A conversation on what we can learn through the life and works of St. James
Sometimes we wonder how we succeed in overcoming obstacles and persecutions that ordinarily seem insurmountable. As Christians, we often find ourselves championing noble causes and waging battles that are far beyond our human strength. Knowing our human weakness, we are constrained to pause and ponder on what gives us such power. We find the answers in the lives of the saints, like that of St. James whose feast the Church celebrates today. The saints suffered for Christ in all things because they were conscious of a great treasure prepared for them together with the immense power and authority accompanying it. They were imbued with a vision that the apostle Paul speaks of in 1 Cor 2:9: “What no eye has seen, and no ear has heard, what the mind of man cannot visualize, all that God has prepared for those who love him.”
Life of St. James
James was a fisherman when Jesus called him and his brother John. Their father was Zebedee, and their mother is identified in the Gospels as Salome, one of the women very close to Jesus. A tradition has it that Salome was the sister of Mary, mother of Jesus (John 19:25; cf. Matt 27:56; Mark 15:40; 16:1). This could explain why the two disciples were so close to Jesus. They were among the first disciples called by Jesus, and together with Peter they were the three disciples closest to Jesus in very significant moments in the Gospel accounts. They were conventionally called the Apostles of the Inner Circle. James was also called James the Greater, to distinguish him from another Apostle called James who was the son of Alphaeus.
Significantly, James became the first of the Apostles to die as a martyr. His death by martyrdom seems to be prophesied in today’s Gospel from Matt 20:20-28 as their mother comes to Jesus to solicit political positions for her two sons, James and John. In the ensuing dialogue, Jesus lets the two brothers understand the conditions for occupying exalted positions in his kingdom. He alerts them of the cup that he is to drink, which actually means his suffering and death. In accepting these conditions, the two disciples, wittingly or unwittingly, sign their death warrants. But the great thing is that they are ready to be always at the side of Jesus, no matter what it means. James was so imbued with the love of Jesus that he was ready to face any obstacle in witnessing to him. According to tradition, he preached the gospel in Grenada, Spain, and upon return to Jerusalem, he was killed by King Herod Agrippa I (grandson of Herod the Great) to please the Jews who were very hostile to the emergent Christian group (Acts 12:1).
Courage to Witness to Christ in a Hostile World
The world in which James and his colleagues preached was one in which many powerful forces persecuted the Christian movement. Yet they were not deterred. They had an indomitable will and spirit to proclaim the message of Christ. What gave them such courage and strength? The first reading of today from 2 Cor 4:7-15 says it all. The power of God was mysteriously at work in them. This is why Paul declares with great enthusiasm: “But we hold this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us. We are afflicted in every way, but not constrained; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our body” (4:7-10). The beauty of this passage is that it exposes the frailty of the human nature to show that the ability to endure all forms of persecution and suffering does not come from human power but from God Himself.
The Empowering Power of God
It is the power of God that makes us powerful to minister and stand for Him in a hostile society. With such power around us and in us, we really have nothing to fear. The consciousness of the divine power working with us at every moment empowers us to continue to forge ahead despite the threats and challenges we face. The story of St. James teaches us that the power of God or His presence does not necessarily prevent us from suffering or from being persecuted or from facing misfortunes in our lives. Sometimes some people erroneously think that because they work for God, no evil or suffering will touch them. Rather, the power of God gives us the courage and inner force to face such sufferings and emerge triumphantly. May this divine power continue to guide and sustain us in all our struggles!
[Readings for Thursday, Week 16: Jer 1:1, 4-10; 2 Cor 4:7-15; Mt 20:20-28;
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