James

James, son of Zebedee and brother of John the Evangelist, was one of the three apostles closest to Jesus — part of the inner circle that witnessed the Transfiguration, the raising of Jairus' daughter, and the agony in Gethsemane. Jesus nicknamed the two brothers "Boanerges" — Sons of Thunder (Mk 3:17) — likely for their fiery temperament, on display when they asked Jesus to call down fire from heaven on a Samaritan village that had rejected them.

James and John were fishermen on the Sea of Galilee, working alongside their father when Jesus called them. They left everything immediately. James' boldness is evident throughout the Gospels: he and his brother asked Jesus for the places of honour at His right and left hand in His kingdom. Jesus' response was a profound teaching on the nature of Christian leadership: "Whoever wishes to be first among you must be the slave of all" (Mk 10:44). He then asked them: "Can you drink the cup that I drink?" James said yes — and he meant it.

James became the first apostle to be martyred, put to the sword by King Herod Agrippa I around AD 44 (Acts 12:2). His early death fulfilled Jesus' prophecy that he would indeed drink the cup of suffering. According to ancient tradition, James preached in Spain before returning to Jerusalem, and his relics were later translated to Santiago de Compostela, making the Cathedral of Santiago one of the greatest pilgrimage sites in Christendom. The Camino de Santiago — the Way of St. James — has drawn millions of pilgrims for over a thousand years.