FRIDAY, SIXTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
Feast of Saint James, Apostle
2 Cor 4: 7-15 Ps 126: 1- 6 Mt 20: 20-28
TREASURE IN CRACKED VESSELS
The apostle James, son of Zebedee, whose feast we celebrate today, was among the first to follow Jesus. Zealous and impetuous, called a “Son of Thunder,” he was passionate for the Kingdom yet slow to grasp its cost. Like many of us, he desired greatness without fully understanding the way of the cross. Yet Jesus did not reject such zeal. He drew it close, purified it, and transformed it from within.
The treasure of the Gospel, Paul says in the first reading, is carried in fragile clay jars. God chooses the weak, not in spite of their weakness, but because through them, His power is made visible. James was chosen not because he was perfect, but because he was willing to walk closely with Christ, even when that journey exposed his limitations. James was one of three apostles present at the raising of Jairus’ daughter, the Transfiguration, and the Agony in Gethsemane. He saw glory and suffering, power and surrender. Yet he still stumbled, falling asleep in the garden, and seeking privilege through his mother’s request. But grace works patiently. His bold spirit was not crushed, only purified. The thunder became steadier, deeper, truer. When the early Church faced persecution, James became the first of the Twelve to lay down his life (Acts 12:2). He eventually embraced with courage the chalice he once claimed he could drink. His clay vessel, once cracked with ambition, had come to carry the treasure of Christ’s Passion.
James’ life is not a tale of flawless discipleship, but of a heart reshaped by closeness to Jesus. His story reminds us that God does not seek perfect instruments, but willing ones. To carry Christ’s life within us is to accept both strength and surrender, both glory and Cross. We, too, are earthen vessels, fragile and inconsistent, but capable of carrying the eternal. Transformation is not sudden. It is the slow work of grace within through daily fidelity, humble surrender, and silent suffering. In such vessels, the light of Christ shines all the brighter.
Response: Those who are sowing in tears will sing when they reap.
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