Sunday 26th Sun of OT: In the second reading from the Letter of James, it is important to note that James’ direct challenges to the wealthy don’t come out of nowhere. They are perfectly in keeping with many other biblical passages, beginning in the Old Testament. A variety of laws limited how much wealth landowners could amass and required them to share excesses with the poor. For example, farmers had to leave part of the harvest for widows, orphans, and immigrants to glean for themselves. Prophets called out businessmen who cheated with unbalanced scales in the marketplace. Moses warned the people that if they became wealthy “Do not say to yourself, ‘My power and the might of my own hand have gotten me this wealth. But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth”