Sandals & the Modern Pilgrim

Seamus’s left sneaker was doing something weird to his arch … and after days of walking, his left foot was getting pretty achy. Of course, trying to walk in a way to avoid putting weight on the foot began to impact his shin. So, he’s wearing sandals (a.k.a. flip flops). That doesn’t sound ideal for such a journey … but … as I think about it, his patron saint, Saint James, always wore sandals when he trekked about with Christ. Maybe this is a nudge from heaven … a way to really feel the journey and perhaps notice some things he might not have noticed if he were blasting through at 20 miles a day. I don’t know. Sometimes, less is more. Saint Francis (Seamus’s confirmation saint) walked to Santiago de Compostela from Assisi in 1214. He certainly either wore sandals or went barefoot the whole way there ... and back.

Jesus sent out these twelve after instructing them thus, … “Do not take gold or silver or copper for your belts; no sack for the journey, or a second tunic, or sandals, or walking stick.”

-Matthew 10:5a,9a

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.

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.