Faith and works are the subject of today’s reading from the letter of James. Faith is more than an intellectual assent, it is more than just placing our trust and hope in God. We typically think of faith as a noun, but in a spiritual sense, faith is a verb. Faith is action and doing.
We don’t have works come out of faith to justify our faith or to prove or earn our salvation. Our good works flow out of our faith like fruit growing from a tree that is tended properly, that is nourished and developed. A person who lovingly trusts God, who is obedient to God, will overflow with works of charity and mercy in his life. God is not satisfied with just our sacrificial offerings, but rather asks of us our obedience and our trust.
Often times, when someone comes to me for the sacrament of reconciliation, I give that person a penance that involves a good work coming out of his faith. Sometimes a child is asked to do a chore around the house that he doesn’t normally do if the sin was committed against a parent. Or someone is asked to do a random act of kindness for a friend or family member or even a stranger to make amends for what he did. Our good works are to flow out of faith, but also they reinforce and compliment and develop our faith. Indeed, you could say that faith and works naturally go together.
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