Fr Paul reads from the Gospel of Matthew (20: 20-28) in which the mother of Zebedee’s sons comes to Jesus with her sons to ask a favour of him. Fr Paul says James was the brother of John and, like his brother, James was a fisherman by trade. James was also one of the disciples who witnessed the transfiguration of Jesus and was, also, one of the disciples who slept through most of the agony in the garden. We also know that James was the first apostle to be martyred when he was beheaded by Herod Agrippa the First. He was buried in Jerusalem.  It is thought that the relics of James were brought to Spain sometime after his martyrdom and his shrine at Compostela became a great pilgrimage destination.  The scallop shell the emblem of St James has also become the emblem of pilgrims generally.So, on St James’s feast day, Fr Paul invites us to pray  ‘St James, Pray for us!’