Tuesday July 25, 2017
James, the brother of John (the beloved), was one of the early leaders of the church in Jerusalem and the first to be martyred by Herod. He is one of the sons of thunder, wanting the best seats in the kingdom. He held his treasure in a very earthen vessel that allowed the power of God to shine through. He knew the dying of Jesus, shared in his sufferings, believed in the resurrection of Jesus and knew it in his own life. His life was to bring grace and glory to God.
We, like James and John, have been given to drink of the cup of salvation-the cup of the Eucharist that feeds us-and we have been baptized in the death and resurrection of Jesus. But we have not drank much of the cup of suffering, of rejection and crucifixion, because of the company and closeness that we share with Jesus, the Son of Man, who gave his life as ransom for the many and was servant to us all. We are invited, in our earthen vessels, to put our lives at the service of the Lord and those of the earth in most need. Can Jesus come to rely on us to share his cup and his suffering and his life?
