Saint James the Less
Feast day: May 3
Saint James the Less, Apostle; by tradition he led the Church in Jerusalem and was martyred (03/05)
Who is he?
Saint James the Less is one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He is called “the Less” (or “the Younger”) to tell him apart from Saint James the Greater, the brother of Saint John. The Church celebrates him on the same day as Saint Philip.
Life story
The Gospels only give his name as “James the son of Alphaeus” in the list of the Twelve Apostles. The Bible also mentions “James the Lord’s brother,” meaning a relative of Jesus. According to the tradition of the Western Church, these two names belong to the same person. What follows is told according to that tradition, though many Bible scholars think they may be two different people.
Saint Paul tells us that the risen Jesus appeared to James (cf. 1 Cor 15:7). Later, James was an important leader of the Church in Jerusalem. When the Apostles and elders met to decide whether pagans who became Christians had to keep the whole Jewish law, James spoke up. He proposed not to make things hard for the people from the nations who were turning to God, and everyone agreed together to accept his idea (cf. Acts 15:13-22).
According to tradition, he took care of the Church in Jerusalem for many years. Because his whole life was so good and upright, everyone called him “the Just”; tradition also tells that he prayed a great deal. Also according to tradition, around the year 62 he was killed by people who opposed him because he bore witness to Jesus. That is why pictures and statues often show him holding a big fuller’s club.
The Letter of James in the Bible, which tradition says he wrote, teaches: “So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead” (Jas 2:17).
Why is he a saint?
Saint James followed Jesus, met the risen Lord and faithfully cared for the Lord’s flock. He helped the believers live in unity with one another, and taught that believing in God means living well every day. He bore witness to the Lord to the very end.
A lesson for you
- Show your faith by what you do: help poor classmates, obey your parents, keep your words gentle.
- When your friends disagree, gently share your ideas so that everyone gets along, like Saint James.
- Pray faithfully every day, even if only for a few minutes.
Identifying marks
- A wooden fuller’s club (a cloth-beater’s club): according to tradition, he was beaten to death with the kind of club workers used to pound cloth.
- A book: according to tradition, he wrote the Letter of James.
- The walls of Jerusalem: he took care of the Church in Jerusalem.
- A gentle face, a black beard turning gray: he looks like a respected father, kind and steady.
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