FAITH AND BEING OCCUPIED WITH RICHES After discussing the earthly lusts, he addresses now the issue of the danger of being preoccupied with the riches: 1. Being occupied with riches 1 – 6 2. The stand of the believers toward unjust rich 7 – 11 3. Not swearing 12 4. The stand of the believer in all circumstances First: in sorrow 13 Second: in joy 13 Third: in sickness 14-18 Fourth: in case of the deviation of a brother 19–20. 1. BEING OCCUPIED WITH RICHES 1. Riches are not permanent: “Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you! Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and you will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasures in the last days.” (1-3) St. James is asking the rich trusting in their riches to weep and howl: A. For their miseries are coming upon them: this does not mean the far future but it means that it is very near. That is why St. John Chrysostom calls money “The lost1,” for it leads to many worries, and at time of need, it escapes and does not support its owner. B. For their miseries stem from the same source that they hope for to give them happiness, because their riches are corrupted. He did not say that it will corrupt but it is corrupted already. “Your garments are moth eaten.” Garments are a sign of riches and authority, (Is. 3: 6), for when Jacob loved Joseph, he gave him a colored garment which stirred the envy of his brothers. “Your gold and silver are corroded.” He did not mention a cheap metal like bronze because of their riches. Even the gold metals lose their beauty and brightness. Here St. James is reminding us of the lazy servant who dug in the earth and hid his master’s silver. (Matt. 25: 26) C. To become a witness against them and to eat their flesh like fire, for their bodies will be burned and their souls will perish like fire. The lover of money cannot rest even if he obtains the whole world, and cannot rest in eternity for he cannot see God. D. “You have heaped up treasure in the last days.” It was necessary for them to get ready to depart, but they were busy adorning their houses and building houses, but in a moment they may depart. 2. Uproots justice and mercy: 1 Cf .The Church Loves You, p. 35. 4 “Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you keep back by fraud, cry out, and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.” (4) Love of riches makes one lose mercy toward his brother but drives one to unjustly treat the servant. This is one of the four kinds, which the heavens are shaken for their cries, and the Lord hears them. The four kinds are the following: 1. The slain intentionally. (Gen. 4: 10) 2. The cry of the poor. (Ex. 2) 3. The cry of the penitent. (Gen. 18) 4. The cry of unjustly treated laborers. This cry is like the blood of Abel, asking for revenge according to the Scriptures1. Notice that the apostle calls God “The Lord of Sabaoth (hosts)” or Lord of the heavenly creatures, meaning that He is able to defend the oppressed. 3. Drives to the life of luxury: “You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury, you have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter.” (5) God created the world to use it and not to abuse it. He rebukes us saying, “When I fed them, they were satisfied; they were satisfied and their heart was proud; therefore they forgot Me.” (Hos. 13: 6) “Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” (Matt. 6: 25) Indulgence in luxuries deprives one of controlling himself. “But the widow who lives in pleasure is dead even while she lives.” (1 Tim. 5: 6) By living in pleasure and luxury, one’s heart is slaughtered in the Day of Judgment. That is why the Lord is warning us, “But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly.” (Luke 21: 34) 4. Attacks righteousness and the righteous “You have condemned, you have murdered the just; he does not resist you.” (6) Perhaps he meant by the just the Lord Jesus, as Stephen the deacon rebuked the Jews saying, “the Just One of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers.” (Acts 7: 52) Probably, he meant by the just the believers whom the Jews have killed, especially the rich without resisting them, like Stephen and James the son of Zebedee. Probably, also he talked by the spirit of prophecy about himself, for they killed him and he did not resist them, although they called him the righteous. 2. THE STAND OF THE BELIEVERS TOWARD THE OPPRESSED RICH PEOPLE: “Therefore, be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord.” (7) The coming of the Lord fills the believers with patience, for it transforms suffering to enjoyment and becomes a source of joy, for it purifies for that Day. May fire and the cross…, may the wild animals…, may the tearing and cutting the organs and bones…., may all these sufferings come upon me, but I only pray to the 1 Lev. 19:13, Deut. 24:14,15, Amos 3:10, 5:11-13, Prov. 3:27, 28, Is. 5:8, Job 24:10, Tobia 4:15 5 Lord Jesus1. St. Ignatius of Antioch the Martyr The believer, looking to the Day of Judgment, desires it while laboring by the grace of God, like the farmer who hopes for the day of harvest. “See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts for the coming of the Lord is at hand.” (7,8) For the sake of the harvest, the farmer endures labor and suffering to receive the early and latter rain, which helps the crops to be fruitful. In the same manner, waiting for the coming of the Lord, our harvest, we have to endure everything to receive the blessings of the Lord, which He bestows on us in the Old Testament and the New Testament. As the wedding day approaches, the bride becomes more attached to the bridegroom, preparing herself for the day of the wedding, adorned by all his gifts to her. Let us also adorn ourselves by all God’s gifts, the early and the latter, to offer ourselves as a pure chaste bride without any defilement. For the day of the wedding, we endure hardships with a steadfast heart, without hesitation as the apostle said, “Establish your hearts for the coming of the Lord is at hand.” (8) Pope Athanasius the Apostolic, who was suffering, wrote to his people explaining to them the sweetness of the road in spite of all hardships. He said2: [Although the road of the kingdom is narrow and difficult, yet it leads to life and when one enters it, it becomes wide and enjoyable.] Those who experienced it and enjoyed it witnessed that. On the road, people may say, “You brought us into the net, you laid affliction on our backs.” (Ps. 66: 11) But after they overcome their afflictions, they say “You brought us out to rich fulfillment.” (Ps. 66: 12) After the believer tastes the sweetness of the road, he can fulfill the commandment: “Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold the Judge is standing at the door!” (9) Do not ask for revenge, for this is the work of the Judge. The Judge is standing at the door. The Day of the Lord is approaching. Now is not a time for revenge and condemning others, but a time for salvation and helping those who do not know the truth, by praying for them and loving them to save them and not to judge them. It is a moment where we hide in God’s love and the love of our neighbor, so we may be saved and save others too. All generations, from Adam to our present day die, but those, who by the grace of God were perfected by love, has a place among the saints and appear at the manifestation of the kingdom of heaven. It is written, “Come, my people enter your chambers, and shut your doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until the indignation is past.” (Isaiah 26: 20) When Moses went up the mountain and spent 40 days and 40 nights in fasting and humility, God told him, “Get up, go down quickly from here, for your people whom you have brought from Egypt have acted corruptly… Let Me alone that I may destroy them and blot out their name from under heaven; and I will make of you a nation mightier and more numerous than they.” (Deut. 9: 12-14) Moses answered, “…But now if You will 1 Epistle to the Romans 2 Paschal Letters, 1967, p. 13 (in Arabic).. 6 only forgive their sin, but if not, blot me out of the book that You have written.” (Exd. 32: 31,32) What a great love! How amazing and perfect it is! The servant, frankly talks to his Master asking for forgiveness or else He blots his name too, from the book of life! In the same manner, we should ask for every sinner to grant them humility, so they submit to God’s will and not us1. St. Clement of Rome “My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience.” (10) St. James is rebuking us by saying that if you cannot follow the Lord Jesus, your Bridegroom, or even men of the New Testament, why don’t you follow men of the Old Testament? The prophets saw, through the symbols, the visions, the spirit of prophecy, yet they all faced sufferings and tribulations from the Jews. However, we have seen and heard what the prophets have not seen nor heard, is it not befitting for us to endure what they have endured? Days are passing by and we are at the last hour, so we have to increase our hope and be ready for suffering, blessing those who preceded us and patiently endured. “Indeed, we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord, that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.” (11) Job saw that the world is a place where people are tested on the earth (Job 7: 1), so they are purified by sufferings and hardships, and each one will receive his reward according to his deeds, for God said, through Jeremiah the prophet, (Jer. 17: 10) “I the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, And according to the fruit of his doings2.” Pope Athanasius the Apostolic Temptations help the righteous, for Job, the discerning man, was triumphant over his temptations. He became weak, but he did not doubt! He became very sick but did not complain! His body and strength were weakened but his will did not weaken! Through his sufferings, he proved his perfection, for the temptations did not destroy him!3 Mar Ephram the Syrian St. John Chrysostom4 explained how Job patiently endured all the sufferings and I wrote that explanation in a booklet called, “Refuting those who say that the devil has authority over us.” We will mention some of the excerpts: [1. He became poorer than the beggars: those have torn out garments, but he sat naked. He had only the body, and even this body, the devil has torn it and sores were all over it. This poor flock had shelter, but Job stayed his nights without any shelter! Those have committed evil deeds to rebuke them, but Job had no comfort at all! Those were poor since they were born, but he endured a calamity, which no one can endure! He was deprived of the earth and sat within garbage. 2. His physical sufferings: Who endured such ailments like him? A bad smell surrounded him from everywhere, and his body was destroyed gradually from the decay. 1 The Epistle of St. Clement, ed. 67,p. 41-46. 2 Paschal Letters, p. 155-56. 3 Advices and Guidelines, p. 16 4 Does the devil have authority over you? P. 90-96. 7 He was not able to enjoy the food given to him. (Job 6: 5) 3. His enduring the death of his children: He lost his ten children, all at once while they were youth. The ten children were righteous and did not die a natural death but a severe and deplorable one. 4. His enduring the mocking of the people: His friends left him, mocked him, made fun of him and hurt his feelings. (Job 19: 1) The sufferings of a calamity cannot be equaled to the ones stemming from those who rebuke us. He called them unmerciful, by saying, “My relatives and my close friends have failed me; the guests in my house have forgotten me; my serving girls count me as a stranger; I have become an alien in their eyes. I call to my servant but he gives me no answer; I must myself plead with him.” (Job 19: 14-16) 5. Terror of the night: He did not find rest at night. The terrors of the nights were more severe than his calamities during the day. “Then you scare me with dreams and terrify me with visions.” (Job 7: 14) But if you say, “But he is Job!” I say that you should have endured more than him, for Job was before the Testament of grace and before the Law, and the Holy Spirit was not given yet. The curse prevailed and death was frightening.] 3. NOT SWEARING “But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your “Yes” be “Yes,” and your “No,” “No,” lest you fall into judgment.” (12) The oath means that you let God testify on a specific act, or that you say the truth. All the creation, from above the heavens to below the earth, from the throne of God to the white or black hair, all is governed by the divine providence. Therefore, whoever swears by heaven or earth or Jerusalem or their heads are considered swearing before God1. But one may wander: It was written in the Law that one should perform his oaths to the Lord (Matt. 5: 33), so why the Lord and St. James are forbidding oaths? 1. St. John Chrysostom’s opinion2: He clarifies the danger of oaths by saying: A. The devil takes advantage of this so we may swear during our anger. Then when we go back to our calmness, we are obligated to do what we have sworn, thus we commit sin. B. During moments of lust and pleasure, one loses his stability, so he swears like what King Herod did when he promised Herodia’s daughter to give her anything she asks for, even till half of his kingdom. Then he was obligated to cut St. John the Baptist’s head. C. For achieving a noble purpose, one swears without realizing what he is swearing for, as Jephthah did when he vowed that if God gives him victory over the enemies, he will offer the first one to meet him as a burnt offering, so he murdered his daughter, because of his oath. (Judges 11) 2. St. Augustine’s opinion3: 1 Augustine: Sermon on the Mount, p. 5-124 (in Arabic).. 2 Concerning the Statues. 3 St. Augustine: Sermon on the Mount and Selected Sermons on the New Testament (in Arabic). 8 An oath is not a sin by itself, but God forbade us from oaths for the following reasons: A. We cannot swear by God for earthly matters. B. Whoever swears for things, which are truthful, cannot stop swearing for things, which are not true. C. The apostle swore as in Galatians 1: 20, 2 Cor. 11: 31, Rom. 1: 19, but with certain conditions: First: To be for the salvation of people and not for personal gain. Second: Its subject should be for preaching and mission and for temporal matter. Third: That God testifies to a certain truth. Fourth: This testimony or oath is to the weakness of those who hear and not to confirm our talk. However, when the tongue gets used to swearing, it cannot discern between what is true oath and the untrue, therefore, God completely forbids us to do it. 4. THE STAND OF THE BELIEVERS IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES First: During sorrow “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray.” (13) The Lord Jesus is the center that we focus all our attention in all circumstances and conditions, whether during sorrow or joy or sickness or fall in sin or deviation from the right path. During sorrow, we lift up our eyes to Him in prayer. St. Nilos1 said: [Prayer is like medicine for our souls.] A believer transfers his sufferings to encounters with the Lord. It was mentioned in the life of St. Pachomius that one day while he was gathering some wood, a thorn came in his foot. He remembered the thorn of sin and meditated on the sufferings of the Lord Jesus. He stayed long hours praying with tears, forgetting about removing the thorn from his foot. One of God’s blessings on us is that He permits that we go through trials and does not answer our prayers right away to teach us to be in His presence. St. Nilos2 said: [Do not worry nor be sad if God does not answer your prayers right away. God wants to teach you to be persistent in prayer and patient in standing before Him, for what is more noble than to stand in God’s presence to talk with Him and to be in fellowship with Him!] Second: In time of joy “Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms.” (13) We should not get occupied with our joy and forget Christ, but use that opportunity as a chance to praise God and thank Him3. The Holy Bible has devoted some books and chapters to praising God like the book of Psalms and the praise of Moses (Exodus ch. 15), and the praise of the three youths. The church has arranged for her children to sing some praises from the Holy Bible, in different occasions like before the divine liturgy, during the distribution of the Holy Body and Blood, and during the feasts of the saints. The church has made beautiful tunes for the psalms and many praises and divided them to verses. The believer says one verse and the rest of the congregation say the next 1 Philokalia about prayer, p.10 (In Arabic). 2 Philokalia about Prayer, p. 14. (In Arabic). 3 Eph. 5:19,20, 1 Cor. 14,15, Col. 3:16. 9 verse. In any place whether in fields, in homes, or business places, we do not hear except psalms and spiritual praises which inflame the heart with God’s love and fervently praying to Him. Who can count the reasons, which inflame the heart? We mention a few examples: Sometimes, singing one verse of the psalms drives us in a fervent prayer. Sometimes, the harmony of the tunes of one with a nice voice excites the lazy minds to pray many supplications. Also, the way the one sings with reverence may inflame those who are with him1. Abbot Isaac Pray in peace and purity, sing with understanding and enjoyment, then you will be like a little eagle who flies up in the sky. Singing the psalms calms lusts and subdues desires of the flesh. Prayer lifts up the mind to become wise and correct in all his deeds. Singing the psalms is a kind of divine wisdom. If you have not taken God’s gift of singing the psalms, ask for it diligently and you will get it2. St. Nilos Third: The sacrament of the unction of the sick and the sacrament of confession: “Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.” (14-18) The Church, as a mother is compassionate toward her children and is responsible to satisfy all their needs, not only in good and joyful times but also while they carry the cross. If they are sick, let them call the elders of the Church. The early Fathers have delivered to us the prayers that the priests pray for the sick, and the Holy Spirit inspired these prayers, and we have earlier commented on them3. We mention some of them: 1. These prayers direct the sick person to the salvation of his soul and to be spiritually healed. There are many chapters in the Bible that include these prayers for forgiving the sins of the sick person and also the sins of the priest. 2 One of the conditions, which the church requires, is that the sacrament of confession accompanies the sacrament of the unction of the sick. “Confess your trespasses to one another.” It is obvious that the one who confesses is the sick person to the priest and not the priest to the sick person. St. Augustine said that when one says, “Teach one another,” it is obvious that the teacher teaches the student and not the opposite. In the same manner, when saying, “Heal one another,” it is obvious that the doctor is the one who heals the sick and not the opposite. 3. “Anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.” The sacrament does not depend on the righteousness of the priest and his goodness, but “in the name of the 1 St. John Cassian: Conferences,9:26. 2 Philokalia about Prayer, p. 25 ,26. 3 Cf. our Book of “Divine Love,” “The Lord is my Sanctifier.” 10 Lord.” So the one working is the Holy Spirit, however, we have to believe in the sacrament first as a basic condition. “The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up.” The church as the bride of the Lord, asks with the Spirit of her Bridegroom, to raise her children. However, she puts God’s will first and not ours. This sickness may be for the benefit of the sick person, in spite of forgiving his sins, or perhaps for his purification or for any divine wisdom, as what had happened with the apostle. Therefore, the Church prays saying: “O You, who raised the son of the widow and the daughter of the ruler from death and raised Lazarus after staying four days in the grave by the authority of Your divinity, raise your servant from the death of sin, and if you order to raise him and make him well, help him so he may please all the days of his life. And if you order to take his life, let this be by the hand of the angels who can save him from the devil. Move him to the paradise of joy to be with all your saints, through Your blood who was shed for our salvation and by whom You bought us for You are our hope…” 4. St. James presents us with examples of faith, and in the mean time, he is rebuking the believers by heroes of faith of the Old Testament. Heavens submitted to Elijah when he issued an order for no rain. (1 Kings 18). Who is Elijah? He is a man with a nature like ours that is weak like us! The prophet prayed for no rain, not as revenge, but as a chastening to the people who forsook the worship of the Lord and worshiped idols. God answered his prayer, so how strong is the Church’s prayer, the bride of Christ, in the sacrament of the unction of the sick, for healing the sick person, first spiritually then physically. Prayers of the Old Testament were used for the deliverance from fire (Daniel 6), from famines (James 5). Although people of the Old Testament had not received how to pray from the Lord Jesus, how strong and effective Christian prayers are, their prayers didn’t only deliver from fire, nor shut the lions’ mouths, nor give the hungry fresh bread (2 Kings 4: 42-44), nor remove the feelings of sufferings (temptations), but rather granted sufferings and the ability to endure them. Prayers nurture the gift with virtue1. Tertullian Fourth: In the case one of the brothers deviate from the truth: “Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know how he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.” (19, 20) St. James concludes his epistle by this statement. In this epistle, he tackled many subjects which reveal the weaknesses of those to whom he sent the letter, like the love of teaching, the love of appearances, love of abundant talking, favoritism for the rich in places of worship, swearing, however he concludes the epistle by asking them to seek the lost sheep. The reason for that is that “he will save a soul from death,” this is the soul of the one who goes astray. Also, he will “cover a multitude of sins,” that is the sins of the one who seeks the lost. As we cover the sins of the lost, God will cover our sins too. As we are compassionate with those who deviated from truth, God will be compassionate with us and raise us up with them2. 1 Tert. On Prayers 29. 2 Neh. 4:5, Ps. 32:1, Prov. 10:12, Dan.12:3, 1 Pet. 4:8. 11 With mercy and faith, all sins are forgiven, for “In mercy and truth, atonement is provided for iniquity,” (Prov. 16: 6) through our desire to save those who went astray and our labor to warn them and advice them1. Abbot Pinufius Does someone save another from physical death, although eventually he will die, he deserves a great reward, how about the reward for the one who saves someone from eternal death!2 St. Gregory Bringing one soul close to God by repentance is much better, in the eyes of God, than all the oblations, for there is nothing in the world better for God than the human soul, for everything in the world will perish except the soul because it is eternal. St. John Climacus Let us weep bitterly, more than those who wail, for they ignore their salvation. If you see a blind man going to fall, don’t you stretch your hand to support him? So how can we see our brothers falling in danger, the danger of falling in eternal Hades, and we do not stretch our hand to rescue them? Whenever you see someone who needs spiritual or physical healing, do not say that this is not my duty for I am a layman with a wife and children, and this is the duty of the priest or the monk. Answer me, if you see a container full of gold, do you keep it for others to take it, or do you immediately grab it before anyone, like the snatching wolves? May you have this desire toward your falling brothers, telling yourself that you have found a precious treasure, which is the salvation of your brother. God Himself says to you, through the mouth of his apostle, that when you turn a sinner from the error of his way, you will save a soul from death! St. John Chrysostom 1 St. John Cassian: Conferences 20:8. 2 Our Book: Brotherly Love, p. 73.
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