St. James Saturday – 25th July 2020 — Gospel: Mt 20:20-28
Privileged to share
James is the first of the apostles to be martyred and is the only one who has his death recorded in the New Testament (Acts 12,1-2). The Gospel of Matthew presents the petition of the mother of ‘Sons of thunder’ before Jesus. He accepts her requests but issues His response to her sons: You did not know what you are asking. Jesus is very patient with them, because they had forgotten His teachings about the first being last, and that the great ones are to be the servants of all. Jesus invites James and John to consider drinking from His chalice. In fact, being first in the Kingdom of Jesus meant being the first to suffer and to die. The privilege of martyrdom is given to James, Peter is given leadership of the Church, John becomes His beloved and Mary Magdalene becomes the first apostle to witness the resurrection and first to evangelize to the apostles. Indeed, God’s ways are different and unique. It will be unfolded at the appropriate time to bring to fulfillment.
