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Saint James the Greater, son of Zebedee and Salome and brother of the evangelist John, holds a place of absolute importance in the apostolic college. He is called “the Greater” not for superiority over the other Apostles, but to distinguish him from the other James, son of Alphaeus, and probably also because he was among the first to follow the Lord.
A fisherman on the shores of the Sea of Galilee led a simple and hardworking life until the day Christ passed by his boat and called him and his brother with a summons that would forever change their existence. The Gospel recounts that Jesus saw them while they were mending the nets with their father Zebedee and invited them to follow him. They, without hesitation, left the boat, their work, and even their father, choosing to entrust their lives to the Master. From that moment on, James was no longer just a fisherman of fish, but became, according to the Lord’s promise, a true “fisher of men,” called to gather into the Kingdom of God all those who would embrace the Gospel.
His temperament was fiery, generous, and impetuous. Jesus himself, along with his brother John, nicknamed him “Boanerges,” meaning “son of thunder,” an expression that reveals a strong personality, capable of impetuous outbursts, but destined to be purified by the Master’s school. That energetic character, transformed by grace, will become apostolic strength, missionary zeal, and courage in witnessing the faith even to the ultimate sacrifice.
James belongs to the select group of the three privileged Apostles to whom Jesus grants participation in the deepest moments of his mission. Together with Peter and John, he is present on the Mount of Transfiguration, where he contemplates the divine glory of Christ. Before his eyes, the face of the Lord shines like the sun and his garments become as white as light, while Moses and Elijah converse with Him and the voice of the Father proclaims: “This is my beloved Son; listen to Him.” The Apostle thus experiences the anticipation of the Easter glory, which will strengthen his faith in times of trial.
The same disciple will later witness the agony of the Lord in the Garden of Olives. He who had contemplated the light of the Transfiguration now sees the face of Christ marked by anguish and sweat of blood. On Mount Tabor, he had seen the King of glory; in Gethsemane, he contemplates the suffering Servant who completely surrenders to the will of the Father. In these two mountains, so different and complementary, lies the mystery of the Christian life: there is no glory without the cross, nor resurrection without sacrifice.
During His public ministry, Jesus foretells to James and John the fate that awaits them. In response to their request to sit one at His right and one at His left in His Kingdom, Christ asks: “Can you drink the cup that I am about to drink?”. They respond generously: “We can”. They did not yet fully understand the meaning of those words, but time would show that this promise would be kept to the fullest. The Lord’s cup is the cup of passion, testimony, and the total offering of life.
After Pentecost, James exercised his apostolic ministry with great fervor in the nascent Church. His preaching sparked conversions but also opposition. The Acts of the Apostles recall that King Herod Agrippa, in an attempt to strike at the Christian community, ordered him to be killed by the sword. Thus, James became the first of the Apostles to shed his blood for Christ, inaugurating that long line of martyrs who over the centuries would seal their fidelity to the Gospel with their lives. His death did not represent a defeat, but the fulfillment of his vocation: the one who had left everything to follow Jesus offered everything, even his own existence.
According to an ancient and revered tradition, embraced and spread by the Golden Legend of Blessed Jacob of Varazze, the body of the Apostle was miraculously transported to Spain by his disciples. Centuries later, in the early 9th century, a mysterious luminous phenomenon guided a hermit to the discovery of his tomb. The place was called Campus Stellae, the “Field of the Star,” from which the name Santiago de Compostela derives. The discovery of the tomb gave rise to one of the greatest spiritual centers of Christian Western Europe, and in the 11th century, the construction of the magnificent cathedral destined to house the relics of the Apostle began.
For over a millennium, the Camino de Santiago has been one of the most extraordinary spiritual experiences of Christianity. Millions of pilgrims from every continent walk the ancient Jacobite paths not only as a geographical itinerary but as a true journey of inner conversion. Each step reminds us that the Christian life is a pilgrimage towards God, during which the believer is called to abandon what weighs down the heart to rediscover the essential. The staff, the backpack, and the shell have become universal symbols of the search for God and the hope that sustains the journey of man.
The writer Paulo Coelho effectively expressed the spiritual meaning of this pilgrimage: “The Spirit of the ancient pilgrims of the Tradition accompanies you on the journey. The hat protects you from the sun and bad thoughts; the cloak saves you from the rain and bad words; the staff protects you from enemies and bad actions. May the blessing of God, Saint James, and the Virgin accompany you through all nights and all days.”
The figure of Saint James the Greater continues to speak to the Church today. He teaches the courage of an immediate response to Christ’s call, faithfulness in trials, the willingness to share the cup of passion, and the certainty that the authentic disciple is the one who, after contemplating the glory of the Lord, is not afraid to follow Him to the cross. Patron of Spain and pilgrims, he remains one of the great witnesses of apostolic faith, a model of tireless evangelizer and martyr who was able to transform his life into a total offering to the risen Lord.
