Today we celebrate the great saint: tradition says that all Orthodox today must do one thing

James reminds us that God chose the “poor of this world” to be rich in faith and heirs of the Kingdom. He warned his fellow believers not to honor the rich.

The Holy Apostle James is one of the 12 apostles, and he is called the Lord’s brother because he was the son of the righteous Joseph, the husband of the Most Holy Mother of God.

When Joseph was dying, he divided the property among his sons and dedicated a part to Jesus. However, all the brothers objected to this, as they did not consider Jesus as their brother. Jacob was the only one who objected to that and said that he would share his property with Jesus, because the boss calls him brother of Jesus.

Jacob did not eat fat or olive oil all his life, but lived exclusively on bread and water. After the resurrection, Jesus appeared to him according to tradition. James was bishop in Jerusalem for 30 years, and after the appearance of Jesus he composed the first liturgy, which was later abbreviated by St. Vasilije and St. John Chrysostom.

He especially warned the rich to be humble, otherwise they will pass as a “flower of grass”, which dries up when the sun warms them. James reminds us that God chose the “poor of this world” to be rich in faith and heirs of the Kingdom. He admonished his fellow believers not to honor the rich, reminding them:

“Isn’t it the rich who oppress you and don’t drag you to court?”

In He reminds the rich “you rejoice in the earth” and affirms that their troubles will come, that their accumulated wealth will rot, their clothes will be eaten by moths, and gold and silver will rust. And only the cry of the unpaid workers will reach God: “Behold, they cry out for the wages of the workers who have harvested your fields, from whom you have deprived them;

The Jews themselves admired his righteousness and called him Jacob the Righteous. However, when Annan was appointed high priest, he and other Jewish elders decided to kill James as a preacher of Christ. During the Passover celebration, when many believers flocked to Jerusalem, the elders ordered him to climb onto the roof of the temple and speak out against Christ. However, Jacob began to tell people about Christ as the Son of God and the Messiah.

The enraged priests pulled him off the roof, and Jacob fell and was seriously injured. However, he did not die instantly, but on his knees stretched out his hands to heaven and shouted: “Lord, forgive this sin, because they do not know what they are doing.” Then a man came up to him and hit him on the head with all his might, and then he died at the age of 63.

The customs related to the holiday today say that it is worth helping someone who is in trouble, with advice, food or in any other way, and tradition says that the merciful Apostle James will fulfill every prayer to anyone who shows today his Christian virtues.