Most of us are familiar with the song “My Way” popularized by Frank Sinatra. In it, Sinatra croons again and again that he has lived his life his way. The song is a proud declaration of reliance on self alone.
Catholics, of course, can quickly spot the error in the song’s line of thinking. Taken at its word, the song leaves God entirely out of the picture. Today’s Saint, Saint James the Greater, had to actively choose to do things Christ’s way as opposed to his own. In fact, through his life as well as through the Mass readings chosen for today, we can gain insight into how authentic Catholic living will have us radically rely on God.
First, let’s look at the life of St. James the Greater. A humble fisherman, he and his brother John were called to follow Christ right in the middle of their workday (Matthew 4:21; Mark 1:19). His “yes” allowed him to become one of the 12 Apostles.
Scripture also shows us that James had a special place among the twelve. Along with Peter and John, James was chosen to witness some special events in the life of our Lord. He was there at the raising of Jairus’ daughter (Mark 5:37; Luke 8:51), the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1; Mark 9:2), and at Jesus’ agony in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:37; Mark 14:32-33).
One might wonder why St. James the Greater was placed in this privileged group by our Lord? We can gather one clue from his nickname. In Mark 3:17, Jesus refers to James and his brother John as “Sons of Thunder”. Christ noted their great zeal for His mission, and likened them to powerful forces of nature.
Still, their passion needed to be harnessed and purified by Christ’s grace; they needed to learn to do things Christ’s way. We see this beautifully pictured in the Gospel of Matthew 20:20-28. Here, we watch James and John ask our Lord, through their mother, to have two of the of foremost positions in the Kingdom of God. They are already mapping out their lives and planning for their future.
While their mother asks the question, Jesus knows that this desire to be with Him is in her sons’ hearts. Turning to James and John, Jesus responds to them directly with a return offer of suffering and death in order to guarantee their closeness to Christ going forward. With generous hearts, James and his brother accept Christ’s invitation to do things His way. Later, St. James the Greater would become the first Apostle to suffer martyrdom for the sake of our Lord.
Turning now to today’s first Mass reading (2 Corinthians 4:7-15), we see St. Paul gives the Corinthians a beautiful explanation of Christ’s offer to do things His way. In it, St. Paul explains that since Christ’s death brought life to the world, so too the Apostles’ ministry of “dying” to one’s self also can become a channel of life for others. St. Paul further expounds that though the outer man is wasting away due to suffering and tribulations, the inner man is growing every day. St. Paul understands that this purification will ultimately lead to Heaven.
Now for us...when trials come, or when life does not turn out our way, how do we react? We can try to take matters completely into our own hands and solve things on our own, though that often ends in frustration. Or, we can take a page from St. James the Greater and allow Christ into the situation to help guide us. With steady prayer, Christ can take our desires and help us to do things His way. His grace is sufficient, and though life may not become easy, we can be assured that we, like St. James the Greater, are taking the surer path towards Heaven.
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