Today we celebrate the Festival of St. James the Elder, Apostle. St. James, and his brother St. John, sons of Zebedee, were fishermen on the Sea of Galilee. Together with St. Peter and his brother St. Andrew, James and John were called to be disciples of Christ. Along with Peter and John, James formed a sort of ‘inner circle’ amongst the Twelve. In Acts, it is recorded that James was beheaded by Herod Agrippa I, thus making James the first among the Twelve to die a martyr.

Today we commemorate St. Mary Magdalene. Present at the crucifixion, Mary Magdalene had become a follower of Jesus when He cast out seven demons from her. She was also the first to see Jesus alive again after the crucifixion. The Church has long identified her with the woman who anointed Jesus’ feet with oil.

Today we commemorate Ezekiel. Called by God to be a priest to the exiles during the Babylonian captivity, Ezekiel prophesied about the inevitable judgement on Jerusalem, which took place in 586 BC with the destruction of both the city and the Temple. After the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, Ezekiel prophesied hope to the exiles, delivering God’s promise of a future restoration in the coming Messianic Kingdom. Much of Ezekiel’s prophetic symbolism would be later used by St. John in Revelation.