Journey in The Shadow of St. James
July 25 is the Feast Day of St. James the Greater.
It was James and his brother John that were out fishing when Jesus appeared to them, and they left their livelihood to follow him.
James, John, and Peter were particularly close to Christ. James was present at the Transfiguration and in the Garden of Gethsemane. “The greater” distinguishes him from the other Apostle James, “the lesser,” who was younger.
James is believed to have been the first of the Apostles to be martyred.
There is an infamous hike through Europe that is called the Camino de Santiago or the Way of St. James. The journey has several routes but all lead to the shrine of St. James the Apostle in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Spain. The original hike is 500 miles through Northern Spain. The pilgrimage has been taken by countless people since Christianity began. The journey takes about 30 days. However, there are various routes through Europe pilgrims can take that are as short at 100 km (62 miles).
Many who complete the journey say they feel as if they were walking in the shadow of Saint James. Before he was killed in in Jerusalem by order of Herod Agrippa about 44 AD, James the Greater is believed to have been preaching and evangelizing in Spain.
There are many websites and publications about the infamous pilgrimage and its meaning that you can search.
