The Feast of St. James the Apostle, July 25, 2020

Matthew 20:20-28

The mother of the sons of Zebedee approached Jesus with her sons and did him homage, wishing to ask him for something. He said to her, “What do you wish?” She answered him, “Command that these two sons of mine sit, one at your right and the other at your left, in your Kingdom.” Jesus said in reply, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?” They said to him, “We can.” He replied, “My chalice you will indeed drink, but to sit at my right and at my left, this is not mine to give but is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.” When the ten heard this, they became indignant at the two brothers. But Jesus summoned them and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and the great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave. Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Today we celebrate the Feast of St. James, the son of Zebedee and the brother of St. John.  He is called “the greater”, perhaps because of his age, distinguishing from the St. James who became the bishop of Jerusalem and who lived until nearly the time of the Jewish Revolt.  St. James the Greater is mentioned several times in the Gospels, usually in conjunction with his brother John.  He and John and Peter shared a special intimacy with the Lord, who invited them to places apart from the other nine.  James would seem to have been a young man at the time our Lord called him to follow him, since his father and mother were very much alive at the time.  He also would seem to have preceded John in age since he is always mentioned as first of the pair.  We have an indication of his temperament in that Jesus referred to the two brothers as “the sons of thunder” (cf. Mark 3, 17), and when he and John wished to call down fire from heaven on a town that would not receive them (cf. Luke 9, 54).  He was the first of the Apostles to die, beheaded by Herod, in about the year 44.  This indicates their zeal — even rashness — for the Lord.  Peter manifests a similar zeal, so perhaps this is why these three were chosen by our Lord for events such as the Transfiguration and to keep him company during his Agony in the Garden before his arrest.  He was the first of the Apostles to receive martyrdom, as he was beheaded by Herod Agrippa in the year 44.  There is a tradition, though not an ancient one, that St. James preached the Gospel in Spain before returning to Jerusalem, where his martyrdom took place.  His relics are said to rest in Compostela, Spain, an important destination of pilgrimages from the Middle Ages onwards.

In the Gospel reading for his feast, his and John’s mother, whom many scholars identify as Mary of Cleophas, approaches Jesus and desires him to bestow high rank on her sons, “one at your right and the other at your left, in your Kingdom.”  That is, she wants them to be his chief lieutenants, with one of them possibly becoming his successor “in his kingdom”.  However, she mistakes the nature of the Lord’s kingdom for a re-establishment of an independent kingdom of Israel.  The Lord indicates this, telling her, “You do not know what you are asking,” which is frequently the case when we pray for some outcome or other.  The Lord then addressed the two brothers, asking them, “Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?”  The brothers almost certainly have little idea what Jesus is asking them, although they may understand the “chalice” means “battle” of some kind.  Nevertheless, they say, without hesitation, they can.  Then the Lord assures them that they will indeed drink the chalice that he drinks.  We can understand this “chalice” as the persecution and Death that the Lord endured, or more broadly as a commitment to do the will of the Father, no matter what the cost.  We “drink” this chalice when we are baptized, confirmed, and whenever we receive Holy Communion.  It can also mean living the life and dying the death the Father has chosen for us.

At the same time, what they are asking for is not the Son’s to grant, but is reserved for the Father.  That is, it is reserved for those who live in accord with the Father’s will.  To claim a seat in the court of heaven before living a holy life is mere presumption.  It is only after a saint’s death that he hears the words, “Come up higher” at the heavenly banquet (Luke 14, 10).

Naturally, the ten other Apostles took umbrage at this brazen attempt to gain power.  Their might have occurred a permanent rift between the Apostles right here, but the Lord Jesus explains the difference between what he will give them — authority — versus what civil or other religious rulers possess — power.  The point of authority, particularly Within the Church, is that of service: “Whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave.”  But this is not an abject slavery, rather, an imitation of the Lord’s own service: “Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”  

St. James did indeed drink the chalice of the Lord, preaching the Gospel and offering Sacrifice of the Mass until his martyrdom.  And now he sits with God.

We also celebrate the feast of St. Christopher, the patron saint of travelers, who was martyred in Asia Minor during the persecutions.