The mother of the sons of Zebedee came to Jesus with her sons to make a request of him, and bowed low; and he said to her, ‘What is it you want?’ She said to him, ‘Promise that these two sons of mine may sit one at your right hand and the other at your left in your kingdom.’ ‘You do not know what you are asking’ Jesus answered. ‘Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?’ They replied, ‘We can.’ ‘Very well,’ he said ‘you shall drink my cup, but as for seats at my right hand and my left, these are not mine to grant; they belong to those to whom they have been allotted by my Father.’
When the other ten heard this they were indignant with the two brothers. But Jesus called them to him and said, ‘You know that among the pagans the rulers lord it over them, and their great men make their authority felt. This is not to happen among you. No; anyone who wants to be great among you must be your servant, and anyone who wants to be first among you must be your slave, just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.’
Reflection on the brass, silver-gilt censer
Today we celebrate the Feast of Saint James the Apostle. According to the Gospels, James and his brother John, along with Peter and his brother Andrew, were the first to be called by Jesus to follow him. All four were fishermen. Jesus often singled out Peter, John, and James for unique experiences. He took them up the Mount of Transfiguration and brought them with him into the Garden of Gethsemane, giving James privileged access to significant moments of his ministry. However, despite this closeness, James, John, and their mother were quite ambitious, asking for the highest positions in Jesus’ Kingdom. This request revealed their initial misunderstanding of Jesus’ mission and the true nature of his Kingdom.
This must have been frustrating for Jesus, who responded by asking, “Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?” Both brothers confidently replied that they could, and indeed they did. James went on to endure great suffering for his faith. According to the Acts of the Apostles, King Herod Agrippa persecuted the church in Judea and had James killed by the sword, making him the first of the Twelve Apostles to be martyred for Christ. Tradition holds that his bones were later taken from Jerusalem to Compostela in Northwest Spain, where they continue to draw millions of pilgrims each year.
The ‘Catedral Basilica de Santiago de Compostela’, housing the tomb of Saint James, is also famous for the Botafumeiro, which literally means “smoke expeller” in Galician. This massive censer, created by silversmith José Losada in 1851, is a spectacular sight, made of silver-plated brass and bronze with a burnished gilt finish. It weighs 80 kilograms and stands 1.60 meters tall. The Botafumeiro swings high across the cathedral, filling it with fragrant incense. The ropes used to swing it last about 20 years. The cost is around €450 per use, because of the special coals and unique incense required. This tradition adds a sense of awe and reverence to the already profound pilgrimage experience at Compostela. I have never witnessed the swinging Botafumeiro myself, but one day I hope I will…
