The Holy Apostle James, Son of Alpheus
1 Corinthians 4:9-16; Luke 10:16-21
Polyeleos Feast. Abstinence from meat and foods that contain meat
Read 1 Corinthians 4:9-16
On the feast of St. James we get these readings of the apostles. Paul tells us that the apostles are a theatre to behold in heaven and on earth. We may read this in light of the next phrase: “We are fools for Christ sake.” Does this mean that the theatre on which they are acting out their ministry is a comedy? If by comedy we mean something we don’t take seriously, then, no. But good comedy, the comedy that lasts, pulls back the veil to reveal the truth of things that we might not have noticed before.
With the lives of the apostles we get alternative ways of living our lives. WE get alternative forms of entertainment. John Chrysostom was highly critical of the theatre in his day. One reason was, it created a scenario for people to sin. Nevertheless, when you look at Greek and Roman tragedies, they may teach us a lot about the human experience, but in the lives of the saints, we get its meaning. Paul will tell us precisely this: “For me, to live is Christ, and to die, only gain.” Paul and the apostles live this out in the early Church.
We see what living for Christ is really about in opening up the apostolic writings and making them our own. The hilarity of their theatre comes when we realize what the world gives us in terms of wisdom and values, is precisely empty of content. I would urge all of you to make the scriptures your daily dose of entertainment. Don’t blind yourself by your newsfeed; you don’t need to know which celebrity cheated on who on which set. Make the apostles the theatre of the world to watch together with the angels. Make that your content that you muse about.