Saint James the Apostle

The Collect
O Gracious God, we remember before you today your servant and apostle James, first among the Twelve to suffer martyrdom for the Name of Jesus Christ; and we pray that you will pour out upon the leaders of your Church that spirit of self-denying service by which alone they may have true authority among your people; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
~the BCP, p. 242


The Psalm
7:1-10


The Readings
Jeremiah 45:1-5     +     Acts 11:27-12:3     +     Matthew 20:20-28

About that time King Herod laid violent hands upon some who belonged to the church. He had James, the brother of John, killed with the sword.

~Acts 12:1-2

In the New Testament, there are several prominent disciples named James. The disciple commemorated today was one of the Twelve, the brother of John (the sons of Zebedee), and part of the 'inner circle' (Peter, James, and John) that we see with Jesus at certain key moments--the raising of Jairus' daughter from the dead, the Transfiguration, and the agony in the garden. James was also the first among the Twelve to die as a martyr for his faith in Jesus.

As is the case with many saints, there are legends and traditions that grew up around James in the centuries following his death. In James' case, some of these traditions, in my view, border on the incredible. For example, it seems unlikely that James ever traveled to Spain or had his body interred there, despite this being an ancient tradition that eventually resulted in one of the most popular and beloved pilgrimages in the Christian world--the Camino de Santiago. But there is another legend of St. James that I find not simply dubious, but disturbing and ironically instructive. This is the legend of Santiago Matamoros (St. James the Moor-slayer): the story that James appeared miraculously during a medieval battle and led the Christian army to victory over their Muslim foes. The legend, though clearly apocryphal, continued to provide a controversial but influential cultural symbol for many Spanish Christians for centuries, even being brought across the Atlantic--there are paintings of James as a conquistador  assisting in the conquest of the Americas. That the first martyr among the Twelve disciples--the first of that group to follow his Lord in such suffering, being willing even to offer his life in sacrificial witness--should be conscripted centuries later into a violent cause of subjugation and conquest over others, should give us pause.

Such violent appropriation of the saints, and of Jesus himself, as cultural warriors employed to advance a cause--often one in clear contradiction to the gospel--is not limited to medieval Spain. The twisting of the faith to serve harmful ends is ever with us, even today, an abuse justifying abuse. But it is not the authentic faith of those who follow Jesus. If we turn consistently to the New Testament, and prayerfully seek to allow it to shape our understanding of what authentic Christian faith looks like, we will see again and again that it is marked by "that spirit of self-denying service" which is true authority for those who follow the Son of Man who came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.


Closing Prayer
Almighty God, who gave to your servant James boldness to confess the Name of our Savior Jesus Christ before the rulers of this world, and courage to die for this faith: Grant that we may always be ready to give a reason for the hope that is in us, and to suffer gladly for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
~a collect, Of a Martyr, from the BCP, p. 246

Banner with the symbol of James the Greater, from the narthex of Holy Apostles; 

the shells represent the tradition of James traveling 'to distant shores' to preach the gospel

Saint Mary Magdalene

The Collect
Almighty God, whose blessed Son restored Mary Magdalene to health of body and of mind, and called her to be a witness of his resurrection: Mercifully grant that by your grace we may be healed from all our infirmities and know you in the power of his unending life; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

The Psalm
42:1-7

The Readings
Judith 9:1,11-14     +     2 Corinthians 5:14-18     +     John 20:11-18

From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation.

~2 Cor. 5:16-18

There is a lot of 'information' about Mary Magdalene out there (enough even for there to be a Complete Idiot's Guide book devoted solely to her!), but most of it--both in church history and in popular and esoteric culture--is based on speculation, traditions, imagination, or fabrication. What the Gospels tell us is this: Mary was a woman from whom Jesus cast out seven demons; she then became a devoted follower and supporter of Jesus' ministry; and she was among the women who followed him all the way to the foot of the cross, and afterward went to anoint his body. It was in lovingly carrying out this last act that she became the first witness to the resurrection, and was sent to proclaim the news to the other disciples.

Mary Magdalene, then, is an exemplar of the new creation of which Paul writes. Her life was transformed by a healing encounter with Jesus Christ, and would never be the same. She surely felt that transformation--the old passing away and everything becoming new--at her healing. But no doubt she also felt that everything she knew was crumbling away at Jesus' death. Yet that second and painful time of transition yielded an even greater and more joyful transformation--the breaking in of the true new creation, the resurrection life of Jesus Christ, in which we participate.

Our world now is certainly a place of painful uncertainty and confusion; and it may be that many things to which we were accustomed are indeed passing away. But as Paul also says, we have not received a spirit of fear, and the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed. Christians are those who, even as we look back at the resurrection of Jesus, are continually looking forward in trust and hope at the new creation being prepared by God.

Closing Prayer
O God of unchangeable power and eternal light: Look favorably on your whole Church, that wonderful and sacred mystery; by the effectual working of your providence, carry out in tranquillity the plan of salvation; let the whole world see and know that things which were being cast down are being raised up, and things which had grown old are being made new, and that all things are being brought to their perfection by him through whom all things were made, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Mary Magdalene, 'Apostle to the Apostles,' 

proclaiming the resurrection to the Twelve