Feast of St. James the Apostle
Striving for the holiness which God promises us, we can encounter many obstacles. Such has been the experience of our Church from the days of the apostles. The traditional accounts of the apostles relate that all, with the possible exception of St. John, died as martyrs. Their witness to the Gospel was made in the face of much resistance, and ultimately they were called to bear witness to Christ by the giving of their lives.
From the moment of our baptism, we were baptized into the death of Christ. (Col 2:12) Like James, whose memory we celebrate today, we are called to let the mystery of our dying manifest Jesus’ life. (2 Cor 4:10-11) Let us ask God for the courage to unite all that we may suffer to Christ, knowing that unity with our Lord, even in His Passion, is better than any earthly good. (Mt 20:26-28)