Apostle and Evangelist
Feast day July 25th
James was the son of Zebedee and Salome (who was the daughter of a priest, and may have been a sister of the Blessed Virgin Mary). He was the older brother of John, "the beloved disciple". James, John, and their father, Zebedee, lived in or near Bethsaida (perhaps in Capharnaum) and were fisherman on the Lake of Galilee.
James and his brother John were at first followers of John the Baptist (as were St. Andrew and his brother St. Peter). After John the Baptist called Jesus the "Lamb of God" all four began to follow Him, and answered Jesus' call to become "fishers of men".
St. James and his brother St. John were named "sons of thunder" by our Lord (Mark 3:17); because they were religious, hardy, industrious, brave, and the strongest defender of the Jewish nation. They were burning and impetuous in their evangelical zeal and severe in temper. The two brothers showed their fiery temperament against "a certain man casting out devils" in the name of the Christ. James forbade him from using Christ's name because he was not a follower. (Luke, ix, 49). When the Samaritans refused to receive Christ, James and John said: "Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them?" (Luke, ix, 54; cf. v. 49).
Peter, James, and John were the only three Apostles present at the miracle of the raising of Jairus's daughter (Mark, v, 37; Luke, viii, 51), at the Transfiguration (Mark, ix, 1; Matt., xvii, 1; Luke, ix, 28), and at the Agony in Gethsemani (Matt., xxvi, 37; Mark, xiv, 33). Jesus had Peter, James and John accompany him to a secluded area to pray (leaving the other Apostles behind). They watched as the Master's face became saddened with grief and drops of blood began to form on his brow.
Because of their close relationship, it's no wonder that James, along with John, felt that he had the right to go to Jesus and ask him to give them whatever they asked. As a mark of his love, Jesus didn't rebuke them but asked them what they wanted. They showed their lack of understanding of his mission when they asked that he let one of them sit on his right and the other on his left when he came into his glory. Jesus replied that they didn't know what they were asking. They didn't see the cross in his future, but an earthly throne. Could they drink of the cup he would drink of? They replied that they could. He assured them they would indeed drink of that cup. The other apostles were furious at their request. But Jesus used this opportunity to teach them all that in order to be great one must be a servant to others.
Many legends abound about James. In one, he brought back to life a boy who had been unjustly hanged, and had been dead for five weeks. The boy's father was notified of the miracle while he sat at supper. The father pronounced the story nonsense, and said his son was no more alive than the roasted fowl on the table; the cooked bird promptly sat up, sprouted feathers, and flew away.
Legend has it that when the Apostles divided the known world into missionary zones, the Iberian peninsula fell to James. James went on to preach the Gospel in Samaria and Judea, then traveled a great distance to Spain where he evangelized. In Zaragosa, Spain around 40 A.D. the Blessed Mother made her first recorded apparition, (before her Assumption), appearing to James in a vision as Our Lady of Pillar. Her purpose was to summon him back to Jerusalem where he was eventually put to death.
James won the crown of martyrdom in A.D. 44. Herod Agrippa I,son of Aristobulus, grandson of Herod the Great (who tried to kill the infant Jesus), nephew of Herod Antipas (who killed John the Baptist, and examined Jesus on Good Friday) reigned at that time. On the occasion of the Passover, Agrippa perpetrated cruelties upon the new Church, whose rapid growth incensed the Jews. The zealous temper of James, along with his leading role in creating the Jewish Christian communities, probably led Herod Agrippa to choose him as the first victim. "He killed James, the brother of John, with the sword." (Acts 12:1-2). According to legend, the accuser who led the Apostle to judgment, was moved by James' confession of faith, became a Christian and they were beheaded together.
His followers are believed to have carried his body down to the coast and put it into a stone boat, which was carried by angels and the wind beyond the Pillars of Hercules (the straits of Gibraltar), to land near Finisterre, at Padrón, on the Atlantic coast of northern Spain. He was buried a little way inland, and the site of his tomb was forgotten for some 800 years.
Early in the 9th century a hermit, Pelayo, was led by a vision to the spot. The tomb was rediscovered, and the relics authenticated as those of St. James by the local bishop. Spain at this period sorely needed a new champion to inspire Christians against the invading Moors. His work in Spain, and the housing of his relics there, led to his patronage of the country and all things Spanish. For centuries, the Spanish army rode to battle with the cry "Santiago!" ("Saint James!")
St. James is the patron saint of those who suffer from arthritis or rheumatism, and to pharmacists, veterinarians, blacksmiths, equestrians, knights, laborers, pilgrims, soldiers, Spanish conquistadors, and tanners. He's also patron for Spain, Nicaragua, Chile, and Guatemala.
Saint James is pictured in our window with a long staff and a scallop shell. The shell symbolized his occupation as a fisherman prior to his call by Jesus, and the walking staff is because he is the patron of pilgrims.