Feast of Saints Philip and James, Apostles
Lectionary: 561
Reading 1
1 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 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
Psalm 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.
Alleluia
John 14:6b, 9c
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the way, the truth, and the life, says the Lord;
Philip, whoever has seen me has seen the Father.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
John 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."
Reflection 1
Catholic Daily Reflections
Do You Not Know Me?
Philip said to Jesus, “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’?” John 14:8–9
Today’s liturgical feast is in honor of two of the Apostles, Philip and James the Lesser. Little is known about James other than that he was chosen by our Lord for the apostolic ministry and that we have one of his letters, which is contained in the New Testament. James eventually went to Jerusalem and led the Church for a few decades until he was stoned to death as a martyr. Philip preached in Greece, Phrygia and Syria. He and Saint Bartholomew were thought to have been crucified upside down. Philip preached upside down from the cross until his death.
In the Gospel for today’s Mass, we are presented with an encounter that Philip had with Jesus. Though this encounter appears to be a rebuke of Philip by Jesus, it’s a rebuke that is quite heartfelt. Jesus says, “Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me, Philip?” Jesus did, indeed, spend much time with His disciples. They stayed together, ate together, traveled together and spent much time talking with each other. Therefore, Jesus’ comments to Philip emanated from His real and lived personal relationship with Philip.
Take the first part of that statement to begin with. “Have I been with you so long…” Imagine Jesus saying this to you. Is this something He would be able to say to you? Is it true that you do spend much time with Him? Do you spend time reading the Gospels, speaking to Him from the depths of your heart, conversing with Him, praying to Him and listening to His gentle voice?
But Jesus goes on: “…and you still do not know me…?” This is a humble truth that is important to admit. It is true that even those who have a very deep and transforming life of prayer do not know our Lord deeply enough. There is no limit to the transformation that can take place in our lives when we know Jesus personally.
Jesus’ statement goes on: “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” So the next question is this: “Do you know the Father?” Do you know the Father’s love, His care for you, His perfect will? Though the Father and the Son are united as one God, They are still distinct Persons, and we must, therefore, work to establish a relationship of love with each one of them.
As initially mentioned, the comments from Jesus are a gentle rebuke of love to Philip, and He wants to speak this same gentle rebuke to you. But it’s a rebuke of love meant to encourage you to get to know Him better. It’s an invitation to personalize your relationship with Jesus and the Father in a real and concrete way. Do you know Him? Do you know the Son of God? Do you know the Father in Heaven?
Reflect, today, upon these loving questions of our Lord as if they were spoken to you. Let His words encourage you to get to know Him more deeply. Pray for your relationship to become more personal and transforming. And as you get to know our Lord more intimately, know that it is also the Father in Heaven Whom you are getting to know.
Reflection 2
One Bread, One Body
“I WISH TO KNOW CHRIST” (PHIL 3:10)
“ ‘Philip,’ Jesus replied, ‘after I have been with you all this time, you still do not know Me?’ ” —John 14:9
The apostle Philip lived, ate, drank, slept, and traveled with Jesus. After three years, Jesus had to conclude that St. Philip still did not know Him (Jn 14:9).
After three similar years, the apostle Peter admitted this same fact. Peter looked at Jesus standing bound and accused from across the courtyard and said: “I do not even know the Man!” (Mt 26:74) While it is true that St. Peter spoke words of cowardice, it’s also important to realize that Peter really didn’t know Jesus. He knew Jesus as Teacher, Master, and Miracle-Worker, but Peter did not know Jesus, the Suffering-Servant.
If the apostles didn’t know Him, then how can we know Him? “The way we can be sure of our knowledge of Him is to keep His commandments” (1 Jn 2:3). If we tell ourselves, “ ‘I have known Him,’ without keeping His commandments,” we are self-deceived (1 Jn 2:4).
We need to know His commandments in order to obey them. Consequently, we need to spend time reading His Word and making it our home (Jn 8:31). In the words of St. Jerome: “Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 133).
We will one day find ourselves telling Jesus all the ways we knew Him (Mt 7:22; Lk 13:26). Yet if we don’t show that we knew Jesus by keeping His commandments, His assessment of us will be: “I never knew You” (Mt 7:23).
Prayer: Jesus, I wish to know You, Your Word, the power flowing from Your Resurrection, and how to share in Your sufferings by being formed into the pattern of Your death (Phil 3:10).
Promise: Jesus “rose on the third day...He was seen by Cephas, then by the Twelve.” —1 Cor 15:4-5
Praise: After receiving the Holy Spirit in the upper room, both Sts. Philip and James followed their Master even unto death.
Reflection 3
The Servants of the Word
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?
Prayers
My divine and personal Lord, it is the deepest desire of Your Sacred Heart to know me and to love me. Fill my heart with this same desire so that I will not only know You, dear Lord, but also the Father in Heaven. Heavenly Father, I thank You for Your perfect love and pray that I may open myself to that love more fully each and every day. Saints Philip and James, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in 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.
Daily Reflections on Divine Mercy
Reflection 123: The Blessing of Humiliations
Who, in their right mind, would want to be humiliated? What would you do if you were humiliated? Most people would be tempted to seek ways to avoid humiliation. Some would become deeply hurt as a result. Others would become angry and defensive. And though the source of one’s humiliation may not be fair, it’s important to understand that humiliations can become an invitation to the deepest depths of God’s grace and Mercy. Humiliation has the potential to produce humility when embraced properly. Though anger and hurt may also result, humility must be the goal. What matters most is that we shed any pride, anger or hurt that we experience and allow ourselves to enter into the depths of humility. This necessary quality will enable us to rely solely upon God, seek consolation and peace only from Him, and allow Him and His holy Will to be the one and only source of our joy in life. Nothing could be better for the soul than the humility that comes from humiliations (See Diary #593).
What is it that humbles you the most? What wounds your pride and causes you to be angry or defensive? What do you stew over and think about obsessively? If something comes to mind, then this may be something very specific that the Lord wishes to turn into a source of grace and Mercy. Everything, be it sin, injustice, hurt, etc., has the potential to be turned into grace by our Lord. He truly is that All-Powerful. Identify that which wounds your pride the most and try to look at it from a new perspective, letting the Lord turn it into a source of grace.
Lord, my pride is wounded so many times. There are so many experiences I have that do not sit well with me. Help me to allow all those things that are out of my control to become transformed by You and Your grace so that they may no longer weigh me down, causing hurt and anger. Take these humiliations, dear Lord, and transform my heart through them so that, in my humility, I may come to know You more intimately and surrender to You more fully. Jesus, I trust in You.
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