Catholic Epistle
A Reading from Epistle of St. James .
May his blessing be upon us.
Amen.
James 2 : 1 - 13
Chapter 2
| 1 | My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality.
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| 2 | For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes,
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| 3 | and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, "You sit here in a good place," and say to the poor man, "You stand there," or, "Sit here at my footstool,"
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| 4 | have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?
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| 5 | Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?
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| 6 | But you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts?
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| 7 | Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called?
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| 8 | If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you do well;
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| 9 | but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors.
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| 10 | For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.
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| 11 | For He who said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not murder." Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.
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| 12 | So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty.
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| 13 | For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
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Do not love the world or the things in the world.
The world passes away, and its desires; but he who does the will of God abides forever.
Amen.
