Today, the Church celebrates the Feast day of Saint James, the son of Zebedee, one of the twelve Apostles. James was among the first four of the apostles to be called by Jesus (cf Mt 4:18-22).
The son of Zebedee and Salome, James - the focus of today's feast day - is referred to as the Greater to distinguish him from the Apostle James the Less. He was the brother of John, the beloved disciple, and probably the elder of the two.
His parents seem to have been people of means. Zebedee, his father, was a fisherman of the Sea of Galilee, who probably lived in or near Bethsaida, present Galilee, Israel, perhaps in Capernaum, and had some boatmen or hired men. Salome, his mother, was one of the pious women who afterwards followed Christ and ministered unto him of their substance, and his brother John was personally known to the high-priest, and must have had the wherewithal to provide for the Mother of Jesus.
Local tradition teaches that after Jesus' death and resurrection, James the Apostle preached the Word - a treasure beyond price that is carried in the fragile earthen vessels of our bodies (cf 2 Cor 4:7) - along the Iberian peninsula (in present-day Spain) and eventually made his way to Jerusalem. It is believed that on 2 January AD 40, the Virgin Mary appeared to James on the bank of the Ebro River at Caesaraugusta, while he was preaching in that region. She appeared upon a pillar, Nuestra Señora del Pilar, and that pillar is conservfieryed and venerated within the present Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar, in Zaragoza, Spain.
According to tradition, Saint James was the first of the apostles to be martyred (at the hands of Herod Agrippa, in Jerusalem, circa AD 44). His mortal remains are believed to be buried inside the Cathedral of Santiago (derived from the Latin original Sanctus Iacobus) at Compostella in Galacia (Spain) where they are venerated to this day.
Let us ask Saint James to pray with us today, so that we will be zealous for our faith and eager to share the good news of the gospel with those we encounter.
Have a great day.
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