<\/p>\n
Sunday<\/p>\n
James 2: 18\u00a0<\/sup>But someone will say, \u201cYou have faith, and I have works.\u201d Show me your faith without [f<\/a>]<\/sup>your works, and I will show you my faith by [g<\/a>]<\/sup>my works. 19\u00a0<\/sup>You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe\u2014and tremble! 20\u00a0<\/sup>But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is [h<\/a>]<\/sup>dead? 21\u00a0<\/sup>Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? 22\u00a0<\/sup>Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made [i<\/a>]<\/sup>perfect? 23\u00a0<\/sup>And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, \u201cAbraham believed God, and it was [j<\/a>]<\/sup>accounted to him for righteousness.\u201d And he was called the friend of God. 24\u00a0<\/sup>You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.<\/p>\n 25\u00a0<\/sup>Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them<\/em> out another way?<\/p>\n 26\u00a0<\/sup>For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.<\/p>\n Haydock Commentary:\u00a0\u00a0 St. James by requiring good works does not exclude faith, but only teacheth that faith alone is not enough. This is what he clearly expresseth here in the 22nd and in the 24th verse.\u00a0Man,<\/em>\u00a0says he,\u00a0is justified, and not by faith only.<\/em>\u00a0And (ver. 22.)\u00a0seest thou that faith did co-operate with\u00a0<\/em>Abraham\u2019s\u00a0works, and by works faith was made perfect.<\/em>\u00a0In fine, we must take notice, that when St. James here brings the example of Abraham offering his son Isaac, to shew that he was\u00a0justified by works,<\/em>\u00a0his meaning is not that Abraham then began first to be justified, but that he then received an increase of his justice. He was justified at least from his first being called, and began then to believe and to do good works. It is true his faith was made perfect, and his justice increased, when he was willing to sacrifice his son. (Witham)<\/p>\n Prayer:\u00a0 We fly to thy patronage, O holy Mother of God; despise not our petitions in our necessities, but deliver us always from all dangers, O glorious and blessed Virgin. Amen. <\/p>\n Monday See how great a forest a little fire kindles! 6\u00a0<\/sup>And the tongue is<\/em> a fire, a world of [c<\/a>]<\/sup>iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of [d<\/a>]<\/sup>nature; and it is set on fire by [e<\/a>]<\/sup>hell. 7\u00a0<\/sup>For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. 8\u00a0<\/sup>But no man can tame the tongue. It is<\/em> an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. 9\u00a0<\/sup>With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the [f<\/a>]<\/sup>similitude of God. 10\u00a0<\/sup>Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Haydock Commentary: But the tongue no man can tame,<\/em>\u00a0without the special assistance of God. (Witham) \u2014 Wherefore we are to understand, says St. Augustine, that as no one is able of himself to govern his tongue, we must fly to the Lord for his assistance. (St. Augustine, ser. 4. de verb. Matthew vi.) \u2014 It is an unquiet\u00a0evil,<\/em>[5] which cannot be\u00a0stopt[stopped]. It is full\u00a0of deadly poison,<\/em>\u00a0which brings oftentimes death both to men\u2019s bodies and souls. (Witham)<\/p>\n Prayer:\u00a0 O Heavenly King, Comforter, Spirit of Truth, Who art everywhere present and fillest all things, Treasury of good things and Giver of life: Come and dwell in us, and cleanse us of all impurity, and save our souls, O Good One.<\/p>\n Tuesday 13\u00a0<\/sup>Who is<\/em> wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that<\/em> his works are done<\/em> in the meekness of wisdom. 14\u00a0<\/sup>But if you have bitter envy and [h<\/a>]<\/sup>self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. 15\u00a0<\/sup>This wisdom does not descend from above, but is<\/em> earthly, sensual, demonic. 16\u00a0<\/sup>For where envy and self-seeking exist,<\/em> confusion and every evil thing are<\/em> there. 17\u00a0<\/sup>But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. 18\u00a0<\/sup>Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.<\/p>\n Haydock Commentary: Now the fruit and effect of such justice, piety, and sanctity, is sown in peace, with peaceable dispositions, in those who with sincerity seek true peace, and who hereby shall gain the reward of an eternal peace and happiness. (Witham) \u2014 St. Paul gives a similar character of charity.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Prayer:\u00a0 Holy angel of the Lord by guardian, pray to God for me.<\/p>\n Wednesday 6\u00a0<\/sup>But He gives more grace. Therefore He says:<\/p>\n \u201cGod resists the proud, Haydock Commentary: The Holy Spirit which dwelleth in you, giveth you graces in proportion to your fidelity in complying with them, and according to your humility and the love which you bear to your neighbour. (Calmet)<\/p>\n Prayer:\u00a0 Our Father, Who art in \u00a0Heaven, hallowed by Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.<\/p>\n Thursday 11\u00a0<\/sup>Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. 12\u00a0<\/sup>There is one [e<\/a>]<\/sup>Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who[f<\/a>]<\/sup> are you to judge [g<\/a>]<\/sup>another?<\/p>\n Haydock Commentary: Though he spoke so much against the evils of the tongue, he gives them a special admonition against the vice of detraction, so common in the world, as also against rash judgments, which happen so frequently where there are dissensions and divisions. He that detracteth, judgeth, and rashly condemneth his brother, may be said to detract and judge the law, inasmuch as he seems to contemn and condemn the law, by which these sins are forbidden; when, instead of obeying and complying with the law, he rather takes upon himself to act as a judge,[5] without fear of the law and of God\u2026<\/p>\n Prayer:\u00a0 O Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us. O Lord, blot out our sins. O Master, pardon our iniquities. O Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities for Thy name’s sake.<\/p>\n Friday 17\u00a0<\/sup>Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it,<\/em> to him it is sin.<\/p>\n Haydock Commentary: All things here appear and disappear in a moment. Take heed, therefore, not to\u00a0glory<\/em>\u00a0or boast\u00a0in your arrogancies;<\/em>\u00a0(ver. 16.) literally,\u00a0pride;<\/em>\u00a0like the rich man, (Luke x.) who thought of nothing but a long and merry life, and was cut off that very night. And being now admonished, reflect that it is sinful to know what is good, what is your duty, and not to comply with it. (Witham)<\/p>\n Prayer:\u00a0 Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (3X)<\/p>\n Saturday<\/p>\n James 5: \u00a0Come now, you<\/em> rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you!<\/em> 2\u00a0<\/sup>Your riches [a<\/a>]<\/sup>are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. 3\u00a0<\/sup>Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days. 4\u00a0<\/sup>Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of [b<\/a>]<\/sup>Sabaoth. 5\u00a0<\/sup>You have lived on the earth in pleasure and [c<\/a>]<\/sup>luxury; you have [d<\/a>]<\/sup>fattened your hearts [e<\/a>]<\/sup>as in a day of slaughter. 6\u00a0<\/sup>You have condemned, you have murdered the just; he does not resist you.<\/p>\n Haydock Commentary; As your coin is eaten with rust, so shall your bodies be hereafter as it were eaten and consumed by fire. You heap up to yourselves a treasure in the day of wrath, while through covetousness, and hard heartedness, you defraud\u00a0labourers<\/em>\u00a0of their\u00a0hire,<\/em>\u00a0living at the same time in feasting and luxury, as\u00a0in the day of slaughter <\/em>. (Witham) Sunday James 2: 18\u00a0But someone will say, \u201cYou have faith, and I have works.\u201d Show me your faith without [f]your works, and I will show you my faith by […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14098","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-orthodox-daily-devotional","has_no_thumb"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/orthodoxinsight.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14098","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/orthodoxinsight.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/orthodoxinsight.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/orthodoxinsight.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/orthodoxinsight.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14098"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/orthodoxinsight.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14098\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14099,"href":"https:\/\/orthodoxinsight.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14098\/revisions\/14099"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/orthodoxinsight.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14098"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/orthodoxinsight.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14098"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/orthodoxinsight.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14098"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n*Sub Tuum Praesidium<\/p>\n
\nJames 3: My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment. 2\u00a0<\/sup>For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is<\/em> a [a<\/a>]<\/sup>perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body. 3\u00a0[b<\/a>]<\/sup>Indeed, we put bits in horses\u2019 mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body. 4\u00a0<\/sup>Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires. 5\u00a0<\/sup>Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things.<\/p>\n
\nJames 3: 11\u00a0<\/sup>Does a spring send forth fresh water<\/em> and bitter from the same opening? 12\u00a0<\/sup>Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? [g<\/a>]<\/sup>Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh.<\/p>\n
\nJames 4: Where do [a<\/a>]<\/sup>wars and fights come<\/em> from among you? Do they<\/em> not come<\/em> from your desires for<\/em> pleasure that war in your members? 2\u00a0<\/sup>You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and [b<\/a>]<\/sup>war. [c<\/a>]<\/sup>Yet you do not have because you do not ask. 3\u00a0<\/sup>You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it<\/em> on your pleasures. 4\u00a0[d<\/a>]<\/sup>Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5\u00a0<\/sup>Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, \u201cThe Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously\u201d?<\/p>\n
\nBut gives grace to the humble.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nJames 4: 7\u00a0<\/sup>Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8\u00a0<\/sup>Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your<\/em> hands, you<\/em> sinners; and purify your<\/em> hearts, you<\/em> double-minded. 9\u00a0<\/sup>Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your<\/em> joy to gloom. 10\u00a0<\/sup>Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.<\/p>\n
\nJames 4: 13\u00a0<\/sup>Come now, you who say, \u201cToday or tomorrow [h<\/a>]<\/sup>we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit\u201d; 14\u00a0<\/sup>whereas you do not know what will happen<\/em> tomorrow. For what is<\/em> your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. 15\u00a0<\/sup>Instead you ought<\/em> to say, \u201cIf the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.\u201d 16\u00a0<\/sup>But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.<\/p>\n
\nGlory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. \u00a0Amen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"