Holy Apostle James, whom the Church commemorates today, October 9, was one of the twelve disciples of the Lord, brother of Matthew the Apostle and son of Alphaeus.
After having tried to spread the truth of Christ in Jerusalem, James went to other countries to preach the Gospel. There, he destroyed the altars of the idols and by the grace of God healed diseases and cast out the evil spirits. He went through many trials and dangers in order to spread the Gospel.
Even though death was very close, the words of the Lord prevailed encouragingly in James’s mind, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” (Mark, 8:34). And then let him follow me, imitating my example. So, following the example of the Lord, James was crucified.