St. James the Greater

Son of Thunder, the first apostle martyred, whose shrine at Compostela has drawn pilgrims for a thousand years.

The story

Brother of John and one of the inner three, James witnessed the Transfiguration and the Agony. His mother asked for the seats at Jesus' right and left; Jesus asked whether he could drink the cup. He did: Herod Agrippa beheaded him around 44 AD (Acts 12:2). Tradition brought his relics to Galicia, and the Camino de Santiago became the great pilgrimage of the West.

What James teaches

Ambition purified becomes martyrdom. James wanted glory and received the cup.

Patronage

Spain, pilgrims, laborers.

Prayer

St. James, pray for all pilgrims, and give us the courage to drink the cup of the Lord. Amen.