Who among you

James 3:13-18; Ps 19 The precepts of the Lord gives joy to the heart; Mark 9:14-29

Here are the opening lines of the letter of James, " who among you is wise and understanding?"

Now this is a great question as we enter into the season of Lent. Who is wise and understanding?

Are you?

How shall we answer this question? Where shall we begin?



James continues to show the way, "Let him show his works by a good life win the humility that comes from wisdom."


A good life!

Now that sounds like a good a place as any to start. Is our life Good?

Many people claim tone good. In fact, often i hear those words as a priest when someone comes and says those words, "well, you know Father I am good, it is not like a kill people."

How is that for a penetrating understanding of "good."

Wisdom must begin with an honest look at goodness.

Are we as good as we think we are,a s we present ourselves to be? Isn't there always room for improvement, those little areas in loud life that we often over look.

Think about how often we keep repeating the same "little" sins that we blow off: lying, cursing, laziness, unkind words, stinginess with our thoughts. These are things that reveal the level of our goodness.

In is here that we begin to grow in true goodness in th hidden recesses of our hearts and minds, the interior world that no one see but us and God, where the gaze of God penetrates and illumines so that we might be perfected on the path of goodness.