loud speaker
"We have that spirit of faith of which the Scripture says, 'Because I believed, I spoke out.' We believe and so we speak." —2 Corinthians 4:13
St. James spoke out publicly without fear. In Acts, we read about the speeches of Peter and John, but James proclaimed the truth so powerfully that Herod chose him as the first apostle to be killed (Acts 12:2). However, James was initially fearful and ran from conflict (Mk 14:50). Yet after receiving the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, James was "filled with the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:4) and could not help speaking about Jesus (Acts 4:20).
Brothers and sisters in Christ, we live in a time of fierce battle for the truth and the faith. Our culture of death relentlessly attacks the lives of children in the womb, the sanctity and even the definition of marriage, the innocence of our children, the infirm, the aged, the Christians, and especially Catholics.
Evil advances because the faithful are silent, and the faithful are silent because of a lack of love. Love casts out fear (1 Jn 4:18) and displaces self-preservation with zeal for the Lord. On this feast of St. James, pray for the Lord to give you greater love, "a well-trained tongue" (Is 50:4), and the spirit of faith to speak out (2 Cor 4:13). Fearlessly proclaim the truth in love (Eph 4:15).
Prayer: Father, give me the boldness and faith of St. James.
Promise: "Those that sow in tears shall reap rejoicing." —Ps 126:5
Praise: St. James only lived a decade or so after Jesus, but his death still proclaims the good news.
Reference: (This teaching was submitted by a member of our editorial team.)
Rescript: †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, December 20, 2004
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