Salome, mother of James and John, wife of Zebedee, is a follower of our Lord Jesus Christ, unto the foot of His Cross, unto His burial in the tomb (Mark 15:40-16:1).
She seeks salvation for her sons, that they may be at the Lord’s right and left hand in His Kingdom.
‘Can you drink the Chalice of My Blood, to be poured out for you and for many, for Salvation? Can You be Baptized with My Baptism?’
‘We can.’
James became the first sharer of Christ’s Chalice:
About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church. He killed James the brother of John with the sword, and when he saw that it pleased the Jewish authorities, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread…
Acts 12
To be at the Lord’s left and right hand, to drink the Chalice of the Lord, to become the friends of God (Communion antiphon), is to serve, as a witness to Life, with one’s life.
With Saint Paul (2 Corinthians 4:7-14), while we live, we witness to Christ with our life. ‘We believe, and so we speak, knowing that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and place us in His presence.’
