Saint James, son of Alphaeus - The Reciprocal - He was known as the brother of the Lord Jesus although he was only his cousin. - Matt.13:55 - He was also called the Less or the Younger [Saint James the Less or the Younger] He is not a believer in Jesus initially and even wanted to have Jesus put away by 'taking charge of Him'. The Lord was constantly vilified because of James and his family: Even his brothers had no faith in Him. - Mark 3:21-31; John 7:5 - Jesus often sighed, "A man will find his enemies under his own roof". - Matt. 10:36 -

After Jesus' crucifixion, however, James became a believer. Saint Paul indicated that James was a witness to the resurrection of Jesus and called James an apostle. - 1Cor. 15:7; Gal.1:19 - In the Book of Acts, James emerges as the leader of the Church in Jerusalem. He had a great prestige in the early Church and was appointed as the first Bishop of Jerusalem.

At the Council of Jerusalem in 49 AD, the decree of the Council of Jerusalem cleared the way for Christianity to become a Universal [Catholic] religion. Gentiles who accept the Christian faith were asked to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from things strangled and from blood, and need not be circumcised and follow all the ritual rules of the Jews. - Acts 15:12-21 - The intent of this decree was practical rather than theological. It asked the Gentiles to observe certain practices which otherwise would offend their Jewish brethren in the Lord Jesus and jeopardize Christian fellowship with them.

He wrote and the author of the "Letter of Saint James" where he admonished to make no distinctions between rich and poor. He also clarified that "faith without works is dead. A person is justified by works and not by faith alone. For just as a body without a spirit is dead". - James 2:17-26 -

James was called 'the Just' on account of his holiness; his knees were hard like those of a camel, for he was continually at prayer. In the year 62 AD, the high priest Hanna II had him thrown down from the pinnacle of the Temple for preaching that Jesus was the Messiah. Since he survived the fall, he was stoned to death and finished with a beating on the head. Before dying, he turned his eyes to heaven and said: I beseech you, O Lord God, Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.

Saint James was buried in the Mount of Olives and his feast day is on May 3.

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Sunday, May 24, 2009

I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!

I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.

HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-15 -