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Reflection on the Gospel – Friday, July 25, 2025. Feast of Saint James the Apostle
Today we celebrate the feast of Saint James the Apostle. He is the patron saint of Spain, and in many towns and cities across Latin America, his image is also found on church altars. There are two main images of this apostle that people often see. In one, he is shown riding a horse, sword in hand, leading Castilian troops against Muslim forces in the battle of Clavijo. In the other, he appears as a pilgrim—not with a sword or on horseback, but walking, with a staff in hand.
To be honest, I think the first image doesn’t reflect the Gospel well. It’s more a creation of tradition—especially among Christians who felt threatened by Muslim expansion—than a real picture of the apostle. I can’t imagine James, or any of the apostles, killing enemies with a sword. That simply doesn’t match what the Gospel is about, or what was at the heart of Jesus’ life. You would really have to twist the message of the Gospel to imagine an apostle killing «infidels,» as those images show.
The image of James the pilgrim, on the other hand, feels much more in line with the Gospel and is much more inspiring for Christian life. Just the fact that he’s not on a horse already says a lot. When we walk on foot, we’re closer to people, to “the joys and hopes, the sorrows and anxieties of the men and women of our time, especially the poor and those who suffer,” as the Second Vatican Council says in Gaudium et Spes. Jesus himself walked on foot. Walking means sharing the journey with our brothers and sisters, the people of today. And it means serving them, just as today’s Gospel says in its final words. Because we are here to serve the Kingdom, to build fraternity and justice. Just like Jesus, who came not to be served, but to serve.