Feast of Saint James, Apostle
Today the church celebrates the feast day of St. James. This has particular meaning for me, since back in 2016 I visited the Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela (the final destination of the Camino de Santiago located in northern Spain) where the body of St. James is reposed. St. James is often pictured as a pilgrim because he is said to have traveled to Spain to share the Good News of Jesus. Like St. James, we are also pilgrims on a journey following Jesus’ lead to love and serve.
In today’s gospel reading, the mother of James and John asks Jesus to bestow special rewards on her sons. Jesus reminds her (and her sons) that being His disciple will require great sacrifice. Jesus clarifies His message by describing what it means to be “great” in His kingdom. “Whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant.” Jesus tells the apostles that “the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” To live as a follower of Christ does not involve power and prestige, but humility and service- sometimes to the point of death
This call to service is something that St. Paul talks about in his letter to the Corinthians. St. Paul reminds us that it is not us but the “surpassing power of God” that we hold in our “earthen vessels” allowing us to share God’s grace with others. Just as Jesus served and gave Himself for others, as His disciples we are called to allow the “life of Jesus to be manifested in our body.” St. James allowed the presence of the risen Christ to live in Him, and he was able to “believe and speak” about Jesus as he traveled across the land. Through his life and service, St. James gave all of himself “so that the grace bestowed in abundance on more and more may cause the thanksgiving to overflow for the glory of God.”
When we travelled with our pilgrim group on the Camino de Santiago, “Servant Song” was a song we frequently sang. One stanza in particularly stood out:
We are pilgrims on a journey. We are travelers on a road. We are here to help each other, Walk the mile and bear the load.
So much of our experiences on the Camino have become life lessons when we returned back to our daily living. During our travels, we met people from across the world. Part of the beauty of this experience was realizing that each of us was on the same path heading to Santiago, even though we were from different countries and spoke different languages. We were all pilgrims- all connected. There was a deep sense of community and friendship- saying “Buen Camino!” to everyone as well as helping anyone along the way. Pilgrims shared first aid supplies, shared food, they would help direct others on the correct path, and some even “gave up” walking part of the Camino to travel by car with others who were unable to go on. We celebrated pilgrim Masses every evening which further strengthened this sense of community and service as seen through Christ’s self- gift of His Body and Blood during our Eucharistic celebration.
When I stop and reflect on the hatred, violence, and fear in our country and across the globe, I remember the graces of the Camino and I wonder how these can be shared with our troubled world. Through our service to others, we are in some way (as St. Paul says) “carrying the body of the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our body.” When we give of ourselves and put others first, we give those we serve the respect and dignity as a fellow human (a fellow pilgrim.) As pilgrims on a journey, we are called to help one another. Maybe the small gestures of love, service, hospitality, and friendship that we extend to others might begin to bring about a subtle but real change to the world.
Reaching out to serve those who are different from us- those from different cultures, ethnicities, religions, and races- may be difficult but it is through our humility and service that we affirm their worth. Every person has been created in the image and likeness of God. When we help others, “bear the load” we share in their pain and sorrow, and the differences seem much less important. My Camino experiences continue to remind me that every person is on a journey, and even though our paths may never cross, we are connected.
As St. James “walked the mile” to share Jesus with others, we are called to do the same. May we be open to Christ, so we can allow Him to be our source of strength and love. May our lives of service to all those in need, bring healing and hope to our world, and may His love unite all people so with one voice we can say, “The LORD has done great things for us; we are glad indeed.” St. James pray for us!
—Marylynn Herchline