My chalice you will indeed drink

My chalice you will indeed drink. 

Saint James, Apostle (Feast)

Santiago de Compostela is a famous pilgrimage site that thousands of people visit every year to venerate the remains of the apostle James.   Most of the pilgrims undertake an arduous journey through the mountains to reach this Spanish town.   Many experience a deeper conversion even before they reach their final destination!

But what is the body of the apostle James doing in Spain?   Wasn’t he martyred in Jerusalem in AD 44?   And where did the town’s unusual name come from?

Tradition has it that after Pentecost, James traveled all the way to the end of the known world—Spain—in order to preach the good news.   While some historians doubt that journey, others support it for a curious reason.   The first-ever apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary, “Our Lady of the Pillar,” is said to have happened in Saragossa, Spain, in the year AD 40, when Mary appeared to encourage James in his evangelization efforts.

A few years afterward, again in response to a vision, James returned to Jerusalem, where he was eventually beheaded by Herod.   His disciples are said to have then taken his body back to Spain, where he had done so much good.

In a mythical twist, the story tells that James’ body was transported by a mysterious unmanned ship.   And when it arrived in Spain, the ship was secretly buried.   “Lost” for centuries, in the Middle Ages his body was found because of a mysterious light illuminating the location.   At first, the place was called Campus Stellae, the “Field of the Star.” But over time it was shortened to Compostela.   Since, in Spanish, St. James’ name is “Santiago,” the site came to be called Santiago de Compostela.

The story can seem fantastical, but the down-to-earth reality is that ever since a shrine was built in Santiago de Compostela, millions of pilgrims have experienced God’s presence and work in their lives.

Whether or not you ever walk the “Camino,” the Way of St. James in Spain, you are on a pilgrimage of sorts.   So ask St. James, the patron of pilgrims, to pray that you draw closer to God on every step of your journey.

“Lord, may your whole Church be strengthened by St. James’ willingness to drink from your chalice.”

Word Among Us