When is the feast day of Saint James the Less?

The feast day of Saint James the Less is May 3 (with Saint Philip).

The saints

Saint James the Less

Apostle · Feast day May 3 (with Saint Philip) · First century · Galilee · Also known as James, son of Alphaeus, James the Just

Saint James, called the Less to distinguish him from the brother of John, was one of the twelve and, many hold, the leader of the church in Jerusalem and the writer of the Letter of James. He is remembered for a faith that shows itself in works.

But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.James 1:22 (KJV)

One of the twelve

James the son of Alphaeus is named in every list of the apostles, though the Gospels tell few stories of him. He is called James the Less, perhaps because he was younger or shorter, to set him apart from James the brother of John. Quiet in the record, he was nonetheless one of the twelve who left everything to follow Jesus.

James of Jerusalem

Many in the early church identified him with James who led the church in Jerusalem after Pentecost, called James the Just, who presided at the council of Acts 15 and was known for his righteousness and long hours of prayer. To him is attributed the Letter of James in the New Testament, with its ringing insistence that faith without works is dead, and its call to be doers of the word, and not hearers only.

The martyr of Jerusalem

By the account of the early historians, James the Just was martyred in Jerusalem around the year 62, thrown from the pinnacle of the temple and then beaten, praying for his killers as he died, so revered for his holiness that his death shocked even those outside the church.

Why James still matters

James the Less is the patron of the faithful whose names are not famous but whose lives are steady and true. His letter still calls the church to a faith that works, that bridles the tongue, that cares for the orphan and the widow, and that draws near to God.

A note for all traditions: the saints are honored across the church as examples of faith and, in the Catholic and Orthodox traditions, as friends who pray with us, never worshiped, for worship belongs to God alone. What Scripture records and what later tradition holds are distinguished above. In every tradition there is one Lord, Jesus Christ, and every believer, not only the saints, is called to follow him.

The same Lord calls you

Saint James the Less was an ordinary person Christ made extraordinary, and the Jesus who called them calls you by name too. Pray, read the Word, and gather with the family of God, in every age and every land, on The Living Bread. Free, with no ads, for all people.

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