Spirituality in the Catholic Epistle of James

The author of this epistle portrays a pastoral spirituality aiming to bring unity into the

community by depicting a clear path into a living faith that will strengthen their relationship with

God.

To accomplish this charge, James keenly points to the need for prayer. He gives instruction in

effective praying. It is through prayer, intercessory prayer in this case, that the wondering

believer can be brought back to Christ, emphasizing the mutual care and concern that should

define the Christian community. The person praying should always remember that the outcome

is subject to God’s will.

There are many the teachings that James pinpoints as catalyst for the Christian pilgrim.

Through a series of exhortations James put together straight forward guidelines to help messianic

believers to remain faithful and develop a mature faith, a living faith. A moral compass for the

spiritual journey. A spirituality of practical wisdom for the faithful.

Take aways -- even though James does not provide specific examples on how to

accomplish every expectation he exhorts the reader to carry out, it is evident that “the how”, will

be different for every individual as each person’s shortcomings have a unique source, wound.

Through his writing it is clear that God’s teachings stand firm and are meant to light up the path

of the sojourner who is willing to follow in Christ’s footsteps. I found the connections to the

Code of Holiness on Leviticus 19, even though I did not mentioned them in the paper, very

interesting because the instructions that felt so new, had been there for centuries; the timeless

aspect of Scripture felt very real.