St. James in his letter emphasizes the importance of good works as a testament of a good faith (Jas 2: 16ff). That is the theme of our First Reading today. It would almost seem that the words which St. James offers us in this letter of his are in contradiction with what St. Paul affirms in the Letter to the Romans and the Letter to the Ephesians.
Faith in Action
For Paul, it is faith that saves us, and not just works. In Romans 3:28 he says: “A person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.” In Ephesians 2:8-9 Paul says: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. According to James, however, it is the good works that save us, not only faith. Is there a contradiction between the two positions? No! James today makes a precious clarification in our reading. He doesn’t deny that faith leads to salvation, but rather, a particular type of faith – that devoid of good works – for him, is as good as nothing.
Emptiness of Theoretical Faith
Theoretical faith/belief alone is not enough. Observances of religious practices and rituals cannot be enough for salvation, if they are not accompanied with concrete good actions.
So, we can see how precious and timely is this word of James conjugated with the other of St. Paul: “In Jesus it is not circumcision that counts or uncircumcision (let’s say ritualism), but the faith that expresses itself through charity “(Gal 5,6). Acting out love is, therefore, the vital breath of faith. Without it my faith is useless. James’s statement is clear: a faith that does not bear fruit in works is not faith. When the apostle speaks of faith, he speaks precisely of the doctrine, of what is the content of faith. And it is as if he were saying to each of us: You can know all the commandments, all the prophecies, all the truths of faith, but if this “is not translated into practice and works, it is useless”.
And as Pope Francis once said in his homily at the Domus Sanctae Marthae, “we can recite the Creed, theoretically even without faith. And there are so many people who do it! Even the demons! In fact, he added, the demons know very well what is said in the Creed and they know it is true, and they tremble. Speaking further, the Pope says that “the demons know all theology, they know Denzinger by heart” (the classic manual that collects the doctrinal formulations of the Church), “but they have no faith”. Having faith is not just having knowledge: having faith is receiving the message of God who brought us Jesus Christ, living it, and carrying it forward.
Complementary Truth
We can, therefore, see that James and Paul teach, not contradictory truths, but complementary truths. While Paul can be said to counteract legalism, James himself is trying to correct antinomianism. Faith and works are both complementary and necessary. On this point, we can equally draw insight from the Aristotelean view on virtue as that mean state between excess and defects. And as the popular Latin expression holds, “in medio stat virtus” (virtue stands in the middle). Faith alone? No. Works alone? No. Faith expressed through work? YES.
