Today, the Church celebrates the liturgical memorial of Saints Philip and James (the son of Alphaeus), two of the disciples who sat at the feet of Jesus and learned first hand about his vision for the Kingdom.
Philip came from Bethsaida, the same town as Peter and Andrew. He was one of the disciples who Jesus called to follow him. In time, he told Nathanael about Jesus, the one about whom Moses wrote (Jn 1:45). Philip gives us the example of one who truly understands that the good news of knowing Jesus must be shared with others. It cannot be kept as though it is meant simply for our own salvation.
James, the son of Alphaeus is also known as James the Lesser, not to be confused with James the Greater, the son of Zebedee.
We get a little glimpse into the world of the disciples in today's gospel passage. Jesus is speaking with the disciples, answering their questions about the Kingdom and the path that we humans must follow in order to arrive at our ultimate destination. When Philip demonstrated his enthusiasm, asking Jesus: show us the Father, that will be enough for us (Jn 14:8), Jesus helped Philip to grow in his understanding: Whoever has seen me has seen the Father (Jn 14:9).
The disciples' questions are also our questions. Today, let us ask Saints Philip and James to pray with us that we too may welcome the word of Jesus, and that our divine teacher may help us to grow in our knowledge of Him.
Have a great day.
No comments:
Post a Comment