Holy Apostle James, Brother of the Lord, was the firs bishop of Jerusalem. As a pillar of the Church and a good and just leader, he became an early target of tho who persecuted Christians. He was given a martyr’s death by being thrown from the temple tower and stoned. We commemorate his godly repose on October 23. This Apostle-Saint also has a Eucharistic liturgy ascribed to him, however, because this liturgy differs so significantly and drastically from the synergistic format of St. John’s and St. Basil’s liturgies, James’ liturgy is seldom celebrated – even on its one and only prescribed day of its writer’s feast.
St. Gregory the Theologian, an earlier fourth century Archbishop of Constantinople, wrote the sublime and moving Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts. This liturgy is celebrated only during the Great and Holy Fast – most notably in the evenings on Wednesdays and Fridays, and the first three days of Holy Week. His feast day is on January 25.
