Saturdays with the Saints: St. James the Greater

It's Saturday once again and that means it's time for another Saturday with the Saints! Our saint today is St. James the Greater, brother of John and son of Zebedee. One of the twelve disciples of Jesus Christ, he, along with John and Peter were singled out by Jesus to accompany him on several occasions and he, along with John, were given a special name by the Lord, the Sons of Thunder. Shortly after the Resurrection, James became one of the first Martyrs, and the story goes that, upon hearing him speak at his trial, the man who arrested James converted and was executed with him.

Though there is no historical evidence, many believe that St. James went to Spain and witnessed there until an apparition of the Blessed Mother appeared to him upon a pillar that is still conserved and venerated today. It was after this event that he returned to Judea and was beheaded by King Herod Agrippa I. It is also believed that, after his martyrdom, his disciples returned to Iberia with his body, where it was buried.

And that's all I could find. Well, there was a few fictional stories and a blurb on the Latter-Day Saints, but we're here for the Catholic view of St. James the Greater.

I hope you all have a wonderful day and don't forget to have the kiddies put their shoes out for St. Nicholas!

Yours Always,
Tara