James, the son of Zebedee and brother of John, was a fisherman on the Sea of Galilee when Jesus called him to leave his nets and follow. With Peter and John he belonged to the Lord's closest circle, present at the Transfiguration and in the Garden of Gethsemane. He became the first of the apostles to die for Christ, put to the sword under King Herod, as the Acts of the Apostles records.
James left everything mid-task — the boat, the nets, his father — because the call of Jesus mattered more. He was not perfect; he asked for a place of honor and once wanted to call down fire, yet grace slowly turned his zeal into faithfulness unto death. His life says that God works with eager, flawed hearts, and that following Christ is worth everything we set down along the way.
Saint James, friend of Jesus and first martyr among the apostles, pray for us, that we may follow the Lord with your courage and stay faithful to the end. Amen.