Subj : July 25th - Saint James the Greater, Apostle To : All From : rich Date : Fri Jul 24 2020 10:19:43 From: rich July 25th - Saint James the Greater, Apostle SONS of thunder" was the name our Lord gave the brothers James and John. They were Galileans, typical of those energetic, religious, quick-tempered people. When the people of a Samaritan village refused to allow Jesus and His disciples to pass through, the brothers did not hesitate to suggest calling down fire from heaven to consume the town. Their ideals were not always purely spiritual. Their mother, Salome, very seriously asked our Lord to give her sons the first places in His kingdom. If they had faults, however, they were those of impetuosity, never mediocrity. They had a tremendous capacity for love, and their gentle Master was patient in teaching them the road to humility. Even when they joined their mother in expressing a desire to sit at His right and left side, our Lord turned their desire for glory into proper paths. He told them that they did not understand what they requested, and asked if they were able to drink of His cup of suffering. They answered typically, without hesitation, "We can," and did not dream that their hopes for a glorious Messiah would be dashed away in the terrible tragedy to come, and that their own destiny was to be one of pain and struggle. Nor did Christ forget His promise. James the Greater was the first of the apostles to suffer martyrdom when Herod Agrippa killed him about the year 44., and John, though he did not die a martyr, was tormented by the pagans for his faith. They were the sons of Zebedee and Salome. Along with Peter and his brother Andrew, they worked as fishermen for their father. It was a prosperous business, but once they fished all night and caught nothing. They had met Christ before, had been present at His baptism by Saint John the Baptist. They believed in Him and traveled with Him from time to time. Thus they were not surprised that morning when He came and asked about their fishing. Nor did they hesitate when Christ told them to put the nets down once more. Peter and Andrew pulled up so many fish that the nets were breaking, and they called James and John to help them. From that day forward, they left boats and nets, family and friends, and followed Jesus. The three apostles Peter, James, and John were always mentioned first among the apostles. if they needed to be rebuked most often, they were also the closest to Christ. They alone were admitted to be witnesses of His glorious Transfiguration, and they alone were taken to the innermost recesses of Gethsemani on the night of agony at the beginning of His Passion. Saint James is called "the Greater" to distinguish him from another apostle, James the Less, who was much younger than he, or perhaps smaller in stature. James and his younger brother, the beloved apostle John, had been chosen by Christ at the beginning of His public life, had traveled up and down Palestine with Him. With the other apostles they received the command to teach all nations and at Pentecost received the Spirit, whom Christ had promised to send. To John was entrusted the care of Mary, and with Peter he was a leader of the little Christian community. Of James nothing is recorded after Pentecost, but with the other apostles he undoubtedly preached throughout Palestine. He was prominent enough to serve Herod Agrippa as the means of showing his favor to the Jews; he condemned James to death for openly proclaiming Jesus Christ to be God, hoping to appease the fanatical Jews who were plotting insurrection. Though his voice was heard by but a handful of disciples before his death, James fully earned the name of Son of Thunder. In his martyrdom his voice became a thunderclap. His shrine at Compostella, Spain, attracted pilgrims from all of Western Europe. The body of this patron of Spain is said to have been transferred to Compostella in the Middle Ages, and this belief is supported by a Bull of Pope Leo XIII (1884). It may have taken James some time to understand the cup which his Master offered him, but once he understood, he accepted and drank of it deeply. This Version taken from: http://www.geocities.com/barats2000/JulyFeast.html Saint Quote: When I am before the Blessed Sacrament I feel such a lively faith that I can't describe it. Christ in the Eucharist is almost tangible to me...When it is time for me to leave, I have to tear myself away from His sacred presence. -- Saint Anthony Mary Claret Saint Anthony Mary Claret's patronage:Catholic press; Claretians; Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary; weavers; Textile merchants; savings; Dioceses of the Canary Islands; Claretian students; Claretian educators; Claretian educational institutions; and technical and vocational educators. Bible Quote: But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. For not he who commendeth himself, is approved, but he, whom God commendeth. =C2 (2 Cor. 10:17-18) <><><><> Canticle Colossians 1 Christ, firstborn of all creatures and firstborn from the dead Let us give thanks to God the Father, who has made us worthy =C2 to share in the light that is the saints' inheritance. He has rescued us from the power of the shadows and brought =C2 us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption and the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation, for in him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, thrones and dominations, principalities and powers. All things were created through him and for him: he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the Church. He is the beginning, the first-born from the dead, and so he is pre-eminent above all. For it was the Father's will that the fullness of God should dwell in him, And that through him all things should be reconciled to himself. Through the blood of the Cross he brought peace to all things, both on Earth and in the heavens. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, =C2 as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, =C2 world without end. Amen. --- NewsGate v1.0 gamma 2 * Origin: News Gate @ Net396 -Huntsville, AL - USA (1:396/4) .