The Last Words of James

We finish the Epistle of James today. The last few verses of James are a collection of practical advice. Here we find rudiments of sacraments administered by the Church.
First of all, do not swear.
But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath, but let your yes be yes and your no be no, that you may not fall under condemnation (James 5:12). This is a summary and echo of what Jesus said in Matthew.
But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God,
or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.
And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black.
Let what you say be simply `Yes' or `No'; anything more than this comes from evil (Matthew 5:24-37).
Earlier on, James mentions humility and meekness which are two of the Beatitudes found in Matthew. He also warns about the rust of gold and silver which brings judgment from God, echoing Matthew's warnings.
Then, James mentions prayer for the first time.
Is any one among you suffering? Let him pray. Is any cheerful? Let him sing praise (James 5:13).
Remember to sing praises and thank God in good time. In time of suffering, being patient and not grumbling is not enough to endure. Prayer is where we draw strength to heal our wounds.
For physical sufferings such as sickness, there is the sacrament of Anointment of the sick. This is a service administered by the Church (James 5:14). For spiritual sickness, prayer for forgiveness heals our sins (James 5:15). Private prayer is not enough. We need to confess our sins to one another and seek other's prayers to heal our sins. This is the sacrament of Reconciliation (James 5:16).
James illustrates the power of prayer with the example of Elijah.
Wasn't it God's will to punish Ahab by withholding rain for 3 years? James attributes it to Elijah's prayer.
Elijah was a man of like nature with ourselves and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth (James 5:17).
According to 1 Kings, Elijah announced God's judgment to Ahab.
Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, "As the LORD the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word." (1 Kings 17:1)
1 King does not say Elijah prayed that it would not rain for three years. He was only the messenger of God. Later, his prayer would bring rain. It is James that attributes this drought to the prayer of Elijah. How should we harmonize this?
We are supposed to seek God's will, not ours in our prayer. So, if God wills such a drought, He will make someone pray for it. This someone was Elijah. This is probably what James has in mind when he attributes this drought to Elijah's prayer. Indeed, prayer is such a deep mystery, revealing God's mind!
At last, James encourages the church members to practise the ultimate charity of bringing back sinners, those apostates. In times of persecutions, some weaker members of weaker faith would not be able to withstand pressures and recanted their pledge to the Lord. Condemning these apostates is too negative and does them no good.
My brethren, if any one among you wanders from the truth and some one brings him back,
let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins (James 5:19-20).

My Advocate, cultivate my heart to pray properly so that we may be prepared to receive God's revelation. We are lazy. Entice us into building a good habit of daily prayers. Our Lady, you have prayed very well. Pray with us so that we may become an authentic channel of God's grace. Amen.