, that our faith may prompt us to live and practice what we believe and that we may have enough faith in one another to build up together a real Christian community, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
God our Father,
with bread and wine, we express our faith
in the paschal mystery of Jesus, your Son.
Let this faith recognize him here among us
and fill us and our meager works
with his consistent and persevering power,
that we may live as we believe
and hold on to Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Lord our God,
you have begun your good work in us
because you believe in our capacity
of living the life of your Son.
Let him bring it to completion,
that it may be a life filled with goodness and love
and that the world may have become a bit better
because we have lived in it.
Let this Eucharist lead us to you,
our God, for ever and ever.
Blessing
What, indeed, is the use of our faith if we do not live by it? What is the use of believing in love if we do not love? What is the use of believing in forgiveness if we cannot forgive? Live as you believe, with the blessing of Almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Commentary
Bunch of Losers
René Girard, a cultural anthropologist whose research led him to believe in the centrality of Christ and his Gospel, comments that the Gospel (and consequently Christian faith) can only fulfil itself by losing out in this world. In other words, Christians are called to be a bunch of losers—just as their Master was a colossal failure in the eyes of the world. This must give us pause. It is easier for us to be evangelized by the worldly gospel and take after the mundane ways of running parishes and ministries, by focusing on success, fame, honor. If everyone speaks well of us and we are universally loved, we need to stop on our tracks and ask ourselves: Am I really living the Gospel the way it should be lived? (cf. Lk 6:26). For, though we are in the world, we are called upon to live by the norms of another world and witness to it, which would necessitate that we lose our worldly lives for the sake of Him who alone matters.
Reflection taken from Bible Diary 2022;
written by Fr.Paulson Velyannoor, CMF