Feast of Saints Philip and James, apostles
(I Corinthians 15:1-8; John 14:6-14)
Today’s readings have been chosen because they name the two
apostles we celebrate. Both apostles are
encountered several other times in the New Testament. Still their legacies are uncertain or at least
have caused some confusion.
James is sometimes called “the Less” because of his small
stature or relatively young age. He may
have been an almost forgotten apostle – the son of a certain Alpheus. But he may have been “the brother of the
Lord” which traditionally means a relative of Jesus. If he is the latter, he not only received an
appearance of the risen Lord but was the leader of the Jerusalem community.
Philip is one of Jesus’ first disciples called in the gospel
of John. The gospel mentions him on
several other occasions such as his misguided request at the Last Supper in
today’s gospel reading. This Philip is
not to be confused with the Greek-speaking Philip of the Acts of the Apostles
who converted the Ethiopian magistrate.
Both Philip and James show us that Jesus was not a mythic
figure, but a human being with relations and a following. They welcome us into Jesus’ company. We take Jesus’ body and blood which give an
intimacy even greater than that of a blood relative. We heed his teaching which allows us to know
the source and goal of our existence.
