Feast of Saints Philip and James, Apostles, May 03, 2017.
1st Reading: First Corinthians 15:1-8.
I am reminding you, brothers and sisters, of the Gospel I preached to you, which you indeed received and in which you also stand. Through it you are also being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I handed on to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures; that he was buried; that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures; that he appeared to Kephas, then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at once, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. After that he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one born abnormally, he appeared to me. The word of the Lord.
Responsorial Psalm: 19:2-3, 4-5
R/. Their message goes out through all the earth.
Holy Gospel: John 14:6-14.
Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” If you know me, then you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” Philip said to him, “Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own. The Father who dwells in me is doing his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else, believe because of the works themselves. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father. And whatever you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it. The gospel of the Lord.
WEDNESDAY REFLECTIONS:
We honor two of the Apostles today, Philip and James the Lesser. We know very little about James other than that he was chosen by our Lord for the apostolic ministry. We also have one of his letters which is contained in the New Testament. After the Resurrection, Jesus appeared to James who eventually went to Jerusalem and led the Church for a few decades, eventually being stoned as a martyr. Philip is known from some of his comments that appear to reveal a weakness of faith. In addition to the comment above, recall when Jesus was preparing to multiply the fish and loaves and asked Philip, “Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?” (John 6:5).
He and Saint Bartholomew were said to have been crucified upside down.Tradition holds that Philip preached upside down from the cross until his death.
In the end, James and Philip gave their lives for Christ, holding nothing back. But it took time for them to grow in faith and confidence in Jesus. This is a significant witness for our lives. Ideally, our response to Jesus every day will be that of a complete submission to Him and perfect trust in His divine will. Ideally, we will not lack faith. However, it’s most likely the case that all of us can look back at many moments in our lives and point to ways in which we have failed in our faith and trust in our Lord. Though this is sin, it’s good to look at these moments of weakness in the light of the mercy of God. Jesus saw the weakness of Philip, addressed it, but continued to love him and continued to call him down the path chosen for him. Jesus does the same with each one of us.
Pray with me: Lord, I thank You for never giving up on me, even when I sin and turn away from You. Help me to persevere in my faith in You and to answer the call to radically follow You wherever You lead. Sts. James and Philip, pray for us. Jesus the Son, I trust in You that You alone will heal our sick brethren and set them free. May the souls of our faithful departed brethren rest in perfect peace, amen.