Who is Saint James the Greater? 

On July 25th the Church commemorates the feast of St. James “the Greater,” brother of St. John the Evangelist and one of the Twelve Apostles. This epithet was given to him to distinguish him from the other apostle named James. “Greater” was given to him because he is one of the three that appears to be in Jesus’s inner circle. There were only three present with Jesus during the raising of Jairus’s daughter, the Transfiguration, and the Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane: Peter, James, and John. We know that Peter was appointed the keeper of the keys and head of the Church, and John was known to be the “Beloved” disciple and went on to produce a theologically profound gospel as well as several intense and beautiful epistles. What, then, were James’ standout qualities? 

James, along with his brother John, is nicknamed “Boargenes” or “Sons of Thunder.” This is an indicator, according to a mentor priest of mine, that these two brothers were “hotheads” - easily worked up and ready for action. This is indicated in one incident (Luke 9:51-56) where they ask Jesus if he should call down fire from heaven on a Samaritan village that had rejected him. They were strongly rebuked for their fiery zeal. When their mother asked if her two sons could sit at the right and left of Jesus when he came into his kingdom they claimed that they would be able to drink the cup (aka the suffering) that he was to drink. They would indeed partake in his suffering, but it was not for them to put themselves forward to sit side to side with Our Lord in heaven. 

James did indeed go on to drink the cup of suffering that Jesus drank. He was the first of the apostles to be martyred, and his is the only martyrdom of the Twelve recorded in the Acts of the Apostles (12:2), where it states that he was beheaded by King Herod Agrippa I.   

Did he really make it to Spain? 

Though not recorded in the New Testament, tradition has long held that before his martyrdom James went all the way to modern day Spain to preach the gospel. After his martyrdom his relics were taken and buried in Galicia, in northern Spain, and rediscovered in the 9th century. A cathedral was built in his honor there named Santiago de Compostela. Though some claim that these can’t possibly be the relics of St. James, in 1884 Pope Leo XIII actually published a papal bull declaring that the relics were indeed those this esteemed apostle. 

The Camino de Santiago de Compostela 

The Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela has long been a place of pilgrimage, though the practice began to wane over the centuries. It was revived with great veracity in the 20th century and continues to be a place of pilgrimage today. Even those who aren’t Catholic like to partake in the “Camino de Santiago” or the “Way of St. James.” There are various starting points, some covering hundreds of miles, all leading to the beautiful cathedral where the relics of St. James are kept. 

People come from around the world to walk the camino and share in the camaraderie of fellow pilgrims, stop in the many hostels and restaurants for pilgrims along the way, and to take in the beautiful Spanish countryside. 

The Importance of Pilgrimage 

A pilgrimage is a journey with a purpose: not only to visit a particular place, but it is a journey oriented towards the interior search for God while physically going towards a holy place. There is an intricate dance between the physical and the spiritual, and a constant reminder of the need to worship Our Lord in both body and soul. The physical act of pilgrimage - whether it be a journey accomplished by car, boat, train, or on foot (or a combination thereof) often mirrors the interior journey towards God. Often there are things that go wrong, difficulties to overcome, as well as piercing moments of beauty and introspection. 

Pilgrimage has been a part of our faith from the beginning. The Jews were no strangers to pilgrimage - making a pilgrimage to Jerusalem for major feasts - and the practice continued into the Church Christ established. There are rich traditions of making pilgrimage to different churches, shrines, places of relics, and apparition sites of the saints. Many different places of pilgrimage are associated with completing a pilgrimage after making a promise to the Lord, seeking healing from injury or disease, or seeking special graces from the Lord for a particular desire of the heart. It is not merely an opportunity to see a new place or a beautiful church, but rather it is often a chance to offer something to the Lord in a big way, or to open up to receiving something special from Him. 

What kind of pilgrimage can you make locally? 

St. James is the patron saint of pilgrims, and though we may not all be able to make a pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago, almost all of us are able to make some sort of smaller pilgrimage. It may just be to a new parish in your diocese, or perhaps to a special shrine or basilica somewhere else in your state. If you are homebound, pilgrimage may look different for you. It may look more like learning as much as you can about a shrine and making a sort of journey there in your heart. Be inspired by St. James the Greater to make some sort of pilgrimage whether it be big or small. You’ll not regret the journey or the graces that will accompany it, especially drawing closer to Our Lord.