Saint James,  apostle,  pilgrim, role model on our paths
James was one of Christ's first apostles. The ‘sent one’, as written on the trumeau of the Cathedral of Compostela: ‘Missit me dominus’ 
Christ gave him the nickname ‘Boanerges - son of thunder’ (Mk 3:16-17).  An apostle yet an ordinary man, a fisherman by trade, he was plagued by doubt, fear and misunderstanding when he discovered the Gospel while following Christ (Lk 9:52-5; Mk 10:35-41 or Mt 20:20-23). 
Sent to spread the Good News throughout the world, James became an evangelist. He was martyred in 43 (Acts 12:1-3). According to legend, his disciples placed his body in a boat that carried him back to the shores of Galicia, where he had exercised his ministry. 
He was buried there. Around 820, his tomb was discovered by the hermit Pelayo, who was attracted by a mysterious luminous phenomenon. The tradition of locating his preaching in present-day Spain began around the 5th century and subsequently became established. He became known as the apostle of the West.  
 During the pilgrimage that led large crowds to Compostela in the Middle Ages, James became the patron saint of pilgrims.
He began to be depicted as such in the 12th century, carrying a staff or stick, a bag and a shell, a hat and a cape or cloak, while still holding a book, the Gospels. 
Saint James accompanied pilgrims on their journey, and most of his miracles took place on the road leading to his tomb. They concerned pilgrims on their way. James represented Hope, as mentioned in a sermon in the Codex Calixtinus. 
Going to Compostela meant moving towards the future.
 
The vagaries of history also made James a knight, a Matamore to whom legend attributes great military exploits in favour of the Christian armies, such as at the Battle of Clavijo in the 9th century and then during the Reconquista until the 15th century. Perhaps today we should consider this facet of James as an invitation to spiritual combat?
 
But today, isn't James, Saint James or my friend James - the Pilgrim - a model for us, pilgrims of the 21st century, encouraging us to be a sign of contradiction in our materialistic and technological world and to promote the values of peace, forgiveness, respect, hospitality and fraternal sharing?