Feast of Saint James, apostle
(II Corinthians 4:7-15; Matthew 20:20-28)
A Scripture professor once joked that all the apostles were
martyrs ex officio. He might have
added “except John,” the brother of James in today’s gospel. Although historical
knowledge of most of the twelve is scant, there is New Testament testimony that
James did die by the sword. The Acts of
the Apostles records that King Herod had him brutally murdered.
Today’s first reading from St. Paul’s Second Letter to the
Corinthians testifies that the apostles suffered if not martyrdom, then
injury to body and spirit. Although Paul
was not of the original twelve, he likely had them in mind when he wrote, “For
we who live are constantly being given up to death for the sake of Jesus.” His
point, however, is not to praise martyrs but to call attention to the power of God. It is by no meaner inspiration than divine grace
that apostles surrendered their lives for Christ. Paul’s implication is that the Corinthians
and other followers of Christ have this same grace working within them.
Grace is moving us like the apostles to sacrifice our lives
and resources for Christ. In response to
his teaching we assist the poor, console the down trodden, and teach the
uneducated about God.
