A wealthy businessman decided to take a walk and eat his lunch at the same time. He strolled through a park and purchased a hot dog and a soft drink. As he walked, enjoying the view, two different street people approached him one by one. Each asked, "Can you help me, I am hungry?" Each time the businessman looked straight ahead and kept walking. After finishing his lunch he began to walk back to his office. He stopped and bought a chocolate eclair for dessert. As he was about to take the first bite, he was forced to jump out of the way as a young boy raced down the sidewalk on his skateboard. The eclair went flying and landed on the ground. The man picked it up and tried to clean it off, but it was no use. It was now a dirty eclair. Before discarding it, however, he had an idea. He strolled over to one of the beggars who had approached him and handing the man the eclair said, "Here you are my good man. This is something for your hunger." The businessman walked away smiling and returned to his office.
That night the man had a dream. He was sitting in a large and crowded cafe. Waitresses were scurrying about bringing customers delicious cakes and tortes. All the waitresses ignored the businessman, even though he was waving his hands at them continually. Finally he caught the eye of a young woman and asked for something to eat. She returned a few minutes later with a dirty piece of pastry. The man was outraged. "You can't treat me this way. I have a right to be served like all the others. I expect good service and food for my money." "You don't seem to understand," the waitress responded kindly. "You can't buy anything here. We don't accept money. You have just arrived in heaven and all you can order here is what you sent ahead while on earth. I just checked the records and the only thing we have for you is this dirty eclair."
The businessman obviously thought quite highly of himself and the finery that his life and talent had given him, but he could seemingly care less for the needs of others. He learned, "through the back door," that the second half of the Golden Rule, "to love our neighbor as ourself" is a necessity of life. Today, Saint James, following the lead and message of Jesus, tells us that we must never think that we are above or better than others; we are all sisters and brothers, members of the same Christian, even world family. All people deserve our respect. The Christian virtue of welcoming others allows us to welcome Christ. We have no option; this task is part and parcel of our Christian vocation.
Even a cursory reading of the New Testament demonstrates clearly that Jesus welcomed all people. No one was ever rejected; all were given a chance. Jesus freely associated with those people whom society shunned. Lepers, due not only to the contagious nature of their physical condition, but also their uncleanliness according to the Hebrew Law, were rejected by all, but not by Jesus. Saint Mark reports: "A leper came to him begging him and kneeling he said to him, ‘If you choose, you can make me clean.' Moved with pity, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, and said to him, ‘I do choose. Be made clean!' Immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean" (Mark 1:40-42).
We all recall the popular story (Luke 17:11-19) of the ten lepers who came to Jesus and were cured, yet only one, a Samaritan, returned to give thanks. Jesus also welcomed foreigners, even those who were despised by Hebrew society. Recall how amazed were both the Samaritan woman and Jesus' disciples when he entered into a long and significant conversation with her at Jacob's well (John 4:1-42). Jesus took the time necessary to welcome the sick and infirmed. Saint Luke reports, "As the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various kinds of diseases brought them to him; and he laid his hands on each of them and cured them" (Luke 4:40). Christ also reached out to those rejected by society. He called a tax collector, Matthew, to be a member of his inner circle. While scholars are not certain, tradition suggests that Jesus' friend Mary Magdalene, the first person to see him after the resurrection, was a former prostitute. Jesus summarized his preferential outreach to the marginalized of Hebrew society: "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy not sacrifice.' For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners" (Luke 9:12b-13).
Jesus' message of love and peace was announced to a wide spectrum of people and it was delivered to create a unified society of mutual trust and love. In treating all with respect and rejecting none, Jesus demonstrated that unity and inclusivity were to be sought and division and exclusivity were to be avoided. The Lord put it this way, analogizing the unity of peoples to that of God: "I ask ... that all may be one. As you, Father, are in me, and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you sent me" (John 17:20-21).
Saint James, in direct and challenging words, takes the message of Jesus and applies it to his audience, "the twelve tribes in the dispersion." Apparently partiality and favoritism have been practiced for James immediately equates such behavior with a lack of belief in Jesus. Thus, consistent with his basic message of an action-oriented Christianity, namely to be doers of the word and not merely listeners, James attacks the problem through example. This illustration is one to which we can all can relate, now as well as the apostolic period. Yes, this very scene is happening in our churches today. We often make distinctions, creating separations and divisions based merely on what we observe or the previous opinions we have formed. We do this both with people we know and those we know not. We make decisions and classify some people and groups as acceptable while rejecting others. An ecumenical, inclusive spirit too often loses out to an exclusivist mentality and approach.
James tells us, however, that Jesus has preferentially chosen the poor and those on the margins of society. He writes, "Listen my brothers and sisters. Has not God chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him?" (James 2:5). He says to distinguish between people, choosing some and rejecting others, dishonors the poor, the very ones to whom Jesus ministered in a preferential way. He goes on to say that partiality is sinful and, thus, must be avoided. He summarizes his teaching by returning to his basic premise of the need to live an active Christian life. We must not only respect all, but act on their behalf. Our actions toward the poor can truly make a difference. This reality is clearly demonstrated through a little story.
One day a businessman was rushing to a meeting. As he hurried along the sidewalk he passed a homeless man sitting on a bench with a pot of somewhat wilted flowers and a hat ready for donations. Feeling sorry for the man, he reached into his pocket and threw in about a dollar of change, but he took no flower. He continued down the sidewalk but was forced to stop at a traffic light. As he waited he thought, "That man was selling flowers and I did not take my purchase. I must return and take a flower." Although he might be late for his meeting, the man turned about and found the homeless flower salesman. "I apologize, my good man," said the businessman. "Your flowers are fairly priced and you have a good business. Please excuse my earlier lack of concern for your livelihood." The businessman then chose a flower and hurried off to his meeting.
One month later the same businessman was eating lunch with some clients in one of the city's finest restaurants. Unexpectedly one of the waiters came to him and said, "Sir, I am sure you do not remember me, but I will never forget you. One month ago you spoke to me as I sold flowers on the street. You restored my self-dignity and encouraged me to get my life in order. It is because of your faith in me that I have this job today."
When we welcome others and show them respect, we welcome Christ and honor him. Spanish-speaking peoples have an expression that illustrates this point: Mi casa es tu casa. Literally translated it means, "My house is your house," but these words do not adequately convey the significance of this greeting. It is not only an expression of welcome; the words express the reality that for the time guests are entertained in the house, they are members of the family and are treated as such. This is true regardless of who the guests are, their backgrounds, or past histories. All that matters is that they are under the roof of the house and, thus, very special. No one is left on the outside; all are welcomed as if they were Christ. We should not look upon others as strangers, foreigners or create any other categories. All that is necessary is to realize that they are God's children. To honor them is to honor Christ. We can have no greater privilege.
The preferential option for the poor and marginalized in society, seeing strength through diversity, has been a hallmark of many Christians in the twentieth century. Walter Rauschenbusch, a Baptist minister who worked in New York's "Hell's Kitchen" district at the outset of the twentieth century heard the cry of his people for justice and peace. He saw poverty firsthand and rallied to the support of his people. His response was more intellectual as he became a leading proponent of the Social Gospel Movement through such famous books as Christianity and the Social Crisis and A Theology of the Social Gospel. One generation later, the Catholic radical, Dorothy Day, heard the cry of the poor and responded through the initiation of the Catholic Worker Movement, which featured houses of hospitality to shelter and feed the homeless, and its penny newspaper, The Catholic Worker, which even today stridently promotes the rights of the poor. Dorothy Day's outreach to the marginalized of society was patterned after scripture. In the Letter to the Hebrews we read, "Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it" (Hebrews 13:2).
It is sad but true that many times we, as individuals and a society, live life in a manner completely contradictory to the message of Saint James. We separate and discriminate on many levels and various criteria. We separate people on the basis of intelligence, appearance, and personal habits. Only those who are sufficiently bright, beautiful or handsome, and sophisticated are acceptable; others are given the proverbial dirty eclair. We make distinctions based on political and religious views and ideologies. Again, some are acceptable and others are not. We categorize and separate ourselves based on physical and mental condition, ethnic and racial origins, and even cultural views.
Our tendency to be exclusive occurs not only in our relationships with those who are different; it also happens with those who, at least on the surface, are in "our own group." Believe it or not much of our attitude can be explained by observation of how dogs treat each other. One day a woman observed an interesting occurrence. She began her story: "There was a terrible racket outside my home and I went to the window to see what was happening. I saw a large dog standing outside the front yard fence and my dog was barking wildly at it. Have you ever noticed how the dog on the inside usually barks wildly if another dog passes by outside, yet, the dog on the outside does not bark at all? I guess that is the way it is with dogs."
The woman continued saying, "I knew that the dog outside belonged to a neighbor, so I went outside and opened the gate. Almost instantly the barking stopped. There was some sniffing as they wanted to make sure of each other, but then the two dogs proceeded to ignore each other. I guess that is the way is it with dogs."
She then continued in a reflective mode, "It seems that the way the dogs act is the way church members act as well. The ones outside never bark, but the ones inside often bark angrily at those not on the inside with them. However, after they come inside and we are familiar with them, we come to completely ignore them, unless they happen to be in our social crowd." She thought, "It would be nice if we changed the rules and stopped acting like dogs. Wouldn't it be better if we extended our hands and were friendly to those on the outside? Wouldn't it be so much better if we did not ignore each other, except for the occasional sniff or handshake at church or greeting during a holiday?
"Just think how many broken hearts would be mended, how many tears dried if we cared enough to notice and to share a bit of genuine love. It's too bad that more love can be generated by a puppy wagging its tail to cheer one up than what we do. But I guess that's the way it is with dogs! What about us?"
James provides us with a significant challenge — to actualize the second half of the Golden Rule. We are called to live an active faith by seeking to accept all. Moreover, we are told to have a preferential option for the poor and those who need our attention the most — those, in other words, who need a doctor. Let us learn this lesson well. May we give others the best we have and not a leftover dirty eclair. If we can our reward in heaven will be great.