{"id":81290,"date":"2013-07-25T05:55:24","date_gmt":"2013-07-25T12:55:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/santiago-apostol-peregrino-matamoros-2\/"},"modified":"2018-03-06T13:49:14","modified_gmt":"2018-03-06T21:49:14","slug":"santiago","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/santiago\/","title":{"rendered":"Santiago Ap\u00f3stol, Peregrino, Matamoros"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Santiago<\/a><\/p>\n

Santiago Ap\u00f3stol<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

T<\/span>oday is the feast of Saint James the Apostle, son of Zebedee and Salome of Bethsaida, brother of Saint John the Apostle and Evangelist.<\/p>\n

One of the “Sons of Thunder” (Mark 3:17).<\/p>\n

Santiago.<\/p>\n

On this day last year, I wrote about what we know of Saint James<\/a> from scripture and tradition. <\/p>\n

That was before I had walked 500 miles to his sepulcher in Santiago de Compostela<\/a>.<\/p>\n

That was before I knelt before his mortal remains.<\/p>\n

\"Sign<\/a><\/p>\n

Sign above the entrance to the crypt at Santiago.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Here’s the thing, the tradition has it that while he was in Hispania, the apostle made only a handful of converts. He returned to Jerusalem about a decade after Christ’s Crucifixion, only to himself be martyred on the order of King Herod Agrippa I of Judea (Acts 12).<\/p>\n

By any standard James was a failure as a preacher.<\/p>\n

But look at what he’s done in the centuries since his death.<\/p>\n

\"Santiago<\/a><\/p>\n

Santiago Peregrino<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

According to the Pilgrim’s Office<\/a> at the Cathedral, in 2012 192,488 pilgrims walked some portion of the Camino. <\/p>\n

That’s just last year.<\/p>\n

How many millions of pilgrims over the centuries have walked the Way?<\/p>\n

Make no mistake about it, the Saint is watching over every one of those pilgrims every step of the way.<\/p>\n

And while not every pilgrim walks the Way as a Conversatio Morum<\/a><\/em>, in my experience most do in some form or another. The Way of Saint James forces us to “a continual change of heart, a daily reshaping of the mind and heart according to God\u2019s plan for us”.<\/p>\n

When faced with some difficulty or need, every Peregrino who I encountered took to heart some form of the phrase “the Camino provides”. This is, of course, only an inch away from Deus providebit<\/em> – God provides.<\/p>\n

James, through the Camino, is a much more effective evangelist now than in life.<\/p>\n

It’s instructive, I think, to note that along the Camino, James is depicted in one of three ways: as Apostle<\/strong>, most popularly as Pilgrim <\/strong>(with shell, staff, and hat), and as Santiago Matamoros<\/em> – Saint James the Moorslayer<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

In these very PC times, that last title gives many pause.<\/p>\n

Let me set the scene: Christian (Visigothic and Roman) Hispania had been occupied by the Moors for about a hundred years. In the south, much of the country was Islamic, but in the north Christianity remained firm. The Moslem armies could conquer the north with relative ease (and indeed, they did several times), but they could not hold it. The locals rebelled just as soon as they could and re-established their churches and monasteries.<\/p>\n

Finally, some of the northern Christian landowners got their act together and started raising some proper armies. They formed principalities and tiny kingdoms: Asturias, Navarra, Aragon.<\/p>\n

\"Santiago<\/a><\/p>\n

Santiago Matamoros<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

They mostly lost battles, waited for the Islamic army to withdraw, and then overthrew the regional and town garrisons. The Moors weren’t their only enemies, however: in Asturias they also had to contend with Viking raiders.<\/p>\n

Legend has it that on or about 23 May 844, the army of King Ramiro of Asturias met a considerably larger (and better disciplined) army led by the Emir of C\u00f3rdoba (or possibly his son; accounts vary). <\/p>\n

The Christian army was going down to its inevitable defeat, when, according to the legend, Saint James appeared riding a white horse and bearing a white standard. He rallied the Christian forces and led them to their first major victory at the Battle of Clavijo.<\/p>\n

Now, many historians will point out that the battle is not well documented. Some go so far as to say that it is definitively “a legendary battle that never took place<\/a>“. Most think it’s a confused retelling of the second Battle of Albelda (AD 859), where the combined armies of King Ordo\u00f1o I of Asturias and King Garc\u00eda \u00cd\u00f1iguez of Navarra defeated the forces of Musa ibn Musa ibn Qasi.<\/p>\n

Regardless of what may have actually happened, the incident entered the emerging Spanish national conscience and proved a rallying cry for the forces of the reconquest. <\/p>\n

Sightings of Saint James in this guise are documented throughout the medieval period and even later. Rather than leading an army, he usually defends a village from Moorish raiders, or carries a pilgrim through bandit-infested countryside.<\/p>\n

Now, mind you, “Moorslayer” is probably not an appropriate term for our times, but the idea of defending the oppressed very much is. If this aspect of Saint James had first become popular in the twentieth century (rather than the tenth), he very well might have been called “Saintiago Superman”. He’s even got a cape.<\/p>\n

So the three aspects of Saint James that you see depicted on the Camino – Apostle, Pilgrim, Moorslayer – are really just three aspects of what each Christian is called to: to preach the faith, to continually turn towards God, and to protect those in need.<\/p>\n

Faith. Hope. Charity.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"The<\/a><\/p>\n

The Tomb of Saint James<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

On this day, Saint James Day, let us pray with the whole Church that we can learn from his example of teaching, prayer, and service in life, death, and beyond.<\/p>\n

\n

Almighty ever-living God,
\nwho consecrated the first fruits of your Apostles
\nby the blood of Saint James,
\ngrant, we pray,
\nthat your Church may be strengthened
\nby his confession of faith
\nand constantly sustained by his protection. <\/p>\n

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
\nwho lives and reigns with you
\nin the unity of the Holy Spirit,
\none God, for ever and ever.<\/p>\n

Amen.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Saint James, pray for us.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Santiago Ap\u00f3stol Today is the feast of Saint James the Apostle, son of Zebedee and Salome of Bethsaida, brother of Saint John the Apostle and Evangelist. One of the “Sons of Thunder” (Mark 3:17). Santiago. On this day last year, I wrote about what we know of Saint James from scripture and tradition. That was before I had walked 500 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[40,19,16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-81290","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-camino","category-pray","category-saint"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/s1aGBK-santiago","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":84293,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/santiago-apostol-peregrino-matamoros\/","url_meta":{"origin":81290,"position":0},"title":"Santiago Ap\u00f3stol, Peregrino, Matamoros","author":"Thom","date":"25 July 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Santiago Ap\u00f3stol Today is the feast of Saint James the Apostle, son of Zebedee and Salome of Bethsaida, brother of Saint John the Apostle and Evangelist. One of the \u201cSons of Thunder\u201d (Mark 3:17). Santiago. Years ago, I wrote about what we know of Saint James from scripture and tradition.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Annual"","block_context":{"text":"Annual","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/annual\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Santiago Ap\u00f3stol","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/Santiago-Ap%C3%B3stol-240x339.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":99909,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/the-feast-of-saint-james-2019\/","url_meta":{"origin":81290,"position":1},"title":"The Feast of Saint James","author":"Thom","date":"25 July 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Santiago Ap\u00f3stol is the Feast of Saint James the Greater, known throughout the Spanish-speaking world as Santiago. He was one of Christ's Twelve Apostles. Saint James is the patron saint of the archdiocese of Seattle, and therefore today is a solemnity within our archdiocese. May you have the joy of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Annual"","block_context":{"text":"Annual","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/annual\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/Santiago-Peregrino.jpg?fit=765%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/Santiago-Peregrino.jpg?fit=765%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/Santiago-Peregrino.jpg?fit=765%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/Santiago-Peregrino.jpg?fit=765%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":88756,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/the-feast-of-saint-james-2017\/","url_meta":{"origin":81290,"position":2},"title":"The Feast of Saint James","author":"Thom","date":"25 July 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Today is the Feast of Saint James the Greater, known throughout the Spanish-speaking world as Santiago. He was one of Christ's Twelve Apostles. He is the patron saint of the archdiocese of Seattle, and therefore today is a solemnity within the archdiocese. I am saddened that no Tacoma parish seems\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Annual"","block_context":{"text":"Annual","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/annual\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/Santiago-Ap%C3%B3stol.jpg?fit=848%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/Santiago-Ap%C3%B3stol.jpg?fit=848%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/Santiago-Ap%C3%B3stol.jpg?fit=848%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/Santiago-Ap%C3%B3stol.jpg?fit=848%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":89822,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/the-feast-of-saint-james-2018\/","url_meta":{"origin":81290,"position":3},"title":"The Feast of Saint James","author":"Thom","date":"25 July 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Today is the Feast of Saint James the Greater, known throughout the Spanish-speaking world as Santiago. He was one of Christ's Twelve Apostles. He is the patron saint of the archdiocese of Seattle, and therefore today is a solemnity within the archdiocese. I am saddened that no Tacoma parish seems\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Annual"","block_context":{"text":"Annual","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/annual\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/shell.png?fit=796%2C796&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/shell.png?fit=796%2C796&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/shell.png?fit=796%2C796&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/shell.png?fit=796%2C796&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":108800,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/saint-james-2024\/","url_meta":{"origin":81290,"position":4},"title":"The Feast of Saint James","author":"Thom","date":"25 July 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"is the Feast of Saint James the Greater, known throughout the Spanish-speaking world as Santiago and in French as Saint Jacques. He was one of Christ's Twelve Apostles. Saint James is the patron saint of the archdiocese of Seattle. May you have the joy of the feast! James and his\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Annual"","block_context":{"text":"Annual","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/annual\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/725james26.jpg?fit=440%2C600&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":107978,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/saint-james-2023\/","url_meta":{"origin":81290,"position":5},"title":"The Feast of Saint James","author":"Thom","date":"25 July 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"is the Feast of Saint James the Greater, known throughout the Spanish-speaking world as Santiago. He was one of Christ's Twelve Apostles. Saint James is the patron saint of the archdiocese of Seattle. May you have the joy of the feast! James and his brother John were natives of Galilee,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Annual"","block_context":{"text":"Annual","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/annual\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/725james26.jpg?fit=440%2C600&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81290","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=81290"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81290\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":89419,"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81290\/revisions\/89419"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=81290"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=81290"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=81290"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}