Catholic Info
Traditional Catholic Faith => The Sacred: Catholic Liturgy, Chant, Prayers => Topic started by: poche on July 25, 2015, 01:34:37 AM
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St. James
In Spain, he is called El Senor Santiago, the patron saint of horsemen and soldiers, and his great shrine at Santiago de Compostela in that country has been a place of pilgrimage for centuries. He is one of those that Jesus called Boanerges, "son of thunder," the brother of John the Evangelist and the son of Zebedee the fisherman from Galilee.
St. James the Greater and his brother John were apparently partners with those other two brothers, Peter and Andrew, and lived in Bethsaida, on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee. How and where James first met Jesus, we do not know; but there is an old legend that makes Salome, his mother, a sister of Mary, and if this were the case, he would have known Jesus from childhood.
Along with Peter and his brother John, James was part of the inner circle of Jesus, who witnessed the Transfiguration, were witnesses to certain of His miracles, like the raising of the daughter of Jairus, and accompanied Him to the Garden of Gethsemani. Like his brother, he was active in the work of evangelization after the death of Jesus, and one legend, very unlikely, even has him going to Spain after Jesus' resurrection.
His prominence and his presence in Jerusalem must have been well known, for scarcely a dozen years after the Resurrection, he became involved in the political maneuverings of the day and was arrested and executed by King Herod Agrippa. This was followed by the arrest of Peter also, so his death must have been part of a purge of Christian leaders by Agrippa, who saw the new Christian movement as a threat to Judaism.
Jesus had foretold this kind of fate when He prophesied that James and his brother John would "drink of the same chalice" of suffering as Himself. The two brothers had asked to be seated at the right of Jesus and at His left in His kingdom, and Jesus told them that they would be with Him in a far different way than they expected.
James's death is the only biblical record we have of the death of one of the Apostles, and he was the first of that chosen band to give his life for his Master.
http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2015-07-25
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Here are some hymns for the feast of St. James:
Dum Pater Familias
1) Dum pater familias rex universorum donaret provincias ius apostolorum Jacobus Yspanias lux illustrat morum Primus ex apostolis mártir Jerosolimis Jacobus egregio sacer est martirio.
2) Jacobi Gallecia opem rogat piam glebe cuius gloria dat insignem viam
ut precuм frequentia cantet melodiam** Primus ex apostolis . .
3)Jacobo dat parium omnis mundus gratis ob cuius remedium miles pietatis cunctorum presidium est advota satis Primus ex apostolis .
4) Jacobum miraculis que fìunt per illum arctis in periculis acclamet ad illum quisquís solvi vinculis sperat propter illum Primus ex apostolis .
5) O beate Jacobe virtus nostra vere nobis hostes remove tuos ac
tuere ac devotos adhibe nos tibi piacere Primus ex apostolis
6) Jacobo propicio veniam speremus et quas ex obsequio merito debemus patri tam eximio dignos laudes demus
**Herru Sanctiagu grot Sanctiagu e ultreia e suseia Deus aia nos
Nostra Phalanx Plaudat Leta
Nostra phalanx plaudat leta
hac in die, qua atleta
Christi gaudet sine meta
Iacobus in gloria.*
*Refrain: angelorum in curia.
Quem herodes decollavit
et id circo coronavit
illum Christus et ditavit
in celesti patria.*
Cuius corpus tumulatur,
et a multis visitatur,
et per illud eis datur
salus in gallecia.*
Ergo festum celebrantes,
eius melos decantantes,
persolvamus venerantes
dulces laudes Domino.*
Regi Perennis Gloriae
Regi perennis glorie sit canticuм leticie
Qui triumphum victorie Jacobo dedit hodie
Decoravit Yspaniam apostolus prophensiam
Illamque gentem impiam Christi fecit ecclesiam
Tandem pro Dei filio sub Herodis imperio
Se obtulit martyrio. Benedicamus Domino.
Nam Herodis insania furens in Christi menia
Stimulante superbia eius odit collegia
Ad sui damni cuмulum Jacobum Dei famulum
Vera docentem populum decollavit apostolum.
Sic manus regis impias superavit et furias
Quia sedes ethereas ascendit, Deo gratias.
Flos Carmeli (just the lyrics, without regards for how they are sung in the hymn)
Flos Carmeli, vitis florigera, splendor caeli, virgo puerpera singularis
Mater mitis sed viri nescia Carmelitis esto propitia stella maris
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Where I am there is still about ten minutes left for the feast of St. James (First Vespers of the Sunday notwithstanding!).
Here is a pretty good account of him as St. James the Moor Slayer (or Moor Killer) -
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_James_Matamoros
St. James, pray for us.