Friday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time
Although Lent is still a few days away, today’s first reading reminds me of something a friend “gave up” for Lent a few years ago: complaining. We’ve all heard (or maybe even made) the jokes about giving up things like homework or work or cleaning for Lent. But this friend was quite serious about giving up complaining. And that really stuck with me. I didn’t think of him as an avid complainer or even a particularly negative person, but apparently he knew that was an area of his life that needed some work. And James’ letter to the early Christians indicates they needed a reminder about that too. Especially complaining about other people.
In fact, today’s passage from James’ letter begins with this, “Do not complain, brothers and sisters, about one another, that you may not be judged.”(5:9) Okay, that’s pretty direct: Do not complain about one another. And we may be judged for doing so. We are not each other’s judges, God is. (The next verse is “Behold, the Judge is standing before the gates.”)
My friend’s decision to give up complaining made me wonder about my own complaining, and how successful I would be at “giving it up.” This verse from James makes me wonder about my complaining in particular about other people. Who do I complain about? Is it fruitful? Probably not. Does it help my relationship with that person? Not likely. Does it bring me closer to God? I have to honestly say, No.
James’ caution to not complain about one another, that we may not be judged, also includes a reminder, along with today’s Psalm (103), that “the Lord is compassionate and merciful.” Well, there’s a Lenten challenge: What if we gave up complaining about others and replaced it with compassion and kindness toward the very person we are tempted to complain about? How might that change our relationship with God and others? I think the answer is fairly obvious.
As we prepare for this Lenten season, let us ask God, in the words of the psalmist, to “crown (us) with kindness and compassion,” transforming our lives and our relationships. Amen.
~Eileen Miller