Subj : July 25th - St. James the Greater To : All From : rich Date : Sat Jul 24 2021 10:33:03 From: rich July 25th - St. James the Greater St. James the Greater, Apostle, was the son of Zebedee and Salome, and brother of St. John the Evangelist. He was the first Apostle to receive the crown of martyrdom. Patron Saint of Spain, his name Santiago became a war cry in the fight against the Muslims. Anna Catherine Emmerich had a vision of St. James, which she described in this way: =E2=80=9CFrom Jerusalem, St. James went to Sicily and then to Spain, stoppi= ng in Cadiz for a while. He was not well received, and was saved from being murdered by an Angel. He left Spain to seven disciples. "Later he returned to Saragossa, where a large number of conversions took place. Even with this good result, the dangers abounded. Often the enemies would throw vipers on him, and he would calmly hold them in his hand without suffering any harm. In Granada he and all his disciples and the neophytes were put into prison. St. James implored the help of Our Lady, who lived in Jerusalem. By the hands of the Angels he was saved, and Our Lady commanded him to preach in Galicia. =E2=80=9CLater, I saw St. James in danger because of the persecution agains= t the faithful in Saragossa. I saw the Apostle praying at night with some disciples near the walls of the city. He was asking for enlightenment to know if he should stay in that region or go elsewhere. He directed his thoughts to Most Holy Mary and asked her to intercede with her Divine Son, Who could not deny her anything. =C2 =E2=80=9CSuddenly, I saw a heavenly splendor come over the Apostle. A= ngels, singing harmoniously, carried down a column of light whose base they set on the place in which a church should be built. The column was tall and elegantly narrow, ending in the shape of an open lily which sent sparks of light in many directions. One of them went to Compostela. In the splendor of the lily I saw the Most Holy Mary, transparent and white like snow, with a delicacy and beauty greater than silk. She was standing as she used to pray. Her hands were joined, and a long veil on her head fell to her feet, which lightly touched the lily that shone with five rays of light. This vision of Our Lady was the origin of the devotion to Our Lady of the Pillar. (Virgen del Pilar) =E2=80=9CWhile the vision was taking place St. James received a message interiorly that he should build a church on that site, and that the devotion to Our Lady would be established there, take root, and expand. The Holy Virgin told him that once the church was built, he should return to Jerusalem. Indeed, later, when the work was completed, the Apostle left it in charge of 12 disciples he had formed and left. =E2=80=9CIn Ephesus, he visited the Holy Virgin. Mary predicted his coming death, consoling and comforting him greatly. Then he said farewell to Our Lady and St. John, and left for Jerusalem. In that city he was taken by the Jews and brought to Mount Calvary. Along the way he continued to preach, converting and curing many. He was beheaded. Some time later, his body was brought to Spain.=E2=80=9D Comments of the late Prof. Plinio Corr=C3=AAa de Oliveira: (died 1995) This selection covers so many beautiful and edifying elements that it does not permit me to make a complete commentary here. An interesting note is to see in the lives of the Apostles and Saints, as well as in the life of Our Lord Jesus Christ, how God has marked an hour for everything. The enemies do all they can to kill the Apostle, but they are unable to do so. However, when the moment arrives that God has determined St. James should die, then nothing can save him. He is warned that he will die, and in fact, he becomes a martyr, his life is offered in a holocaust. This is exactly what happened with Our Lord. His life might have been taken many times before he was taken in the Garden of Olives. He crossed the paths of his enemies many times without a single scratch and without one of them able to succeed in an aggression against him. However, when His hour came according to the designs of Divine Providence, He delivered Himself to death. Any measure to save His life became futile. The same thing happened with St. James. He passed through all types of danger, and every attempt to kill him did not succeed. However, at a certain moment he received from Our Lady the warning that his life would end. She comforted him, and then he actually died. The design of Divine Providence was accomplished. The apparition to St. James in Spain is also very beautiful. There is a contrast in the column ending in the shape of a lily spreading light and fire. The lily is delicate, fresh and white like snow. The fire is orange or red, hot and burns everything. But here the lily is both snow-white and spreading fire. It has a flame that does not burn, but enlightens and imparts spiritual ardor. It would be an interesting work for a painter to imagine what color to use to express such a flame coming from this lily. The lily atop the elegant column is symbolic of the Christendom about to be born in Catholic Spain. The column was a support for a lily full of light and fervor--the virginal Heart of Mary--spreading flames in all directions since Spain would be a foundation for the devotion to Our Lady. Those flames set afire the sky all the way to Compostela, where the devotion to the Virgen del Pilar and St. James would flourish in the Middle Ages....Let us honor Our Lady for the glory she received from this great servant of hers, the Apostle St. James. http://www.traditioninaction.org/SOD/j222sd_JamesGreater_07_25.html Saint Quote: As there is not a moment in which man enjoys not the effects of God's goodness, so there ought not to be a moment but he should have God present in his thoughts. --St. Ambrose Bible Quote: But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory in Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a little, will himself perfect you and confirm you and establish you. =C2 (1Pe 5:10) DRB <><><><> St. James (self-centeredness) O Gentle Jesus, Saint James was one of Your first apostles, but he started out as a very impulsive, self-centered man. He dared to ask You for a place of honor in Your kingdom, and he wanted You to destroy the villages that had rejected You, but eventually he developed a true understanding of holiness. I ask him to pray that my humility grows stronger than my pride, that I submit my will to Your will, and that when I speak, my words reveal Your gentleness and love. Restrain me when I want to rush ahead, and give me a broader perspective when I'm seeing things through a narrow, limited view. Saint James, pray for me. Amen. --- NewsGate v1.0 gamma 2 * Origin: News Gate @ Net396 -Huntsville, AL - USA (1:396/4) .