JAMES 5:13-16 STAY CONNECTED
13 Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. 14 Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
The circumstances of our lives run from burdensome to care-free, with moments of each thrown into every day. By stating the extremes, St. James is including our entire experience of life. So, he is urging us to actively acknowledge and include God in all aspects of our lives. And this exhortation is not just to individuals but to the believing community. In our weakness, both physically and spiritually, we need the Church to help us remain faithful to God. We are the body of Christ and interdependent with one another. Where one is weak, another is strong. Where an isolated individual is vulnerable to discouragement and despair, a group of pilgrims can provide protection and encouragement. When one is exhausted and unable to life her head, her companions can lift her up and point her gaze to the Father. When blindness blocks our vision, our friends can lead us on the way.
In the Gospel of St. Luke, Jesus is teaching in a house filled with people, when some men try to bring their paralyzed friend to Jesus. Since they could not enter through the door because of the crowd, they dug through the roof and lowered the man in front of Jesus (Luke 5:17ff). This episode is a metaphor for us illustrating how we should deal with one another as followers of Jesus. Through prayer we are to bring our brothers and sisters before Christ for healing. And our efforts are to be earnest, in that we should not let any obstacle stand between us and being in the presence of God.
Likewise, as individuals we need to respond to every situation in our lives, whether “good” or “bad,” by placing it squarely in the context of God. The gift that God has given us for this purpose is that of prayer and praise. Through such activity we take the focus off ourselves and “our” situation, and place it on God: his promises, his love, his mercy and his providence. It is this practice that motivated St. Paul to proclaim:
38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)
In the highs and lows of my life, dear Lord, keep my will in your will and my spirit in your Spirit. May I look at this life and this world with your eyes and see what you see. Help me not to despair. Empower me not to quit the race. Let me not drift from your presence. Thank you for placing me in a community of fellow pilgrims. May we always point one another to you, and when necessary carry our brothers and sisters into your presence. Amen.