Saint James
Pray to overcome selfishness:

Today's Scriptures:
2 Cor 4:7-15
Ps 126:1-6
Matt 20:20-28

Reflection:

Saint James "the Greater", whose Feast Day we celebrate today, was one of the sons of Zebedee who are mentioned in the Gospel reading. One of the first apostles, he started his Christian journey as a very impulsively self-centered young man. He dared to ask Jesus (through his mother of course!) for a place of honor in God's kingdom, even though Jesus had already been teaching him about humility. He's also one of those who wanted Jesus to destroy the villages that rejected their message.

Praise God, James eventually developed a true understanding of the message.

We are all earthen vessels -- imperfect, belonging too much to this world, easily cracked, not very beautiful -- but nonetheless holding a real treasure within, as it says in today's first reading. That treasure is God. That treasure is what makes us holy even when we sin. As long as we have not cast God away from us (a mortal sin), we are still essentially holy. We might not be acting holy, but we still have the Holy Spirit within us. God does not abandon us while we're wandering around lost in the illusions of sin.

The Lord gives us room to learn from our mistakes and repent from our sins. What matters is not what we do wrong, but how much we learn from the wrong and the right, the bad and the good. What matters is how much we grow after we discover that sin has worked its destruction in our lives. What matters is that we desire to be holy and that we basically keep moving in the right direction, toward heaven's perfection.

Notice that Jesus did not condemn James and John for wanting to have places of glory in God's kingdom. Nor did he criticize their mother for wanting the best for her boys. His response was: "You do not know what you're asking." He recognized their potential and understood their inability to see the full picture of what it means to be tops in God's kingdom. He didn't notice only their arrogance and pride. He also saw ignorance and enthusiasm. (They remind me of the exuberant youth of today's Church. Like Jesus did with James and John, we should not become indignant at their naivete nor squash their enthusiasm by scolding them into becoming more like us older folks. Rather, we should invite them to channel their energies where they can enliven the faith of others.)

We will forever be earthen vessels, but we won't be healed of all our cracks until we pass through the refining fires of purgatory and enter the full glory of heaven. Purgatory is a place of joy, because we'll be happy to finally get rid of all those cracks we didn't totally overcome while on earth. No longer will demons and temptation interfere with our growth process. Think of purgatory as your long-awaited, final process of being transformed into the golden chalice of the Lord's love that you've always wished you could be.

When you get mad at yourself for failing to live up to the commandments of holiness, remember Saint James. In fact, pray to Saint James! He knows exactly how to help you.