(Please read the Scripture passage before reading the homily.)
What business does Russia have meddling in Ukraine? This is the hottest topic of the day today. How does this apply to the author of this letter of James? It is about judging.
If I can keep you occupied about the Russians, then I can keep you off my trail. If I can distract you with the faults of another, I can keep your from noticing my faults.
We humans seem to have made a specialty is camouflaging our behaviors. We hide insecurity by bullying. We hide bad motives by inventing excuses. Like good magicians, we misdirect attention from ourselves. We swear our dishonesty with false oaths. We make yes mean “no” and no mean “yes”.
The Jewishness of James, that is, his honesty and truthfulness, will not allow him to be silent. Yes means “yes” and no means “no”. The word of God calls us to repentance before it calls us to preach repentance to others.
The word of God in today’s news asks us how much we are like Russia and how much mare we are like Ukraine. What is the bully and the aggressor in us, and what is the victim is us? How to we need to repent?
The actions of a nation, whether it be Russia, the United States, or any other power, reflect the actions of the individuals of the nation. The oppression of Russia over Ukraine reflects the treatment that other strong nations have given historically and even now to weaker peoples in something called colonialism. Before we judge others, we must judge ourselves, both as individuals and as peoples.