James 4:1–12
What causes wars, and what causes fightings among you? Is it not your passions that are at war in your members? You desire and do not have; so you kill. And you covet and cannot obtain; so you fight and wage war. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. Unfaithful creatures! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you suppose it is in vain that the scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit which he has made to dwell in us”? But he gives more grace; therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you men of double mind. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to dejection. Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you.
Do not speak evil against one another, brethren. He that speaks evil against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you that you judge your neighbor?
Once again, the letter of the Apostle James offers words of transcendent meaning.
Where do wars and fights come from? I would like to reflect on these words today, because we know how threatened the world is by war and how tense the global situation has become. Unfortunately, we cannot rule out the possibility of conflicts on the scale of those in the last century, including the use of nuclear weapons.
Therefore, this passage from the Epistle of James is not only addressed to the Christian community in question but also gives us clear clues about the origins of war in general. From it we can also draw guidelines for how to overcome them.
We concluded yesterday’s meditation by saying that God’s wisdom will make us capable of promoting true peace, the peace that comes from God and is not like the peace that the world gives (cf. Jn 14:27). This peace springs from the heart of God, transforms our hearts, and can inspire others. In this context it is appropriate to use the term true peace, because the world knows a kind of peace that does not reach the depths of our being. True peace means, first of all, peace with God, peace with oneself, and peace with others.
The Apostle begins by referring to the passions we have not mastered, much less overcome, within ourselves. In yesterday’s meditation we pointed out the need for our hearts to be purified by the Lord. Today’s passage emphasizes this again: “Purify your hearts, you men of double mind.”
This is an indispensable condition for achieving true peace. If our hearts do not submit to purification and we give free rein to our passions, what the Apostle James points out may arise from them: ambition, envy, murder…
Those who are willing to fight sincerely against these inclinations within themselves are already making a real contribution to peace. This is especially true when all these efforts are made with our gaze fixed on God, in whom there is no darkness or shadow. In that case, a person acts in accordance with God’s call, submits to the obedience of love, and orders their inner life according to the wise divine plan. In the heart of such a person, God can begin to reign, and in Him there is no war. The more we live in harmony with God and follow His instructions, the more His peace will penetrate our inner being.
In these circumstances our petitions will be heard. Otherwise, the Apostle’s warning will come true: “You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.”
Let us pause and consider this: the key to achieving true peace in the world lies in God and in humanity’s relationship with Him. If a person finds Him and sincerely strives to keep His commandments, God’s peace finds a place in them and allows them to live a peaceful life. This applies not only to individuals but also to peoples and nations, which are, in fact, made up of individuals.
If they strove to know God and to serve Him and others, peace would reign. On God’s part, all the conditions are in place: He sent His own Son to redeem humanity and enable us to live in perfect communion with the Heavenly Father. From this perspective, the Church’s mission for peace becomes clear: to proclaim the Gospel so that people may encounter God’s love and change their lives, allowing true peace to reign in them. They need to be taught how to overcome their passions, what true faith is, how to follow Christ with God’s help, and how to face the insidious attacks of the devil. In short, they must receive the authentic proclamation of the Gospel, just as Jesus entrusted it to his apostles, and listen to all that God’s wisdom has revealed to us.
Meditation on today’s reading: https://en.elijamission.net/2022/01/08/