Replies

From: Isaiah 35:4-7a

Promise of Redemption

[4] Say to those who are of a fearful heart, “Be strong, fear not! Behold, your God
will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save
you.” [5] Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf un-
stopped; [6] then shall the lame man leap like a hart, and the tongue of the dumb
sing for joy. For waters shall break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the de-
sert; [7a] the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs
of water.

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

35:1-10 The focus now changes with this hymn celebrating Zion, the holy city. It
presents a picture of the restored Jerusalem in language reminiscent of that of
chapters 11 and 12. God who manifested his presence and protection during the
exodus, when Israel came up out of Egypt, will do so again in wonderful ways
as the redeemed flock back home to Zion. He will show them the route and give
them a highway and be with them in a sort of solemn procession to where he
dwells (v. 8). Just as in Babylon there was a “Holy Way” lined with statues of
lions and dragons that led to the temple of Marduk, the redeemed will have a tru-
ly “Holy Way” to take them to the house of the Lord in Jerusalem. The joy of the
returnees is compounded by the instant cure of the blind, deaf and lame (cf. 29:
18-19), which is an anticipation of what will happen in the messianic era.

The miracles worked by Jesus demonstrate that the moment of true redemption
foreseen indistinctly by the prophets has come to pass (cf. Mt 11:2-6). St Justin,
showing the Jew Tryphon that this prophecy found fulfillment in Christ, points out:
“Christ is the stream of living water that flows from God; he sprang up in the de-
sert wastes of ignorance of God; that is, in the parched earth of all the nations.
He, who was born among your people, cured those who were blind from birth,
and the deaf and the lame: by his word alone, they leapt and heard and saw
once more. He raised the dead and gave them new life, and by all his good works
prompted men to see Him for who he is. [...] He did all these things to convince
those who were to believe in him, whatever bodily defects they might have, that
if they obeyed the teachings that he gave them, he would raise them up again at
his Second Coming and make them whole and perfect and immortal as He is”
(”Dialogus Cum Tryphone”, 69,6).

The Church uses this passage from Isaiah in the Advent liturgy (3rd Sunday, Cy-
cle A) to encourage the faithful in joyous hope that God will come and bring sal-
vation.

*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

From: James 2:1-5

Respect for the Poor

[1] My brethren, show no partiality as you hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Lord of glory. [2] For if a man with gold rings and in fine clothing comes into
your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, [3] and you
pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “Have a seat here,
please,” while you say to the poor man, “Stand there,” or, “Sit at my feet,” [4]
have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil
thoughts? [5] Listen, my beloved brethren. Has not God chosen those who are
poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the Kingdom which He has pro-
mised to those who love Him?

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

1-13. Apparently some of the Christians to whom this letter was addressed were
guilty of discriminating against people on the grounds of social standing — a clear
instance of inconsistency between faith and actions, a key theme which James
has already touched on (cf. 1:19-27) and will develop later (cf. 2:14-26). He may
well be taking an example from something that actually happened (verses 1-4)
to make the very vigorous point that discrimination is opposed to the Gospel (ver-
ses 5-7) as indeed to the Law (verses 8-11); and he makes it plain that this type
of behavior will be severely punished by God when He comes to judge (verses
12-13).

1-4. God “is not partial and takes no bribe” (Deuteronomy 10:17). Discrimination
among people is often condemned in the Old Testament—in the Law as well as in
the Prophets and the Wisdom books (cf., e.g. Leviticus 19:15; Isaiah 5:23; Micah
3:9-11; Psalm 82:2-4). In the Gospel even our Lord’s enemies admit that He is
impartial and does not make unfair distinctions (cf. Matthew 22:16).

In line with this teaching, the Church takes issue with every form of discrimina-
tion. “All men are endowed with a rational soul and are created in God’s image;
they have the same nature and origin and, being redeemed by Christ, they enjoy
the same divine calling and destiny; there is here a basic equality between men
and it must be given ever greater recognition. Undoubtedly not all men are alike
as regards physical capacity and intellectual and moral powers. But forms of so-
cial or cultural discrimination in basic personal rights on the grounds of sex, race,
color, social conditions, language or religion, must be curbed and eradicated as
incompatible with God’s design” (”Gaudium Et Spes”, 29).

1. “The faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory”: literally “the faith of our
Lord Jesus Christ of glory.” This phrase can be interpreted in slightly different
ways depending on how one understands “of glory”. The most likely interpreta-
tion is that this is an instance of a Semitic genitive used in place of the adjective
“glorious” or “glorified”; in which case St. James is referring to Jesus Christ who,
after His ascension and resurrection, enjoys, also in His capacity as man, the
highest honor and glory.

The RSV takes up the idea found in 1 Corinthians 2:8 where St. Paul calls Christ
“the Lord of glory”: since in the Old Testament “glory” was the splendor of the
majesty of Yahweh (cf. Exodus 24:16), by applying this divine attribute to Christ
His divinity is being explicitly asserted. If this is the correct translation, it may be
a form of words taken from early Christian liturgy.

Some translate it in another way which puts even greater stress on Christ’s divi-
nity: “The faith of the glory (that is, the divinity) of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

All these translations are compatible with one another and complementary to
one another.

5-7. Many of the people to whom the letter was written must have been quite
poor (cf. note on 1:2-4; 1 Corinthians 1:26-29). St. James reminds them that God
wants to make them rich in faith and heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus in
fact had given as a sign of His messiahship the fact that the Gospel is proclaimed
to the poor (cf. Matthew 11:5; Luke 7:22) and He also taught that “Blessed are
the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 5:3). “Christ was
sent by the Father ‘to preach good news to the poor...to heal the contrite of heart’
(Luke 4:18), ‘to seek and to save the lost’ (Luke 19:10). Similarly, the Church en-
compasses with her love all those who are afflicted by human misery and she re-
cognizes in those who are poor and who suffer, the image of her poor and suffe-
ring Founder. She does all in her power to relieve their need and in them she
strives to serve Christ” (Vatican II, “Lumen Gentium”, 8).

Of the rich on the other hand, the Apostle speaks with unusual harshness. As
elsewhere in Sacred Scripture, those who deserve such severe condemnation are
people who are bent on building up their possession as if ownership were the on-
ly purpose in life, not minding what means they used, and oppressing and ill-trea-
ting the poor (cf. note on Luke 6:24).

Behavior of this type is so serious that it amounts to “blaspheming that honora-
ble name by which you are called” (verse 7) — blasphemy by scandalous action
rather than by words. This “name” can mean both the name “Jesus” — called
down on them at Baptism — and that of “Christian”, a name already being given
to those first followers of the Master (cf. Acts 11:26).

What St. James says here can in no sense be used to justify the “class struggle”
which some materialistic doctrines propose. The Magisterium of the Church has
often pointed out that the application of Christian principles should make for har-
mony and concord between the various groups in society (cf. Leo XIII, “Rerum
Novarum”, 14). James’ words certainly do urge everyone to make a real effort to
promote the human dignity of all: “The evil inequities and oppression of every kind
which afflict millions of men and women today openly contradict Christ’s Gospel
and cannot leave the conscience of any Christian indifferent” (SCDF, “Libertatis
Conscientia”, 57).

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.