25 July, 16th Week in Ordinary Time,

Some Notes on St. James the Apostle:

1. He was the older brother of John, "the beloved disciple," sons of Zebedee and Salome (cf. Mt. 27:56; Mk. 15:40; 16:1). Zebedee was a fisherman of the Lake of Galilee and probably lived in or near Bethsaida (see Jn. 1:44) and had some hired men for his fishing work (see Mk. 1:20). Salome was one of the pious women who followed Christ and ministered to him out of their resources (cf. Mt. 27:55; Mk. 15:40; 16:1; Lk. 8:2; 23:55-24:1).

2. Some believe that Salome was a sister of the blessed Virgin Mary, and that her sons, James and John, were cousins of the Lord. On this basis, she requested the Lord to give her two sons first positions in the Kingdom of heaven (see Mt. 20:21). In Mk. 10:37, the two sons made the same request, saying that they were willing to drink the chalice that Jesus drinks and be baptized in his sufferings. Jesus assured them that they will share in his sufferings (Mk. 10:38-39). The family relationships remain doubtful.

3. James is styled "the Greater" to distinguish him from the Apostle James "the Less," who was probably younger and shorter of stature. The Zebedee sons earned the name "Boanerges," "Sons of Thunder," because they were impetuous and burning with evangelical zeal, as when they wanted to command fire from heaven to consume the Samaritans who had refused to receive Christ (Mk. 3:17), or when they got upset when they saw a man, who was not one of their group, casting out devils in the name of Christ (Lk. 9:49).

4. In the Gospel of John, when John the Baptist proclaimed the kingdom of the Messias, St. John became a disciple (Jn. 1:35). He was directed to the "Lamb of God," Jesus. Afterwards, he brought his older brother, James, to the Messias. However, in the Synoptic Gospels, James and John, together with Simon (Peter) and his brother, Andrew, were all called by the Lord and "immediately left their nets" and their families to become "fishers of men" (see Mt. 4: 18-22; Mk. 1:19; Lk. 5:1-11).

5. St. James was afterwards called to the Apostleship (Mt. 10:1-4; Mk. 3:13-19; Lk. 6:12-16; Acts 1:13). In all 4 lists of Apostles, the names of Peter and Andrew, James and John form the 1st group, esp. Peter, James, and John. These 3 Apostles were admitted to be present at the raising of Jairus' daughter to life (Mk. 5:37; Lk. 8:51), at the Transfiguration (Mk. 9:1; Mt. 17:1; Lk. 9:28), and at the Agony in Gethsemani (Mt. 26:37; Mk. 14:33). Worthy of note is that St. James is never mentioned in the Gospel of John.

6. James was martyred by the sword (Acts 12:1-2) in AD 44, some 14 yrs after Jesus predicted that James would drink of his cup of suffering. He is the only Apostle whose martyrdom is recorded in the New Testament (Acts 12:2). He was the 1st Apostle to die. Herod Agrippa I, grandson of Herod the Great, was king of Judaea at that time and he perpetrated cruelties upon the Church whose rapid growth incensed the Jews. He picked James, as his 1st victim. James' accuser became himself a Christian and was beheaded with him. The martyred St. James is not to be confused with St. James, the leader of the Jerusalem community (see Acts 15:13-21), writer of the Letter attributed to James.

7. According to tradition, James preached the Gospel in Spain before returning to Judaea and becoming a martyr, and that his body was taken by boat to Galicia in northwestern Spain, and buried there. His tomb was purportedly discovered in the early 9th century in what is now called Santiago de Compostela. In the Middle Ages, his relics attracted Christian pilgrims from all over Europe. Santiago de Compostela eventually became one of the most famous places of pilgrimage in the world. In 1884, Pope Leo XIII issued a papal bull declaring that the relics at Santiago de Compostela were, indeed, those of St. James.

8. At the end of the 20th century the pilgrimage tradition to Santiago de Compostela became known as the Camino de Santiago (Way of St. James). It is a route traveled on foot from various starting points in France, Spain, and Portugal that all lead to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela.

9. A common representation of St. James during the Crusades (1095-1571), when Spain was a stronghold of Muslim Moorish rule, was that of Santiago Matamoros (St James the Moor-Slayer). He was depicted on horseback and brandishing a sword - iconography that inspired Christian nights in battle against the Moors. St James has also been depicted as a pilgrim.

10. Prayer -- Almighty ever-living God, you consecrated the first fruits of your Apostles by the blood of St. James. Grant, we pray, that your Church may be strengthened by his confession of faith and constantly sustained by his protection, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Prayers, best wishes, God bless!