MAY 03, 2013 : FEAST OF SAINTS PHILIP AND JAMES, APOSTLES

Feast of Saints Philip and James, Apostles

Lectionary: 561

Reading 1 1 COR 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 Cephas, then to the Twelve.

After that, he appeared to more

than five hundred brothers and sisters 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.

Responsorial Psalm PS 19:2-3, 4-5

R. (5) Their message goes out through all the earth.

or:

R. Alleluia.

The heavens declare the glory of God;

and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.

Day pours out the word to day;

and night to night imparts knowledge.

R. Their message goes out through all the earth.

or:

R. Alleluia.

Not a word nor a discourse

whose voice is not heard;

Through all the earth their voice resounds,

and to the ends of the world, their message.

R. Their message goes out through all the earth.

or:

R. Alleluia.

Gospel JN 14:6-14

Jesus said to Thomas, “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.”

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Meditation: Philip said to Jesus, "Lord, show us the Father"

What’s the greatest thing we can aim for in this life? – to know God. What is the best thing we can possess in this life, bringing more joy, contentment, and happiness, than anything else? – knowledge of God. Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches; but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows me” (Jeremiah 9:23-24). One of the greatest truths of the Christian faith is that we can know the living God. Our knowledge of God is not simply limited to knowing something about God, but we can know God personally. The essence of Christianity, and what makes it distinct from Judaism and other religions, is the personal knowledge of God as our Father.
Jesus makes it possible for each of us to personally know God as our Father. To see Jesus is to see what God is like. In Jesus we see the perfect love of God – a God who cares intensely and who yearns over men and women, loving them to the point of laying down his life for them upon the Cross. Jesus is the revelation of God – a God who loves us unconditionally – without reservation, unselfishly – for our sake and not his, and perfectly – without neglecting or forgetting us even for a brief moment. Jesus promises that God the Father will hear our prayers when we pray in his name. That is why Jesus taught his followers to pray with confidence, Our Father who art in heaven ..give us this day our daily bread (Matthew 6:9,11; Luke 11:2-3).  Do you pray to your Father in heaven with joy and confidence in his love and care for you?
"Lord Jesus, you fill us with the joy of your saving presence and you give us the hope of everlasting life with God our Father in Heaven. Show me the Father that I may know and glorify him always."

www.dailyscripture.net

Seeing God Face to Face

Feast of Saint Philip and Saint James, Apostles

Father John Bullock, LC 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, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him." Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied." Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? 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 say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it. Introductory Prayer: Christ, I thank you for the gift of faith. You know that I believe, but I want my faith to grow. In knowing you I find meaning, rest and strength. I need you, Lord. I trust in your loving mercy. You know what I need the most today. All I ask is that you remain at my side throughout this day. That is enough for me. I want to spend this day making you happy, pleasing you with my every thought, word and action. Petition: Christ, help me to know you and love you more each day. 1. I Am the Way, the Truth and the Life: “I am the way, the truth and the life.” Christ is the answer to our problems. Since he is fully God and fully man, his very reality unites humanity to God in a way never before hoped. It is in following Christ that we find our way. It is in believing in Christ that we discover truth. It is in accepting Christ that we gain life. Christians don’t simply follow a set of rules or believe in some doctrines, we follow a person: Christ. As Archbishop Fulton Sheen wrote, Christ’s “doctrine was himself” (Life of Christ, p. 153). 2. Show Us the Father: “Seeing is believing”, the saying goes. Yet this seems to go contrary to the faith. Didn’t Christ tell “doubting” Thomas, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe” (John 20:29)? Here again, Christ seems to be chiding Philip for wanting to see. However, Christ isn’t correcting Philip for wanting to see; rather, he didn’t see in Christ what he was supposed to: “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” At the core of the doctrine of the Incarnation is that now the “face” of God is made visible in the person of Christ. Answering the man born blind whom he had just healed when asked who the Son of Man is, Christ said, “You have seen him” (John 9:37). The Second Council of Nicaea, in the year 787, reaffirmed against the iconoclasts the validity of using sacred images, linking religious pictures and art to the Incarnation (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 476). Man has a need to see God, and the Incarnation was God’s response. 3. Believe Because of the Works: Christ helps Philip’s faith by pointing to the works he has done. The faith cannot be proven in an empirical sense, but there can be many signs which assist our reason in that act of faith. Christ’s miracles, his moral stature, his words and ultimately his resurrection are strong arguments in favor of the faith. Nevertheless we must still decide to believe. Once we decide, then even greater works than Christ performed in his earthly life can be worked through us. Don’t wait to understand everything to believe, rather believe and you will begin to understand. Conversation with Christ: Lord, let me see your face in prayer, in the Eucharist and in my neighbor. Be my way, my truth and my life. Be my model, my point of reference and my strength. Without you I can do nothing; with you I can do all things. Resolution: I will do a conscious act of charity for my neighbor, making an effort to see Christ in others.

www.regnumchristi.org

FRIDAY, MAY 3

FEAST OF PHILIP AND JAMES, APOSTLES
JOHN 14:6-14
(1 Corinthians 15:1-8; Psalm 19)
KEY VERSE: "The one who believes in me will also do the works that I do" (v 12).
READING: Jesus told his disciples that he was the "way" to God's "truth and life" (v 6). When Philip asked for some manifestation of the Father, Jesus told him that if he really understood who he was, he would "see" the Father. Jesus was the flesh and blood revelation of God. His words and works were not his alone; they came from his unity with the Father. If Jesus' disciples could not believe what he told them, than at least they should believe in the deeds that he did. He promised that those who had faith in him would be empowered by the Spirit to do even greater works than he had done. When Jesus returned to the Father, he would continually intercede on their behalf (Ro 8:34; Hb 4:14 - 5:10).
REFLECTING: Do I hand on the faith that I have received, just as the apostles did in their time?
PRAYING: St. Philip and St. James, pray that the Church will have the grace to accomplish Christ's works on earth as you did.

FEAST OF PHILIP AND JAMES, APOSTLES
Philip was born in Bethsaida, Galilee, and may have been a disciple of Saint John the Baptist. He is mentioned as one of the Apostles in the lists of Matthew (10:3), Mark (3:18), Luke (6:14), and in Acts (1:13). Philip was called by Jesus Himself (Jn 1:43-48), and began his evangelizing efforts by bringing Nathaniel (Bartholomew) to Jesus. Philip shows us how to evangelize: When Nathaniel asked: "Can anything good come from Nazareth?" Philip appealed for a personal inquiry: "Come and see" (John 1:43). Philip was present at the miracle of the loaves and fishes (John 6:1-15), and was the Apostle approached by the Hellenistic Jews from Bethsaida who wanted him to introduce them to Jesus (Jn 12:21ff). Just before the Passion, Jesus answered Philip's query to show them the Father (Jn 14:8ff), but no further mention of Philip is made in the New Testament beyond his listing among the apostles awaiting the Holy Spirit in the Upper Room (Acts 1:13). According to tradition, Philip preached in Greece and was crucified upside down at Hierapolis in Phrygia under Emperor Domitian, c. 80 AD.

James the son of Alphaeus, was also called "James the Less" because of the reference in Mark where he is called "James the Younger" (15:40). Jameswas favored by an appearance of the Risen Christ (I Cor 15:7). After the dispersion of the Apostles he was made Bishop of Jerusalem. He was visited by St. Paul (Gal 1:19), and spoke after Peter at the meeting of the Apostles in Jerusalem (Acts 15:13). A tradition said that when James was ninety-six years old and had governed the Church for thirty years in a most holy manner, he refused to deny the Divinity of Christ. He was cast down from the terrace of the temple and clubbed to death. The Breviary contains a very moving description of his death. "As he lay there half dead, with legs broken by the fall, he lifted his hands toward heaven and, in the manner of Jesus, prayed to God for the salvation of his enemies, saying: "Lord, forgive them for they know not what they do!"While the apostle was still praying, a fuller struck his head a mortal blow." His relics now rest next to those of St. Philip in the church of the Holy Apostles in Rome, and their names are mentioned in the first list in the Canon of the Mass.

www.daily-word-of-life.com

Their message goes out through all the earth.

Jesus, my Lord, may you truly be my way, my truth, my life.
Give me the grace to walk in your footsteps, imitating you in doing good to all and by patient suffering. No one comes to the Father except through you, who are one with the Father. Jesus, you are both my Way and my journey’s End.

Teach me your truth; for you alone have the words of eternal life and only your words are spirit and life. Give me the grace to die to myself and live only to you who died and rose again for me. For then shall I have life and have it to the full, and come to possess eternal life in possessing you.

www.churchresources.info

May 3
Sts. Philip and James

James, Son of Alphaeus: We know nothing of this man except his name, and of course the fact that Jesus chose him to be one of the 12 pillars of the New Israel, his Church. He is not the James of Acts, son of Clopas, “brother” of Jesus and later bishop of Jerusalem and the traditional author of the Letter of James. James, son of Alphaeus, is also known as James the Lesser to avoid confusing him with James the son of Zebedee, also an apostle and known as James the Greater.

Philip: Philip came from the same town as Peter and Andrew, Bethsaida in Galilee. Jesus called him directly, whereupon he sought out Nathanael and told him of the “one about whom Moses wrote” (John 1:45).
Like the other apostles, Philip took a long time coming to realize who Jesus was. On one occasion, when Jesus saw the great multitude following him and wanted to give them food, he asked Philip where they should buy bread for the people to eat. St. John comments, “[Jesus] said this to test him, because he himself knew what he was going to do” (John 6:6). Philip answered, “Two hundred days’ wages worth of food would not be enough for each of them to have a little [bit]” (John 6:7).
John’s story is not a put-down of Philip. It was simply necessary for these men who were to be the foundation stones of the Church to see the clear distinction between humanity’s total helplessness apart from God and the human ability to be a bearer of divine power by God’s gift.
On another occasion, we can almost hear the exasperation in Jesus’ voice. After Thomas had complained that they did not know where Jesus was going, Jesus said, “I am the way...If you know me, then you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him” (John 14:6a, 7). Then Philip said, “Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us” (John 14:8). Enough! Jesus answered, “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” (John 14:9a).
Possibly because Philip bore a Greek name or because he was thought to be close to Jesus, some Gentile proselytes came to him and asked him to introduce them to Jesus. Philip went to Andrew, and Andrew went to Jesus. Jesus’ reply in John’s Gospel is indirect; Jesus says that now his “hour” has come, that in a short time he will give his life for Jew and Gentile alike.

Comment:

As in the case of the other apostles, we see in James and Philip human men who became foundation stones of the Church, and we are reminded again that holiness and its consequent apostolate are entirely the gift of God, not a matter of human achieving. All power is God’s power, even the power of human freedom to accept his gifts. “You will be clothed with power from on high,” Jesus told Philip and the others. Their first commission had been to expel unclean spirits, heal diseases, announce the kingdom. They learned, gradually, that these externals were sacraments of an even greater miracle inside their persons—the divine power to love like God.

Quote:

“He sent them...so that as sharers in his power they might make all peoples his disciples, sanctifying and governing them.... They were fully confirmed in this mission on the day of Pentecost (cf. Acts 2:1–26) in accordance with the Lord’s promise: ‘You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you shall be witnesses for me...even to the very ends of the earth’ (Acts 1:8). By everywhere preaching the gospel (cf. Mark 16:20), which was accepted by their hearers under the influence of the Holy Spirit, the apostles gathered together the universal Church, which the Lord established on the apostles and built upon blessed Peter, their chief, Christ Jesus himself remaining the supreme cornerstone...” (Vatican II, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, 19).

Patron Saint of:

Uruguay

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LECTIO: STS. PHILIP AND JAMES, APOSTLES - JN 14,21-26

 

Lectio: 

 Friday, May 3, 2013  

1) Opening prayer

Lord our God,
we praise and thank you on the feast
of your apostles Philip and James.
Through them many have come to know
that Jesus is alive and risen.
May we too be good witnesses
to the risen Jesus
by the way we live his risen life,
even though we are flawed and weak,
that people may find through us
the way to the Father of Jesus our Lord.

2) Gospel Reading - John 14,6-14

Jesus said: I am the Way; I am Truth and Life. No one can come to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father too. From this moment you know him and have seen him.
Philip said, 'Lord, show us the Father and then we shall be satisfied.' Jesus said to him, 'Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? 'Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father, so how can you say, "Show us the Father"? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?
What I say to you I do not speak of my own accord: it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his works. You must believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe it on the evidence of these works. In all truth I tell you, whoever believes in me will perform the same works as I do myself, and will perform even greater works, because I am going to the Father.
Whatever you ask in my name I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

3) Reflection

• Today’s Gospel, the Feast of the Apostles Philip and James, is the same one as we meditated on during the 4^th week of Easter, and narrates the request of the Apostle Philip to Jesus: “Show us the Father, and that is enough for us”.

• John 14, 6: I am the way, I am Truth and Life: Thomas had addressed a question to Jesus: “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” (Jn 14, 5). Jesus answers: “I am the way, I am Truth and Life. No one can come to the Father except through me”. Three important words. Without the way, we cannot walk. Without the truth one cannot make a good choice. Without life, there is only death! Jesus explains the sense. He is the way, because no one “comes to the Father except through me”. And he is the gate through which the sheep go in and out (Jn 10, 9). Jesus is the Truth because looking at him, we are seeing the image of the Father. “If you know me, you will know my Father too!” Jesus is Life, because walking like Jesus we will be united to the Father and will have life in us!

• John 14, 7: To know Jesus is to know the Father. Thomas had asked: “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus answers: “I am the way, I am Truth and Life! No one comes to the Father except through me”. And he adds: “If you know me, you will know my Father too. From this moment you have known him and have seen him”. This is the first phrase of today’s Gospel. Jesus always speaks about the Father, because it was the life of the Father that appeared in everything that he said and did. This continuous reference to the Father causes Philip to ask the question.

• John 14, 8-11: Philip asks: “Show us the Father and then we will be satisfied!” It was the desire of the disciples, the desire of many persons of the communities of the Beloved Disciple and it is the desire of many people today. What do people do to see the Father of whom Jesus speaks so much? Jesus’ answer is very beautiful and it is valid even today: “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father!”People should not think that God is far away from us, at a distance and unknown. Anyone who wants to know how and who is God the Father, it suffices for him to look at Jesus. He has revealed him in the words and gestures of his life! “The Father is in me and I am in the Father!” Through his obedience, Jesus has totally identified himself with the Father. At every moment he did what the Father told him to do (Jn 5, 30; 8, 28-29.38). This is why in Jesus, everything is the revelation of the Father! And the signs or works are the works of the Father! As people say: “The son is the face of the father!” This is why in Jesus and for Jesus, God is in our midst.

• John 14, 12-14: The Promise of Jesus. Jesus makes a promise to say that his intimacy with the Father is not a privilege only for him, but it is possible for all those who believe in him. We also, through Jesus, can be able to do beautiful things for others as Jesus did for the people of his time. He intercedes for us. Everything that people ask from him, he asks the Father and obtains it, always if it is to serve. Jesus is our defender. He leaves but he does not leave us without defence. He promises that he will ask the Father and the Father will send another defender and consoler, the Holy Spirit. Jesus even said that it is necessary that he leaves, because otherwise the Holy Spirit will not come (Jn 16, 7). And the Holy Spirit will fulfil the things of Jesus in us, if we act in the name of Jesus and observe the great commandment of the practice of love.

4) For Personal confrontation

• Jesus is the way, the Truth and the Life. Without the way, without Truth and without life we cannot live. Try to make this enter your conscience.
• Two important questions: who is Jesus for me? Who am I for Jesus?

5) Concluding Prayer

The heavens declare the glory of God,
the vault of heaven proclaims his handiwork,
day discourses of it to day,
night to night hands on the knowledge. (Ps 19,1-2)

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