As Jesus was passing beside the Sea of Galilee, He saw James, son of Zebedee, and John, his brother, who were mending their nets. He called them and gave them the name "Boanerges," which means "sons of Thunder"1. "It all began when some fishermen from the Lake of Tiberias were called by Jesus of Nazareth. They welcomed this call, followed Him, and lived with Him for about three years. They shared in His daily life and were witnesses to His prayer, His merciful kindness toward sinners and those who suffered, and His power. They listened attentively to His word, a word like no other ever heard." During this time, the disciples came to know "a reality that, from then on, would possess them forever: precisely the experience of life with Jesus. It had been an experience that broke the fabric of their previous existence; they had to leave everything behind—family, profession, possessions. It was an experience that introduced them to a new way of existing"2.
One day, the one invited to follow Him was James, son of Salome—one of the women who served Jesus with their means and who was present at Calvary—and brother of John. The Apostle already knew the Lord before He called him definitively, and he enjoyed a special favor alongside Peter and his brother: he was present at the Transfiguration on Mount Tabor3, witnessed the miracle of the resurrection of Jairus's daughter, and was one of the three whom the Master took with Him to accompany Him in Gethsemane4 at the beginning of the Passion. Because of their impetuous zeal, the Lord gave these two brothers the surname Boanerges, the sons of thunder.
The Gospel of the Mass tells us of a remarkable event in the life of this Apostle. Jesus had just spoken about the proximity of His Passion and Death in Jerusalem: "We are going up to Jerusalem," He had told them, "and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes. They will condemn Him to death and will hand Him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day He will be raised to life"5. The Master feels the need to share with His own these feelings that weigh upon His soul. And it is under these circumstances that the mother of the sons of Zebedee approached Him with her sons, kneeling down to ask a favor of Him6. She begs Him to reserve two places of honor for them in the new kingdom, whose arrival seems imminent. Jesus turns to the brothers and asks if they can share His cup with Him, His very fate. In antiquity, offering one's own cup to another to drink from was considered a great proof of friendship. They answered: "We can!"7. "It was a statement of readiness, of strength; an attitude proper not only to young people, but to all Christians, and especially to all who accept being apostles of the Gospel"8. Jesus accepted the generous response of the two disciples and said to them: "You will indeed drink My cup; you will share in My sufferings and complete My Passion within yourselves." A short time later, around the year 44, James would be beheaded by order of Herod9, and John would be tested with countless sufferings and persecutions throughout his life.
Ever since Christ redeemed us on the Cross, all Christian suffering consists of drinking the cup of the Lord, sharing in His Passion, Death, and Resurrection. Through our pains, we complete His Passion in a certain way10, which extends through time with its saving fruits. Human pain becomes redemptive because it is united with what the Lord suffered. It is the very same cup of which He, in His mercy, allows us to share. In the face of setbacks, illness, and pain, Jesus asks us the same question: "Can you drink My cup?" And we, if we are united with Him, will know how to answer Him affirmatively, bearing with peace and joy even that which is humanly unpleasant. With Christ, even pain and failure are turned into joy and peace. "This has been the great Christian revolution: turning pain into fruitful suffering; making good out of evil. We have stripped the devil of that weapon... and with it, we conquer eternity"11.
HCD