The mother of the sons of Zebedee approached Jesus with her sons and did him homage, wishing to ask him for something. He said to her, "What do you wish?" She answered him, "Command that these two sons of mine sit, one at your right and the other at your left, in your Kingdom." Jesus said in reply, "You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?" They said to him, "We can." He replied, "My chalice you will indeed drink, but to sit at my right and at my left, this is not mine to give but is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father." When the ten heard this, they became indignant at the two brothers. But Jesus summoned them and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and the great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave. Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many."
REFLECTION
"Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?"
Today we honor St James. We are reminded that he is the son of Zebedee, brother of John who was, by the way, the one whom Jesus loved.
He was with Jesus at the Transfiguration, the raising of Jairus’ daughter, and at the agony of Gethsemane. He and his brother John were nicknamed the Sons of Thunder by Jesus. .
James evangelized in Judaea and Samaria, and preached the Gospel in Spain. He was the first apostle to suffer martyrdom (beheaded) at the hands of Herod Agrippa, grandson and maternal great-nephew of Herod the Great, the king who ruled at the time of Jesus' birth and tried to kill Him. The remains of St James were brought to Santiago de Compostela, in Spain.
James was called by Jesus while tending his fishing nets. He ate with Jesus, watched Him pray, witnessed His power, love, tenderness and love.
He left everything to follow Jesus. He drank the cup of Jesus participating in His sufferings and His Passion.
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