St. James the Greater

Earlier this week, the Church celebrated the feast of St. James the Greater. He is called “Greater” because there are two James amongst the Twelve Apostles and James the “Greater” was in the “inner circle” with Peter and John. 

As with many of the Apostles, his growth as an Apostle is worth reflecting on. We see this growth marked by two stories. The first is from the Gospel, when while arriving at a Samaritan village, Jesus and the Twelve were turned away by the residents. Upon hearing this, James responded by asking Jesus to call down fire on the village in retribution for the insult. Compare this to the end of his life. As James was put on trial by Herod Agrippa, his bold and fearless profession of Jesus led his executioner to move alongside James and profess faith in Jesus right then and there. As they were led away, James had not only already forgiven the executioner but even embraced him as a brother in Christ.

This shows the transforming power of God’s grace. God was able to take someone with quite a temper and make him an image of mercy. He was able to take a fisherman and make him into an Apostle. He was able to take a man who sought a seat of honor for himself and transform him into a martyr willing to lay down his own life for Christ. If we allow God to work in our hearts and our lives, He can truly work wonders.