Saint James, Apostle – Feast
Gospel – Matthew 20:20-28
Today we are celebrating the Feast of Apostle James, the brother of St. John. Both were fishermen. He was one of the witnesses of the Transfiguration and one of those who slept through most of the Agony in the Garden. He was the first of the apostles to be martyred, being beheaded by King Herod Agrippa I to please the opponents of Christianity. He was buried in Jerusalem. The question Jesus poses when the mother of the sons of Zebedee ( John & James) wanted her sons to sit one at his right hand and the other at his left hand is, “Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?”. What is the cup Jesus was going to drink? It’s the prize to love. It’s the cup of humiliation. It’s what costed Jesus to love us, His life, His last drop of blood. It’s the cup of being a slave like the Son of Man who came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. This is the being at the left or right of Jesus. Serve others without question or conditions, you are at the left hand or right hand of Jesus. Not for one time. But continuously, without conditions. Let’s reflect: How much can I be a servant of others so that I am be at the left or right of Jesus in His Kingdom?
Thursday 25 July
