St James, the son of Zebedee, belonged to the inner group of Jesus' apostles. He was the brother of St John and, like him, a fisherman. Along with John, he promptly left his occupation and his family in order to respond to Jesus' call to be fisher of men and women. James was one of the favoured three who had the privilege of witnessing the Transfiguration, the raising to life of the daughter of Jairus, and the agony in Gethsemani (but slept through most of the time). James and John were nicknamed by Jesus the “sons of thunder.” This was evidenced when the Samaritans would not welcome Jesus because he was on his way to hated Jerusalem. “When the disciples James and John saw this they asked, ‘Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?’ Jesus turned and rebuked them…” (Luke 9:54-55). But this incident also showed their closeness to their Master Jesus. James was the first of the apostles to be martyred, being beheaded by King Herod Agrippa I to please the Jewish opponents of Christianity in the year 44. He was buried in Jerusalem. This James, sometimes called James the Greater, is not to be confused with James the Lesser or with the author of the Letter of James and the leader of the Jerusalem community.
According to a tradition, the relics of St James were brought to Spain after his martyrdom, and his shrine at Compostela in Galicia grew in importance until it became the greatest pilgrimage centre in western Europe. In many countries there are churches of St James and well-known, well-trodden pilgrim routes. The scallop-shell, the emblem of St James, has become the emblem of pilgrims generally.
Today's gospel passage (Matthew 20:20-28) has the mother of James and John requesting Jesus, "Promise that these two sons of mine may sit one at your right hand and the other at your left in your kingdom." The other disciples became indignant at the ambition of James and John. Then Jesus taught them all the lesson of humble service: The purpose of authority is to serve. It is about authenticity, and also about sharing the cup of suffering that Jesus was to drink. They are not to impose their will on others, or lord it over them. This is the position of Jesus himself. He was the servant of all; the service imposed on him was the supreme sacrifice of his own life. The way the Gospels treat the apostles is a good reminder of what holiness is all about. There is very little about their virtues as static possessions, entitling them to heavenly reward. Rather, the great emphasis is on the kingdom, on Jesus giving them the power to proclaim the Good News. As far as their personal lives are concerned, there is much about the patience and wisdom of Jesus purifying them of narrowness, pettiness, and fickle-mindedness. Do we allow Jesus to transform us deeply? Are we ready to drink his cup?
No comments:
Post a Comment