Saint James the Apostle, Saint of the day for July 25th

(d.44)

The story of San Giacomo Apostolo
This Giacomo is the brother of Giovanni Evangelista. The two were called by Jesus while working with their father on a fishing boat in the Sea of ​​Galilee. Jesus had already called another pair of brothers from a similar occupation: Peter and Andrew. “He walked a little further and saw James, the son of Zebedee and his brother John. They too were on a boat repairing their nets. Then he called them. Then they left Father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him "(Mark 1: 19-20).

James was one of the three favorites who had the privilege of witnessing the Transfiguration, the awakening of Jairus' daughter and the agony in Gethsemane.

Two episodes in the Gospels describe the temperament of this man and his brother. St. Matthew recounts that their mother came - Mark says it was the brothers themselves - to ask for honor seats in the kingdom. “Jesus replied in reply: 'You don't know what you're asking. Can you drink the cup I'm about to drink? They said to him, 'We can' ”(Matthew 20:22). Jesus then told them that they would indeed drink the cup and share his baptism of pain and death, but that sitting on his right or left was not his to give - it is “is for those for whom he was prepared by my Father. "(Matthew 20: 23b). It remained to be seen how long it would take to understand the implications of their confident "We can!"

The other disciples were outraged by the ambition of James and John. So Jesus taught them the whole lesson of humble service: the purpose of authority is to serve. They must not impose their will on others, or dominate it over them. This is the position of Jesus himself. He was the servant of all; the service that was imposed upon him was the supreme sacrifice of his own life.

On another occasion, James and John showed that the nickname that Jesus gave them - "children of thunder" - was appropriate. The Samaritans would not welcome Jesus because he was about to hate Jerusalem. "When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked: 'Lord, do you want us to call fire from heaven to consume them?' Jesus turned and rebuked them ... "(Luke 9: 54-55).

Apparently James was the first of the apostles to be martyred. “At that time, King Herod laid his hands on some members of the church to harm them. He had killed John's brother James with the sword and when he saw that this was pleasing to the Jews, he also proceeded to arrest Peter ”(Acts 12: 1-3a).

Reflection
The way the Gospels treat the apostles is a good reminder of what holiness is. There is very little in their virtues as static properties, which entitle them to heavenly reward. Rather, the great emphasis is on the Kingdom, on the fact that God gives them the power to proclaim the Good News. As for their personal life, there is much in the fact that Jesus purifies them of narrowness, meanness, volubility.