One of the great things about reading the Bible is the vivid reminder that people are people. The admonitions of St. James, the description of marital difficulties by Jesus, could have been written today. Do not complain, brothers and sisters, about one another. Current events? The distance of two thousand years, the differences in culture, the diversities of language do not change the basic tendencies of human nature. St. James’ advice to “persevere” is meant for us. We are tempted at times to say, “well, that’s just the way I am,” and stop the work of conversion. We must persevere in our efforts to be more kind, compassionate, generous and forgiving for in doing so we give God’s grace a chance to transform our hearts.
