St. Gertrude the Great had the incredible grace of frequently seeing and conversing with people from Heaven. It was not unusual for her to receive an apparition of a particular saint on their feastday.

So it happened one year, on the feast of St. James the Great, that this Apostle appeared to St. Gertrude. He was beautifully "adorned with the merits of those pilgrims who had visited his shrine." It was indeed an incredible sight, for pilgrims visited the holy shrine in great numbers. The merits of such crowds would be incalculable!

As she marveled at this, still the nun could not help but wonder what it was about St. James that impelled so many people to make the journey to his shrine. In those days, to travel any great distance was very laborious and often dangerous. Despite this, pilgrimages in general were not uncommon. But what roused Gertrude’s curiosity was the popularity of St. James in particular, especially in comparison with the other Apostles.

So she turned to Our Lord, and asked simply why this Apostle was so honored by pilgrimages, that his relics appeared even more revered than those of the holy Apostles Peter and Paul.

Our Lord answered: "The fervor of his zeal for the salvation of souls has obtained this special privilege for him. And as I took him away from the world so soon, [he was the first Apostle to be martyred] according to the decrees of My Providence, that he was unable to convert many persons, which he most ardently desired to do, his desire still remains before Me fresh and flourishing, and what he was unable to do during his life I permit him to accomplish after his death, by bringing an immense number of pilgrims to his shrine, absolving them from their sins, and strengthening them in the Catholic faith."