St James is adamant about the truth that our faith must be practical, that it must affect for good the way in which we live. He says that a person whose faith is not practical is like a man who knows what he looks like by seeing himself in a mirror but then goes off and promptly forgets what he has seen. In this instance he is worse off than the blind man of the Gospel, who had no possibility of knowing what his apprearance was. The point of the comparison made by St James is that faith enlightens us as to our identity. Faith is like a mirror in which we can see that we have become children of God. Our actions should flow from this identity.

The principle that actions should flow from identity is valid in every phase of life. A policeman should maintain law and order, not disrupt it. A doctor should foster and uphold human life, not destroy it. A judge should seek and promote justice, not violate it. And a person of faith, a child of God, should radiate the goodness of God.

So often it seems that people of no religion complain that people of faith are no better, sometimes worse, nor should we pretend to be, but faith should be the guiding light of our lives which motivates us to strive for perfection. Faith teaches us that we have become children of God, and that faith should move us to be more like our Father.