+ Among the twelve Apostles, three were chosen as the familiar companions of Jesus, and of these James was
one. He alone, with Peter and John (the Evangelist, his brother), was admitted
to the house of Jarius when the dead maiden was raised to life. They alone were
taken up to the high mountain apart, and saw the face of Jesus shining as the
sun, and His garments white as snow; and these three alone witnessed the
fearful agony in Gethsemane.
What was it that won James a
place among the favorite three? It was faith: burning, impetuous, and
outspoken, but which needed purifying before the "Son of Thunder"
could proclaim the gospel of peace.
It was James who demanded fire from heaven to consume the inhospitable
Samaritans, and who sought the place of honor by Christ in His Kingdom. Yet Our
Lord, in rebuking his presumption, prophesied his faithfulness to death.
When St. James was brought
before King Herod Agrippa, his fearless confession of Jesus crucified so moved
the public prosecutor that he declared himself a Christian on the spot. And so
accused and accuser were hurried off together to execution, and on the road the
latter begged pardon of the Saint. The apostle had long since forgiven him, but
hesitated for a moment whether publicly to accept as a brother one still
unbaptized. God quickly recalled to him the Church's belief that the blood of martyrdom supplies for every
sacrament, and he embraced him with the words, "Peace be with
you!" Together then they knelt for the sword, and together received the
crown.
Remembering that we carry the
work of Christ and his Church in us as very human, earthly and fragile vessels
of our broken selves – we rely with St. James, and all the Apostles and
countless numbers of Christians since the very beginning that God will supply
our lack and our want and work through us – and that in the end we will receive
the exact reward that befits our humble, loyal and loving service to the King
of heaven and earth!
Those
who sow in tears shall reap rejoicing.
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