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 learn about St James the Great, son of Zebedee. He is called "the Great" not because of his holiness, but because of his importance in the writings of the New Testament, which would be in the setting of the life of Jesus.
James is the translation of Iakobos, Greek form of Jacob. James was the brother of John. He was included in the important moments of Jesus' life. He was there for the Transfiguration and His Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane. After the death of Jesus and since Pentecost, he endured humiliation and suffering.
He travelled to Spain to evangelize. He returned to Judea. King Herod of Agrippa, the grandson of Herod the Great, had James killed by beheading. His body is buried in the city of Santiago de Compostela. Many pilgrims throughout the world have travelled or hiked to this area. His icon shows him with a staff and a scroll.
He was asked by Jesus if he was able to drink of the chalice he was to receive. He was the first to drink of the chalice and suffer martyrdom. He definitely was on the right path. Are we?
Comments