The Last Time The Fishermen-Apostle Brothers Were Together

Of course James and John were together for many other apostle events … The miracle of the Loaves and Fishes, the Sermon on the Mount, the Last Supper, etc. The last time they were recorded as being together was in the Upper Room waiting for the descent of the Holy Spirit. At that point, traditions tell that John took care of Mary (perhaps in Ephesus) and James traveled to Spain to spread the message of Christ.

Happy Feast Day to Noah

Happy Feast Day to Noah!

As a quick aside … Today is Noah’s Feast Day. May 31 celebrates Saint Noah (or Noe) Mawaggali from Africa. In the 1800s he was Christianized and became devoted to the faith. On May 31, 1886 he was teaching a Catechism class when King Mwanga II had him speared to death and devoured by wild dogs … just for being a Christian. He was only 35 years old.

A Mother’s Worries

Mothers always worry so much. As excited as I am for my boys to take this trip, I do have a lot of “What Ifs” floating through my mind … What if they miss their flight? What if they forget to wear sunscreen? What if they run out of money? What if they don’t drink enough water? What if they get on each other's nerves? What if their passports get stolen? What if someone tries to kidnap Noah? What if they get sick?

I try to relax and remember that God will be with them … and Saint James too. I have read that it is almost impossible to go through this pilgrimage without being affected in a positive way. So, I do my best to trust that all will be fine … and … I keep praying.

Boanerges (bo-an-ER-jees)… or … Sons of Thunder

You can find a list of the apostles in four different places within the New Testament. In Mark’s list, readers are given a unique notion of James and John:

Boanerges (also known as "Sons of Thunder")

Some resources claim that this title comes from a time when Jesus and the apostles were traveling through Samaria on their way to Jerusalem when they came upon a village that did not welcome the group. Indignant, James and John suggested that fire from heaven be called down to consume the villagers. (Jesus rebuked the brothers.) Others suggest that the title of Sons of Thunder is due to the time when the brothers daringly asked Jesus for honored places in heaven. (Jesus gave them a speech on humility instead.)

Brothers, Fishermen and Apostles

It’s impossible to know Saint James without knowing his brother, Saint John. Their dad, Zebedee, was a fisherman and they were in business with him. They were actually helping him clean some fishing nets when Jesus called them to be apostles (to be “fishers of men”). Without hesitation, they joined him. (Interestingly, Peter and Andrew were also brothers, fishermen and apostles.)

It appears that James and John were especially close to Jesus. They, along with Peter were the only apostles present for a few unique events: The Raising of Jairus’s Daughter, The Transfiguration and they were closer to Jesus than the other apostles at Gethsemane. On one other occasion, it was this trio plus Andrew who accompanied Jesus when he healed Peter’s mother-in-law.

A Generous Gift

The funding for this pilgrimage to Spain comes from my parents. My father has always had a bit of the Midas Touch. Hard work, advantageous investing and careful spending has left my parents comfortable financially. They have been very generous with their money … always good to the poor and giving to the church. Every once in a while, they decide to give a bit of a pre-inheritance gift … I guess they decided it would be fun to see us (my family and and my siblings' families) enjoy an occasional windfall while they are still alive. The two best things my parents gave me while I was growing up (besides love!) were faith and education. So, Chad and I decided to use their latest offering in a way to pass on these gifts to our children … sort of a long and fun C.C.D. lesson.

“El Camino de Santiago de Compostela” ~defined

The name Santiago is the blend/contraction of the Spanish words “Santo” (Saint) and “Iago” (James). There are actually a handful of Spanish versions of “James” that have evolved over time: Iago, Diego, Jacobo and Jaime are the more popular ones.

Compostela may very well be derived from the Latin words “Campus” (field) and “Stellae” (stars) … meaning “Field of Stars.” This is possibly a reference to the shining light directing Pelayo the hermit to the discovery of Saint James’ tomb. Others suggest that Compostela is related to the Latin word “compositum” which means “burial ground,” which could also refer to the burial spot of Saint James.

Camino in Spanish can mean road, path or way.

Camino can also mean journey. Along the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, pilgrims often greet each other with “Buen Camino!”

el - the

de – a preposition that usually means of, but can also mean: from, with, by, in

How We Came To Know Saint James … And His Younger Brother, Saint John

About 20 years ago when my older sons were maybe 2 & 4 years old, it popped into my mind that it would be fun to celebrate the feast days of their patron saints. The name Seamus is Gaelic for James and the name Ian is Scottish for John. As I browsed through a few saint books, I came to realize that the apostles James and John were brothers (the sons of Zebedee). I knew right away they would be the perfect saints for my boys. So, every year on the Feast of Saint James (July 25) and the Feast of St. John (December 27) I would make the boys a cake and we’d try to learn something new about their saints.

Testing the Text Messaging Feature

Testing the text message feature for the blog. This could be cool as a last minute update as we are about to take off, or right as we return.

Checking Out Ways to Post Blogs

I'm clicking around on the blog and I think I found a way to post to the blog via email in case internet access is limited over in Spain, this is a test post. There might also be a way to do it by phone (which won't really matter when I'm over there).

Day count till departure: 12 including today!

An Ancient Pilgrimage

Hiking towards the northwestern corner of Spain is a pilgrimage that goes back to the early 900s. At that time the relics of Saint James the Greater were discovered by a hermit. After verification from the bishop, a chapel was built (replaced later by a Cathedral), miracles began to occur and Christians from all over Europe felt compelled to trek to the tomb of this apostle.

It Looks Like A “Go”

Well … it looks like it is really going to happen. The tickets are purchased, passports are ready and all three boys have been able to carve some time out this summer for the trip. All three of my sons: Seamus, Ian and Noah will be going to Spain this summer … to Santiago de Compostela. They will be hiking across large chunks of northern Spain to get there. Seamus and Noah leave two weeks from today, but Ian has to wait until June 25 to join them for the last two weeks of the journey. I’m so excited ... after months of prayers and hopes, the plans seem to be falling into place.