It's Not Easy

A Reflection on the Second Reading for September 5th, 2021:
Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

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James
2.1-5

My brothers and sisters, do you with your acts of favouritism really believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ? For if a man with gold rings and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and if a poor person in dirty clothes also comes in, and if you take notice of the one wearing the fine clothes and say, “Have a seat here, please,” while to the one who is poor you say, “Stand there,” or, “Sit at my feet,” have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?

Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters. Has not God chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him?
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When I read this passage last week, I thought that it was an easy piece and so I put off reflecting on it until the last minute. However, I later realized that it is not so easy.

It is not easy... because I was so sure that I am always impartial and that I don’t discriminate against anyone. In my life, I always try to love even the seemingly unlovable. Upon reflection though, I realized that I have not always been impartial. I once had a co-worker who dressed in party clothes (in my opinion) and I thought that she was not dressed in proper ‘office attire’. This blinded me to the fact that she was a good person who does her work well. As a result, I hesitated to invest time in teaching her more difficult tasks, thinking that she wouldn’t be able to do it. Of course I was proven wrong as another person helped her with the task I was hesitant to teach her, and she did well.

It is not easy… because I am not blinded by “gold rings” and “fine clothes” as described in the passage. I always treat people equally and with respect. Except for the time when I grossly misjudged the poor. There was this person who regularly stood outside a big grocery store holding a can for alms. I would always put in some change or even a dollar bill when I saw him. One day I saw him get into a nice car. From that day on, I stopped dropping money into his can. A few weeks later, some women in our parish were talking about him. On the day I saw him get into the nice car, one of them had offered him a ride to the local YMCA to get a shower there. Part of the alms he collected would pay for a shower at the YMCA! That made me realize that every human being has dignity and worth, and I was sorely wrong to misjudge him.

It is not easy… because I played favourites. There are some people whose personalities are quite complex and are difficult to deal with and I would often stay away from them. I didn’t realize that some people are that way because of a deep conviction to do what is right and just. There was a person in my group who was like that. I was forced to deal with her because she was in my group so I had no choice. I started to pray for her and for me. God in His wisdom and mercy taught me how to address her. I was to show her my love, kindness, and attention. I showed her my vulnerability too. We were not that close but at least we had an understanding of each other. When she left our group (she was moving away), she wrote me a thank you letter and said that she considered me a friend. I praise and thank God because all of this good would not have happened without His guidance.

We never know what challenges life will give us, but this reading reminds us that we are to be mindful of those who we tend to ignore.




​Liz Venezuela
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