PODCAST | St. James the Apostle
In today’s podcast, Fr. Javier del Castillo meditates on St. James the Apostle, a “son of thunder,” and reflects on how we too can become a magnanimous, humble, and daring disciple of Christ.
What you’ll hear:
0:40 – About the nickname of St. James “son of thunder.”
1:20 – A theory on why the mother of the sons of Zebedee asked Jesus, “Command that these two sons of mine sit, one at your right and the other at your left, in your Kingdom.” (Matthew 20:21)
5:20 – A reflection on the call of Sts. James and John
9:00 – The purification and fortification of St. James and John’s enthusiastic and daring “Yes, we can!” in Matthew 20:22
11:10 – How St. James can purify our intentions and enthusiasm when following Christ
13:00 – How Jesus taught St. James and the Apostles humility
15:30 – Christ’s teaching on humility in the Christian life
17:25 – Story about Bl. Alvaro’s rejection of vanity
18:55 – How St. James’ enthusiasm brought him to the “ends of the earth,” to Spain.
19:20 – How Our Lady appeared to St. James (in modern day Zaragoza) while he was discouraged with his mission and on his way back to Jerusalem. She appeared to St. James, by a special grace while she was still alive, standing on a Roman pillar to encourage St. James to go back and not give up.
21:05 – Why did St. James get discouraged? Why do disciples of Christ become discouraged and sad so often?
23:40 – Why St. Josemaria Escriva was so confident and daring when sending inexperienced missionaries to different parts of the world
25:05 – On becoming a “son of thunder” and being magnanimous, humble, and daring all at the same time
Rev. Javier del Castillo
Fr. Javier del Castillo is a priest of the Prelature of Opus Dei and currently serves as President of the St. Josemaria Institute. He earned a degree in electronic engineering and moved to Rome to complete his ecclesiastical studies, where he was ordained a priest in 2005 and earned a doctorate in Philosophy from the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in 2007. He worked as a chaplain in high schools in the Washington, D.C. and Chicago areas for several years, offering spiritual accompaniment to students, parents, and teachers. From 2015 on, he served as the vicar of Opus Dei in the midwest; he was appointed regional vicar of the United States in 2022. He became vicar of the United States and Canada in 2024, following the restructuring of the regions, until his appointment as Vicar General in April 2025.
