Feast of Saint James, Apostle
“We hold this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us.” (2 Corinthians 4:7)
We receive Christ, and we do so humbly, knowing that it is His love (i.e. the treasure to which Saint Paul refers) that created us and sustains us (we being the ‘earthly vessels’). Usually, it is the container that holds together what it contains. Yet, Saint Paul’s underlining of the ‘earthly’ nature of the container points to its fragile nature. In the case of the love of Christ poured into us, it is the treasure that holds the container intact.
To emphasize this, Saint Paul describes what he (and the other apostles like Saint James) experienced: “We are afflicted in every way, but not constrained; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our body.” (2 Corinthians 4:8-10) In the world of the apostles, usually, affliction deters the afflicted; usually, persecution leaves one isolated; yet, the grace of Christ strengthened these poor, humble men, enabling them to continue in the task of sharing the Gospel in face of every obstacle which should have stopped them.
If they were interested in lording over others, or making their greatness felt, if their hearts were set on being served, then the persecution they faced would have sent them running at the first instance. It was Christ in them, Christ poor and humble, Christ who came to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many, it was this Christ who held these earthly vessels together when the world rained down on them, and it was this Christ who shared this treasure with so many souls through His apostles’ humble service. Let us ask for the grace to know Christ’s desire to strengthen us, and to know our constant earthly need for His grace.