ST. JAMES THE JUST, THE BROTHER OF OUR LORD (OCT. 23RD)
St. James in a Contemporary Icon, Leading the Liturgy that Bears His Name By Bp. Joseph ( Ancient Church of the West ) Saint James, known in Hebrew as "Jacob", is honored as the "Brother of our Lord", a title given in the Jewish custom of his time, recognizing him as a close kinsman of Jesus Christ. Tradition recounts two possible genealogies for him: one, that he was the child of Joseph from a prior marriage, and the other, that he was the son of Cleopas (Joseph’s brother) and his wife Mary, the first cousin of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Having taken upon himself the Nazirite vows, St. James was fully consecrated to God from his youth, earning the title “the Just” among the people for his singular devotion. Referred to in the Scriptures as James the Lesser (Mark 15:40) to distinguish him from James the son of Zebedee, James was chosen by the Apostles to serve as the first Bishop of Jerusalem. In this role, he presided over the first Council of the Church, as describe...
