We probably all know the story of St
James the Greater, that he and his brother John, the sons of Zebedee, were called
to be disciples of Christ while they were fishing with their father in the Sea
of Galilee. They both took up that call,
which could not have been an easy thing to do.
They are well-know for today’s Gospel, in which we hear their mother
ask if they can have the seats of honor next to Jesus in his kingdom – one at
his right, the other at his left. Jesus
responds that they have to be willing to drink from the chalice that he himself
will drink from, but that the Father is the one who will make that
decision. Jesus teaches the brothers
that service, not honor and glory, is the most important tribute that he wants
his disciples to have.
James and John were named the “sons of
thunder” by Jesus; we can only imagine the fiery and tempestuous nature of
their personalities. Yet, tradition
holds that James went to Spain in order to bring the Good News to the world
after Christ’s death and resurrection.
One would expect James to have a welcome reception in Spain, but the
opposite is the case – he was not very successful at all at that time in making
converts. He returned to Jerusalem,
defeated and rejected, where he met his fate in martyred, the first of the
apostles to be put to death. The twelfth
chapter of Acts tells us that Herod had James put to death by the sword.
Yet, even today, James draws thousands
upon thousands of believers ever more closer to their faith as they journey
across Spain as pilgrims on a journey.
One of the prisoners at the federal correctional facility here in Yazoo
City told me that he had read that it is very doubtful that James is buried in
northern Spain, according to the legend that has his body being transported
there after his death in Jerusalem. My
response is that what is most important is that James lives in the hearts of
those pilgrims who journey across Spain to where his spirit is so alive in the
Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela.
Just this weekend, I heard from a lady who I met through the American
Pilgrims website that 70 American pilgrims walked 12 miles from a church
dedicated to St James in Lake Forest, California to the historic Mission San
Juan Capistrano, well-known for the swallows who return to the mission on the
same day each year. To have so many
people following James ever closer to Jesus in a world that more often than not
mocks our Catholic faith and see us as the enemy is an amazing thing to
see. James and his pilgrimage to
Santiago de Compostela is pointing people all over the world to Jesus as they
walk across the mountains, as they endure sun and rain. Having made the pilgrimage twice myself, I am
proud to be a pilgrim. I am proud to
consider myself a friend of St James.
When I hugged his statue above the high altar in his cathedral, you cannot
imagine the emotion and prayers that swelled up in my heart.
Thank you, St James the Greater, for
your journey of faith and for the testimony that you still give the world so
many centuries after your martyr’s death.
You live in the hearts of so many today, and you enliven us with the
faith in our Beloved Lord Jesus Christ.
Thank you Father Lincoln - for introducing me to St. James.
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