James 4: Puffs of Smoke
Monday, October 13, 2025
Throughout his letter, James reminds us that we must be doers of the word and not sayers only. In Chapter 4 he focuses us on the habits we have nurtured that contribute to our divisions, habits of the heart and mind that create division, habits of the soul that separate us from God.
Where do the wars and conflicts among you come from? . . . Do you not know that to be a lover of the world means enmity with God?
God wishes happiness for all his creatures; God does not wish that some of us do well while others starve. James points out that it is our own selfishness and greed that cause us to build the barriers that separate us. Humility, he says, is the only remedy. We must submit our will to God’s and resist the demon world that whispers in our ear to tell us that we are more special than others.
Do not speak evil of one another. Whoever speaks evil of a brother or judges a brother speaks evil of the law and judges the law. If you judge the law you are not a doer of the law but a judge . . . Who are you to judge your neighbor?
When we gossip with one another and slander others we become incapable judges; and the only true and gifted judge is God. James does not speak here of a judicial system that oversees criminal cases and administers appropriate consequences; rather, James speaks of a world in which humble servants acknowledge God’s power and generosity. James knows – and once we put away our ego we will also come to know – that God’s plan for justice is far too complicated for humans to fully comprehend. God’s plan converts sinners, it waits on the last of the sheep, it allows the weeds to grow up with the harvest, it calls the high and powerful to serve the low and powerless, it turns all harm into goodness. This is a plan that we cannot out-maneuver. It is a plan that we cannot ignore. It is a plan that will be in force forever – even until the end of time.
You have no idea what your life will be like tomorrow. You are a puff of smoke that appears briefly and then disappears.
I spoke with a friend this morning who is recovering from brain surgery – he and his family are hopeful. I spoke to another just before Mass whose husband has lung cancer. “Three weeks ago our lives were normal,” she said. “Now we spend every day at the hospital. They know our first names.” I met a complete stranger as I came out of the store after Mass. He noticed I was carrying milk. I noticed that he was driving an historic car. When I complemented him on its beautiful restoration he said, “Yeah, I spent three years of my life on this and then my wife got sick. A few months later she was gone. Just like that. I don’t know what I’m gonna do.” We smiled and spoke kind words to one another before parting ways.
We have no idea what our life will be like tomorrow. We are a puff of smoke that appears briefly and then disappears.
James urges us to cease our bickering; he asks that we put an end to petty divisions. He recommends that we put aside gossip and false speech; he advises that we go to God in humility.
James reminds us that we are mere wisps of vapor and that without God we are less than nothing. He tells us that God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.
James tells us that all we need do is live our lives as doers of the word and not sayers only. James asks us to cease judging and gossiping; he asks that we humble ourselves to take the last seat at the table rather than the first. James reminds us that as tiny wisps of ash rising on the drifting wind we do not have the capacity to judge as God does.
So rather than throw our lives away on pointless living and selfish habits, let us rise like incense from the altar of our lives to be taken into the arms of a God who loves us relentlessly. For once we humble ourselves to join others who rise in like unison, we will find that we have been gathered together in God’s loving arms to become far more than mere puffs of smoke.
Images from: http://www.ursulinesjesus.org/ and http://anglicansablaze.blogspot.com/ and https://www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/smoke-rising/14
A re-post from September 18, 2011.
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