James, the son of Alphaeus (Lk 6:15) and Mary (Mk 15:40) was known as James the Lesser or James the Younger to distinguish him from James, the son of Zebedee, who followed Jesus before him. According to some, he wrote the Epistle of James. There are believes he was the brother of Matthew and Judas Thaddeus whose father was Alphaeus. James preached in Palestine and Egypt and was crucified in Egypt in 62 A.D. and then his body was sawed to pieces.
REFLECTION
Like the other apostles, James the Lesser also gave up all possessions and ambitions of life and followed Jesus. He worked hard for the kingdom of God and became a martyr for his mission. However, he was sure of his victory in heaven. Let us also remind ourselves of our goal of reaching heaven and work for it.