7th Week in Ordinary Time (Year B) : Saturday 25th May 2024

James believed in the power of prayer, and he wanted to encourage others to pray as well. He set down for us some significant guidelines for prayer. When a person is suffering, they should pray but prayer shouldn’t be the last thing a person does after trying other remedies. The sick should be prayed over and anointed with oil – that is the scriptural basis of the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick. Then James encouraged people to confess their sins and receive forgiveness – we have the Sacrament of Reconciliation. James was encouraging people to pray for one another for the salvation of their souls. For James, prayer was integral to his faith and relationship with God.

How we relate to children reflects our regard for the Kingdom of God. Jesus loved the little children and, contrary to the thinking of the day, he knew that within children there was a special type of wisdom. That wisdom was the result of their innocence. Jesus recognized that children were open to His love and His message as they had not yet been hardened by life. Love is seen by an open acceptance of the innocent. This is depicted by a fatherly embrace. We are encouraged to step aside from our harsh lives and open our hearts to receive Jesus’ message of love, just as the children do, and enter into His welcoming embrace.

Lord, help me to be open to Your love and relate to You with all my innocence.