St. James the Greater

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Friday, 25 July 2025 : Feast of St. James, Apostle (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Church celebrates together the occasion of the Feast of St. James the Apostle, one of the Twelve Apostles and one of the three who were always brought by the Lord to His important events and works, together with his brother, St. John the Apostle, and with St. Peter the Apostle. This St. James is also known as St. James the Greater and must not be confused with other St. James, such as St. James the Lesser or St. James, son of Alphaeus, or with St. James, the first Bishop of Jerusalem who was also associated with the Lord as one of His brothers, likely one of the sons of St. Joseph from prior marriage. St. James the Apostle that we celebrate today is St. James, son of Zebedee, the elder brother of St. John the Apostle.

Let us all now first look upon our Scripture passages today, beginning with our first reading today, where we heard of the account from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Church and the faithful people of God in the region of Corinth where the Apostle spoke of the hope that each and every one of the faithful and holy people of God ought to have with them, trusting in the Lord and in His Providence so that all of us who believe in Him will not lose faith in Him and will not lose hope, knowing that in the Lord there is always hope and renewal, consolation and true happiness that no one and nothing else can provide to us. The Lord will always be with His people that while they may have to encounter sufferings and challenges in life, trials and difficulties, and all sorts of obstacles but those things will not crush them or utterly defeat them as long as the Lord is by their side.

And God is also ever always faithful to the Covenant which He had made with all of us, His beloved ones, all the promises and reassurances that He has provided to us. He has never been wrong in all the things that He has said, He was never fickle or untrustworthy, He is always ever loyal even when we ourselves have been disobedient, disloyal and untrustworthy. God is always ever consistent in loving us, and He chose to willingly bear the burden of that Cross as the ultimate proof of His consistency and love, His faithfulness to the Covenant He made with us, and why we too should trust in God and in His Providence, that through our genuine and strong faith in all that God provides us, we will always remain truly attuned to Him, not being easily swayed by all sorts of temptations and presents around us.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the moment when St. James and St. John together with their mother came before the Lord and asked Him for a special favour, for the two of them to be granted a seat by the Lord’s left and right in His Kingdom. This reflects the general and common understanding of the role of the Messiah or the Saviour promised by God at that time. At that time, many among the Jewish people, the descendants of the Israelites, the chosen people of God, thought that the Messiah would come into their midst as the mighty Heir of David, a conquering King that would lead all the people of God in a great war of liberation and crusade, freeing themselves from their Roman overlords adn then restoring the Kingdom of Israel as how it was in the days of David and Solomon.

That was why both St. James and St. John, when they went with their mother to ask for favour and position in Christ’s Kingdom, they were in fact referring to this earthly and worldly kingdom that many fellow Jewish people had been looking forward to. And as two among the three disciples that the Lord had always brought with Him on His important events and works, they had a good chance to gain special favours ahead of those other disciples, and becoming the trusted right hand men of the King. But they were still thinking in worldly terms, in worldly ambitions and glory, and all the pursuits of worldly power that were actually fleeting in nature. And that was why the Lord Jesus told them that things actually did not work in the manner that they had visualised or understood it, and being His followers is not about worldly glory and greatness, but faith and trust in Him, and readiness to share in the sufferings of the Lord.

Now, let us all examine the Apostolic ministry of St. James the Apostle after he and the other Apostles had been commissioned, entrusted and sent forth by the Lord to evangelise and spread His Good News, truth and salvation to all the people of all the nations. St. James, according to Apostolic traditions and hagiographies, went to the region of Hispania, the present day parts of Spain and Portugal, a region that at the time of the Lord was a rather distant place, being at the two extreme ends of the Roman Empire as compared to Judea and Jerusalem. Yet, despite the great distance and the challenges that he might have faced and encountered, that did not deter St. James from doing his best in his ministry and work of evangelisation.

He preached the Good News to the people of the region of Hispania, planting the seeds of the faith in that area, and in the miraculous occasion of Our Lady of the Pillar, it was told that when his evangelisation works encountered great obstacles and he was demoralised, at the banks of the River Ebro in Hispania, St. James encountered a vision of Mary, the Blessed Mother of God, who likely then still alive, appearing before him surrounded by a mighty host of a thousand Angels of God, and encouraging him, while at the same time also calling on him to return to Jerusalem where his presence was needed. That is why, brothers and sisters in Christ, while the famous tomb and shrine of St. James is located at Santiago de Compostela in northern Spain, the place of his ministry, but he was martyred in Jerusalem in Judea as recorded in the Acts of the Apostles.

It was in Jerusalem that he was arrested with the other Apostles and under the order from King Herod Agrippa I, the then king of Judea, Samaria and Idumea, he was beheaded, which the king did in order to please and satisfy the Jewish leaders, the members of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish High Council. That was how this faithful Apostle and great servant of God met the end of his life, in service to God and in great courage in carrying out the commands of the Lord. And as we can see, he did indeed drink of the cup of suffering that the Lord Himself had drunk, dying in martyrdom for his faith. His true glory and joy came not with the glory of the world that he and his brother had once sought, but through true faith and dedication to their Lord and Saviour.

Let us all continue to be inspired by the examples and faith of St. James the Apostle, and let us all do our very best so that in our own lives, in each and every one of our own actions, we will continue to be faithful to God, be committed to Him in all things, and strive to glorify Him by our every lives and every things we have, in our every actions, words and deeds. May all of our efforts, good endeavours and works continue to inspire everyone around us, and that we may be good and worthy beacons of God’s light and truth, His Good News and love, to all those whom we encounter daily in life. May God be with us always, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Friday, 25 July 2025 : Feast of St. James, Apostle (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Matthew 20 : 20-28

At that time, the mother of James and John came to Jesus with her sons, and she knelt down, to ask a favour. Jesus said to her, “What do you want?” And she answered, “Here, You have my two sons. Grant, that they may sit, one at Your right hand and one at Your left, in Your kingdom.”

Jesus said to the brothers, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I am about to drink?” They answered, “We can.” Jesus replied, “You will indeed drink My cup; but to sit at My right or at My left is not for Me to grant. That will be for those, for whom My Father has prepared it.”

The other then heard all this, and were angry with the two brothers. Then Jesus called them to Him and said, “You know, that the rulers of nations behave like tyrants, and the powerful oppress them. It shall not be so among you : whoever wants to be great in your community, let him minister to the community. And if you want to be the first of all, make yourself the servant of all. Be like the Son of Man, Who came not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life to redeem many.”

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Friday, 25 July 2025 : Feast of St. James, Apostle (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Psalm 125 : 1-2ab, 2cd-3, 4-5, 6

When YHVH brought the exiles back to Zion, we were like those moving in a dream. Then, our mouths were filled with laughter, and our tongues with songs of joy.

Among the nations it was said, “YHVH has done great things for them.” YHVH had done great things for us, and we were glad indeed.

Bring back our exiles, o YHVH, like fresh streams in the desert. Those who sow in tears will reap with songs and shouts of joy.

They went forth weeping, bearing the seeds for sowing, they will come home with joyful shouts, bringing their harvested sheaves.

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Friday, 25 July 2025 : Feast of St. James, Apostle (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

2 Corinthians 4 : 7-15

However, we carry this treasure in vessels of clay, so that this all-surpassing power may not be seen as ours, but as God’s. Trials of every sort come to us, but we are not discouraged. We are left without answer, but do not despair; persecuted but not abandoned, knocked down but not crushed.

At any moment, we carry, in our person, the death of Jesus, so, that, the life of Jesus may also be manifested in us. For we, the living, are given up continually to death, for the sake of Jesus, so, that, the life of Jesus may appear in our mortal existence. And as death is at work in us, life comes to you.

We have received the same Spirit of faith referred to in Scripture, that says : I believed and so I spoke. We also believed, and so we speak. We know that He, Who raised the Lord Jesus, will also raise us, with Jesus, and bring us, with you, into His presence. Finally, everything is for your good, so that grace will come more abundantly upon you, and great will be the thanksgiving for the glory of God.

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Thursday, 25 July 2024 : Feast of St. James, Apostle (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we are celebrating the Feast of one of the Twelve Apostles of Our Lord, namely that of St. James the Apostle, also known as St. James the Greater, the brother of St. John the Apostle and Evangelist. St. James was the son of Zebedee, a fisherman who worked and lived by the Lake of Galilee, and consequently, St. James and St. John themselves were fishermen at that same place. It was one of the days of his work when the Lord came to the place where St. James and the other fishermen performed their work, that St. John the Apostle, his younger brother, which Apostolic tradition showed us as a follower of St. John the Baptist, introduced the Lord Jesus, recently baptised by the former. It was at that occasion that the Lord called His first disciples from among those simple fishermen, namely the brothers St. Peter and St. Andrew, as well as St. James himself and St. John.

St. James became one of the Twelve members of the Lord’s inner circle, and among these twelve, He was one of the three that the Lord often brought with Him on various important events during His ministry, together with St. Peter, the one whom the Lord would appoint as the leader and chief of all the Apostles and disciples, as well as his own younger brother, St. John. St. James was there in various events such as the Transfiguration at Mount Tabor, the resurrection of the daughter of Jairus the synagogue official, the moment when the Lord went to the Gardens of Gethsemane prior to His Passion, and many others. St. James and the other two members of the Apostles mentioned were indeed very close confidants of the Lord and witnessed all those important events themselves. After the Lord rose from the dead and ascended into Heaven, St. James went on to serve the Lord faithfully as one of His Apostles, proclaiming the Good News in distant places and around the Holy Land alike.

According to the Apostolic traditions, St. James was involved in ministries in the lands of Israel earlier on in his works, and then, he took up a distant missionary journey and work in Hispania, in what is today parts of Spain and Portugal, on the opposite side of the Mediterranean Sea. St. James went to the region of northern Spain, at the area of Galicia where it was told that he carried out his mission in proclaiming the Word of God and His Good News to the local populace. It is the area where St. James would later on be buried after his martyrdom, where now stands the great Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, the main and most famous shrine dedicated to St. James in the world. He also encountered a vision of the Blessed Virgin, Mary, Mother of God as he was carrying out his mission in that region, an apparition known later as Our Lady of the Pillar.

St. James would eventually return back to the Holy Land, and faced persecution from the local Jewish people and leaders, who opposed the Christian missionaries and works, and as recorded in the Acts of the Apostles, it was told that St. James was arrested and imprisoned by King Herod Agrippa, the Herodian King of Galilee, who then killed St. James by beheading to satisfy and appease the Jewish leaders and community. Thus, St. James would be the first of the Holy Apostles of the Lord to be martyred and die, giving up his life in the defence of his faith. It is interesting then to take note how on the other hand, St. John the Apostle and Evangelist, his younger brother, was the only one who was not martyred and lived the longest among the Apostles.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful in the city and region of Corinth in which the Apostle spoke of the challenges and hardships that the faithful and holy people of God would be facing amidst their lives and journeys of faith, their works and missions. Essentially St. Paul was also speaking of his own experiences, and what the other Apostles like that of St. James had also faced amidst their own ministries, works and missions, and what we ourselves as Christians may have also experienced throughout our own lives, and what we may yet encounter in our own paths. But at the same time, St. Paul also reminded us all that we have this most precious treasure in us, that is the gift of salvation through Christ, as God Himself has come to dwell in our midst.

This is an important reminder that amidst all the challenges that we may be facing in our respective lives, we must not lose faith in God, and we ought to continue to persevere in faith, in all the things that we say and do, in our every efforts to commit ourselves to the Lord. All of us must always keep our focus firmly aimed at the Lord, and not to allow ourselves to be swayed by the many temptations present around us, or by the persuasions to give in to despair and thus abandon the Lord, our God, because we seek to save ourselves and to avoid the sufferings and persecutions. That is why as Christians we should always strive to be inspired by the examples of the saints, the holy men and women of God, especially that of St. James the Apostle, whose memory and inspiration we remember and venerate today.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we listened to the Gospel according to St. Matthew where the account of the Lord telling His two disciples, the two sons of Zebedee, namely St. James himself and his brother St. John of the reality of being a disciple of His. At that time, as we heard from the Gospel passage, the mother of St. James and St. John came up to the Lord to ask from Him a special favour for her two sons. As mentioned earlier on, the Lord had already brought both of them and St. Peter to witness important events in His ministry and works, and they were likely seen as the favourites of the Lord. This led to the other disciples being jealous of the two of them, and bickered and grumbled about what they and their mother were trying to do.

The Lord therefore put an end to their bickering by telling them that to be His disciples and followers, then they had to embrace the path of Christian service, to be serving one another and to be humble rather than to seek vainglory and ambition. For the Lord Himself has shown with perfect example through His obedience and humility, in coming to us to show us the perfect love of God manifested in His Son. He would Himself also face great sufferings and persecutions just like what His disciples and followers would face. This cup of suffering which He received and drank, is truly the Cup of His Most Precious Blood, shed from His broken Body on the Cross. As Christians, all of us are reminded therefore that we must share in Christ’s sufferings just as we will also share eventually in the fullness of His glory and grace.

Let us all therefore remind ourselves and one another that each and every one of us are the ones to continue the great works which the Lord Himself has begun and entrusted to His Apostles. We should always strive to follow in the footsteps of the Apostles, of St. James the Apostle and the others, and the many other holy men and women who had followed them as well, as have become an equally great source of inspiration for us all. Each and every one of us as Christians should always be exemplary in the conduct of our whole lives and actions, in our every words, actions and deeds, and in our every interactions with one another so that we may truly be worthy and holy disciples, role models and examples for our fellow brethren all around us.

May the Lord continue to bless us all and be with us, and may He continue to strengthen and empower each and every one of us so that by our exemplary lives and actions, and ever inspired by the wonderful examples of His saints, especially that of St. James the Apostle, we will continue to live a truly good and faithful Christian living, now and always, forevermore. Amen.

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Thursday, 25 July 2024 : Feast of St. James, Apostle (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Matthew 20 : 20-28

At that time, the mother of James and John came to Jesus with her sons, and she knelt down, to ask a favour. Jesus said to her, “What do you want?” And she answered, “Here, You have my two sons. Grant, that they may sit, one at Your right hand and one at Your left, in Your kingdom.”

Jesus said to the brothers, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I am about to drink?” They answered, “We can.” Jesus replied, “You will indeed drink My cup; but to sit at My right or at My left is not for Me to grant. That will be for those, for whom My Father has prepared it.”

The other then heard all this, and were angry with the two brothers. Then Jesus called them to Him and said, “You know, that the rulers of nations behave like tyrants, and the powerful oppress them. It shall not be so among you : whoever wants to be great in your community, let him minister to the community. And if you want to be the first of all, make yourself the servant of all. Be like the Son of Man, Who came not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life to redeem many.”

by

Thursday, 25 July 2024 : Feast of St. James, Apostle (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Psalm 125 : 1-2ab, 2cd-3, 4-5, 6

When YHVH brought the exiles back to Zion, we were like those moving in a dream. Then, our mouths were filled with laughter, and our tongues with songs of joy.

Among the nations it was said, “YHVH has done great things for them.” YHVH had done great things for us, and we were glad indeed.

Bring back our exiles, o YHVH, like fresh streams in the desert. Those who sow in tears will reap with songs and shouts of joy.

They went forth weeping, bearing the seeds for sowing, they will come home with joyful shouts, bringing their harvested sheaves.

by

Thursday, 25 July 2024 : Feast of St. James, Apostle (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

2 Corinthians 4 : 7-15

However, we carry this treasure in vessels of clay, so that this all-surpassing power may not be seen as ours, but as God’s. Trials of every sort come to us, but we are not discouraged. We are left without answer, but do not despair; persecuted but not abandoned, knocked down but not crushed.

At any moment, we carry, in our person, the death of Jesus, so, that, the life of Jesus may also be manifested in us. For we, the living, are given up continually to death, for the sake of Jesus, so, that, the life of Jesus may appear in our mortal existence. And as death is at work in us, life comes to you.

We have received the same Spirit of faith referred to in Scripture, that says : I believed and so I spoke. We also believed, and so we speak. We know that He, Who raised the Lord Jesus, will also raise us, with Jesus, and bring us, with you, into His presence. Finally, everything is for your good, so that grace will come more abundantly upon you, and great will be the thanksgiving for the glory of God.

by

Tuesday, 25 July 2023 : Feast of St. James, Apostle (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Church celebrates the Feast of one of the Lord’s great Twelve Apostles, namely St. James the Greater, the elder brother of St. John the Apostle and Evangelist, and one of the sons of Zebedee who followed the Lord Jesus since the very beginning of His ministry. St. James was also one of the closest among all of the Lord’s disciples, part of the three disciples that the Lord often brought with Him in important occasions, together with St. Peter, the leader and chief of all the Apostles, and St. John himself, St. James’ younger brother. All the three of them were present at every major occasions in the Lord’s ministry, such as at the Transfiguration of the Lord, the healing and the resurrection of the daughter of Jairus, the synagogue official, as well as the moment of the Lord’s agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, among others.

And as compared with St. John the Apostle, his brother, St. James was also notable as being likely the first among the Apostles to die of martyrdom, as recorded in the Acts of the Apostles, with Apostolic and Church traditions placing his martyrdom just a decade or so from the time of the Lord’s death and Resurrection. On the other hand, St. John was the last of all the Apostles to pass away, and the only one among all of them who did not die of martyrdom, although he did suffer a lot of persecution, sufferings and oppressions throughout his many years of life. Nonetheless, both brothers have followed the Lord faithfully and with great dedication to the very end, enduring many challenges and hardships, struggles and difficulties throughout their ministry, and they did all that they could to proclaim the Good News of God.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the same two brothers St. James and St. John, who came together with their mother, and at that time, their mother asked the Lord to grant the two of them the places of honour by the left and the right hand side of the Lord. As we heard, this action brought about a lot of insecurities and jealousy from the other disciples of the Lord, and it highlighted to us the dangers of temptations of worldly power and glory, and one which we should resist or else we may end up falling into the wrong paths in life, and not the path that the Lord has shown us. Then, we must understand the context that at that time, many of the people living at the moment of the Lord’s work and ministry thought that the Messiah, that is the Saviour to be sent by God, would be a great conquering King and Ruler, born of the House of David so that the Kingdom of Israel of old can be restored.

That was why among many of the disciples of the Lord, there might have been many who hoped that the Lord Jesus, Whom they considered as the Messiah, would be the One to bring back the glorious days of the Kingdom of Israel, and liberate them all from the hands of their foreign oppressors and rulers, the Romans as well as the foreign rule of the Idumaean Herodian kings. Therefore, when the mother of St. James and St. John made such a request, and the displeasures and jealousy of the other disciples at that time, were all borne out of the misguided ideas and misunderstandings regarding what the Lord’s mission truly was, and what His disciples and followers would have to go through and experience in the midst of their own ministries and works. Thus, the Lord told the two brothers, St. James and St. John, that it was not for Him to decide Who should sit on His left and right, and if they would be able to drink of the cup of suffering that He Himself was about to drink.

Through this, the Lord Himself wanted to reveal the kind of hardships and sufferings, challenges and trials that St. James and St. John and also all the other Apostles and disciples of His, may have to undergo and endure in the midst of their ministries and works. St. James himself eventually was to go on his missionary works and trips, proclaiming the Good News to the far ends of the world, most well-known of which is in the region of Hispania, in what is now parts of Spain, where he proclaimed the Lord and His Good News to many of the people there, and to whom Our Lady herself, Mary, the Mother of God, appeared to in order to encourage and strengthen him, in the apparition known now as Our Lady of the Pillar. St. James’ ministry is the reason why his greatest shrine is now located at the place of his former ministry, in what is now known as Santiago de Compostela, named after the Apostle himself.

St. James eventually would be martyred after that in Jerusalem, as we heard in the Acts of the Apostles, when king Herod Agrippa who wanted to gain favour with the Jewish leaders and elders, persecuted the Christians and their leaders, arrested St. James and then executed him. He was thus likely the first of the Apostles to die in martyrdom, and many of the other Apostles would also suffer and die in the subsequent years and decades. Nonetheless, their faith and commitment to God remained firm and strong even throughout those difficult years, and that faith is something that all of us as Christians should also be inspired with, and be strengthened from. And we have also been constantly reminded that the works of the Lord which He had begun and entrusted to His Apostles like St. James and others, have not yet been completed, and there are still many areas and circumstances where we are called to be like the Apostles in proclaiming the truth of God, His Good News and salvation.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore be strengthened by the examples and dedication shown by St. James the Apostle, all his work and ministry, and in his courage to spread the word of God and the faith, and in having indeed drunk of the cup of suffering and martyrdom that the Lord Himself had drunk from. Let us all be genuine and committed disciples of the Lord ourselves and let us all seek to do what the Lord had called us to do, and be ever more faithful to Him in all of our ways. Let us all be exemplary and good in our every words, actions and deeds, in our every interactions and relationships with one another. We are all parts of the Church and its mission to evangelise and to proclaim God’s truth, salvation and Good News to all the whole world, and each one of us have to commit ourselves to this mission in whichever areas and parts that we are able to contribute in.

May the Lord continue to strengthen and guide each one of us, and may the intercession of St. James, His Apostle continue to help us in our journey, and empower us all should we face many challenges and trials throughout our journey of faith and life. May God bless us all and may He bless our every works and good deeds, efforts and endeavours, now and always. Amen.

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Tuesday, 25 July 2023 : Feast of St. James, Apostle (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Matthew 20 : 20-28

At that time, the mother of James and John came to Jesus with her sons, and she knelt down, to ask a favour. Jesus said to her, “What do you want?” And she answered, “Here, You have my two sons. Grant, that they may sit, one at Your right hand and one at Your left, in Your kingdom.”

Jesus said to the brothers, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I am about to drink?” They answered, “We can.” Jesus replied, “You will indeed drink My cup; but to sit at My right or at My left is not for Me to grant. That will be for those, for whom My Father has prepared it.”

The other then heard all this, and were angry with the two brothers. Then Jesus called them to Him and said, “You know, that the rulers of nations behave like tyrants, and the powerful oppress them. It shall not be so among you : whoever wants to be great in your community, let him minister to the community. And if you want to be the first of all, make yourself the servant of all. Be like the Son of Man, Who came not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life to redeem many.”