Streams of Mercy

Whenever the Epistle of James comes up in the lectionary readings, we’re challenged once again with Christianity 101 or basic rules for being decent human beings! James insists that “faith without works” is dead, and that works are the fruit of our faith, not efforts to earn God’s love. James calls us to stand in what Parker Palmer calls the “tragic gap” – the space between what is and what should be – the place between rich and poor; the place between the privileged few and the huddled masses. In the end, all these categories will fall away, and we will come to see that we are all children of God. James calls us to take up residence in the “tragic gap” between “what is” and “what should be.” In so doing we imitate the character of God, and begin truly to live lives worthy of our calling.

Whenever I read James, I’m reminded of Sister Catherine, a Catholic nun in my hometown in the mountains of Kentucky, who lived in a shack on the riverbank among the poorest of the poor. She worked with the local Minister’s Association, planned and taught in the Community Vacation Bible School, worked at the Church Community Services Food Bank and Clothes Closet, and cooked and served meals at Christ’s Hands, the local soup kitchen. At the end of the day, she always went back home to live among the poor, to open her hands, her heart and her home to those in need. Like all Catholic sisters, Catherine had taken a vow of poverty, but I never knew another who honored that vow in such tangible ways.

Dropping by to visit Catherine, one might find her washing a baby, helping with homework, combing the tangles out of a child’s hair, putting a band aid on a skinned knee, settling arguments among the neighbor children, or encouraging a young mother to take heart as she dealt with the burdens of her day. Always, her table was set for anyone who might need to eat, and always, there was a pot or pan of something to share warming on her stove.

Sister Catherine lived with joy in that “tragic gap” between “what is” and “what should be,” and she helped us all to be more. Remembering her faithfulness challenges me to be more and to do more! As we deal with “what is,” “what should be” comes more and more into focus!

Giving thanks for faithful ones who have been a part of my journey of life and faith, and for those streams of mercy, never ceasing!

Elizabeth