The church celebrates Saint James the Apostle's feast day on July 25

The church celebrates Saint James the Apostle's feast day on July 25. 

Other names for him include James, son of Zebedee, Saint James the Great, Saint James the Elder, Saint Jacob, and Santiago.

One should not confuse Saint James the Apostle with James the Lesser, the author of the Letter of James, or the leader of the Jerusalem community.

James the Great was one of Jesus' Twelve Apostles. According to the New Testament (Acts 12:1-3a), he was the first apostle to suffer martyrdom and the second to die.

He was born in Bethsaida in 5 BC and martyred in Jerusalem at 48 in 44 AD (Acts 12:2). The Santiago de Compostela Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela, Spain houses his tomb.

His parents were Salome and Zebedee. His siblings were John the Evangelist and John the Apostle.

He is the patron saint of several nations, including Chile, Nicaragua, and Spain, notably Santiago de Compostela. He was also a patron of blacksmiths, druggists, horseback riders, hatmakers, laborers, pilgrims, knights, soldiers, tanners, and veterinarians.

He fights against rheumatism and arthritis.

Among the Twelve Apostles, James, his brother John, and Peter made up an unofficial trio. They were present with Jesus during his public ministry—the raising of Jairus' daughter, Jesus' transfiguration, and his suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Two episodes in the Gospels describe the temperaments of James the Great and his brother John. Saint Matthew recounts their mother's request for them to receive seats of honor in the kingdom, while Mark asserts that the brothers themselves made the request. Jesus responded, “You have no idea what you are asking for. Could you please take a sip of the cup I'm about to finish?" "We can," they responded to him (Matthew 20:22). 

Then, according to Matthew (20:23b), Jesus told them that although they would drink of the cup and undergo his baptism of suffering and death, he would save his right or left hand for those for whom he had prepared it. They had not yet come to terms with the consequences of their self-assured "We can!"
The aspirations of James and John infuriated the other disciples. Jesus taught them the lesson of humble service: authority exists to serve. They are not to rule over or force their will on other people. This is how Jesus himself is. He had to give his life as the ultimate sacrifice to serve everyone.

James and John later testified that the moniker Jesus bestowed upon them—"sons of thunder"—was fitting. Jesus was going to hate Jerusalem, so the Samaritans rejected him. After they noticed this, James and John, two disciples, asked the Lord, "Do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?" Jesus pivoted and chastised them (Luke 9:54–55).

Jesus' apostles, including Saint James the Grater, teach us to seek holiness and humility while working for the Kingdom of God. Proclaiming the Gospel with greater commitment and grit is another notable characteristic of the apostles, following the example of Jesus, who taught them how to overcome narrowness, pettiness, and fickleness. Likewise, we must allow Jesus to conquer our human limitations and imperfections with God’s grace.