2 Cor 4:7-15 / Matthew 20:20-28
There is a popular pilgrimage in Europe that is known as the Compostela.
It is a traditional pilgrimage to the grave of St. James and it is known as the "Way of St. James".
According to legend, the remains of St. James are held in Santiago de Compostela in Galicia (Spain), and St. James is also the patron saint of Spain.
And according to the local tradition, St. James went as far as Spain to preach the gospel, and there he had a vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary and then he returned to Judea where shortly after he was beheaded by King Herod Agrippa in the start of the persecution of the Church.
Hence he was the first of the apostles to be martyred and the first of the apostles to offer his life in witnessing to Christ.
Yes, St. James drank the cup that his Master drank and like his Master, he also offered his life as a ransom for many.
This feast of St. James also reminds us that our life is a pilgrimage on earth in a journey towards our eternal home in heaven.
In this pilgrimage we understand what St. Paul said in the 1st reading - We are only earthenware jars that hold the treasures of God.
Like St. James, let us pour out our life in service of God and others, so that, as the 1st reading puts it - the more grace is multiplied among people, the more thanksgiving there will be to the glory of God.