St. James the Greater

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Matthew 20:17-28

Then the mother of James and John came with her sons to make a request of Jesus, and bowed low; and he said to her, ‘What is it you want?’ She said to him, ‘Promise that these two sons of mine may sit one at your right hand and the other at your left in your kingdom.’ ‘You do not know what you are asking’ Jesus answered. ‘Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?’ They replied, ‘We can.’ ‘Very well,’ he said ‘you shall drink my cup, but as for seats at my right hand and my left, these are not mine to grant; they belong to those to whom they have been allotted by my Father.’ When the other ten heard this, they were indignant with the two brothers.

You may be tempted to accuse James and John of vain ambition, especially since the other Apostles were indignant, but St. John Henry Cardinal Newman has a great insight here, he says this was not vain ambition, rather Noble Ambition, Magnanimity, the virtue to desire and do great things for the love of God and souls.

Recall that Fortitude or courage is to be willing to sacrifice what is lesser for the greater – to gain the long-term goal. Courage requires that we risk or venture something to gain the prize.

“Can you drink the cup?” Jesus said to James and John. “Are you willing to risk and even lose what you hold most dear to gain the Kingdom?” “Yes” they answered. This is not vain-ambition, this is prudent and heroic desire. They said in essence, we see the goal and we will not let anything prevent us from reaching it. Can we say the same? What are we not willing to give up to be united perfectly to Jesus?

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They asked to reign with Christ. He in answer told them:

·       Not that they were guaranteed of it

·       But that they must venture for it, strive after it

St Jerome says, “Jesus did not say, ‘You shall not sit there,’ that He might not discourage the two brothers; neither did He say, ‘You shall sit there,’ that He might not stir the others to anger; but by holding up the prize before all, He might encourage all to strive for Him. So a just king presiding over a contest instituted by him, if his relatives and friends should come and say, ‘Give us the prize,’ gives this answer, ‘It is not mine to give the prize to you, but to those…who strive in the contest and gain the victory.’”

Here then a great lesson is impressed upon us, that our love for Christ should cause us to take risks to do something great for the love of God and the good of others without the absolute certainty of success.

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James did risk all for the love of Christ…On January 2, 40 AD James had made it as far as Zaragoza Spain, where he was preaching the Gospel - but with little success. Feeling very defeated he sat down on the bank of the Ebro River, dejected. At this time, Mary, the Mother of God appeared to St. James, standing on a pillar of Marble and she said to him, “James, the faith you establish here will be more firm and last longer than the pillar I stand upon.” Do not be discouraged and do not give up. I am with you and will help you. James arose, preached the Gospel, won many converts to Christ and the faith he established in Spain endures to this day. To remember the visit and promise of the Virgin Mary, the first Marian shrine was built around the pillar on which She appeared. This was the first Marian Apparition known as Our Lady of the Pillar in Zaragoza Spain in 40 AD. Ten years before Mary was assumed into heaven.  

If you feel defeated, dejected, or confused, entrust yourself to Mary under the title of Our Lady of the Pillar and she will strengthen you to be as strong and unshakeable as that pillar which stands to this day.

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Jesus asked James, “Can you drink the cup that I drink?” James responded, “I can” and he did. By the year 42 James had returned to Jerusalem where King Herod Agrippa had James arrested and beheaded, killed by the sword.

James and John did not know what they were saying

·       They did not have it in themselves to drink His cup

·       But with a very generous and sincere heart they were willing

·       And the Lord accepted their vow and gave them the grace to carry it out in the end by His grace and power.

And we, what generous gift of self are we willing to make for the love of Christ and the love of souls?

The gift Christ offers to us is that of eternal life and to reign with Him forever. These come at the price of His precious Blood

·       We should be willing to give and risk everything in return for so great a gift?

Think of what He has done for us,

·       Shouldn’t we try to give as much as we can in return

·       a generous and bold gift of self,

·       Should I not make some venture for Him that contains fear, risk, danger, anxiety, and uncertainty of success?

What are we doing with our lives? Should we not try to be courageously generous in return for all Christ has done for us?

Generous in our vocation; generous in having children; generous in prayer; generous in using our wealth to build the Kingdom and care for Jesus in the Poor; and generous in leading people to Jesus through Mary and good friendships?

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We should desire to become a saint and strive after it and help others do the same.

Teresa of Avila writes: Have great confidence, for it is necessary not to hold back one's desires, but to believe in God that if we try, we shall little by little, even though it may not be soon, reach the state the saints did with His help. For if they had never determined to desire and seek this state little by little in practice, they would never have mounted so high. His Majesty wants this determination, and He is a friend of courageous souls if they walk in humility and without trusting in self…I marvel at how important it is to be courageous in striving for great things along this path.