This May 3 (Saturday), the Catholic Church celebrates the universal feast of Saints Philip and James the Less—Apostles of the Lord!
Philip and James were among the original twelve apostles that Jesus called to form the core of His Church. Both men are, therefore, given their rightful place in the liturgical calendar.
There are several mentions of Philip in the Gospels. He was likely a close friend of Peter and Andrew since he also lived in Bethsaida, their hometown. He was also proficient in Greek, as evidenced when some Greek-speaking Gentiles talked to him about the Messiah. Philip originally submitted himself as a disciple of John the Baptist and was present during the descent of the Holy Spirit upon Christ in the Jordan. After he accepted Jesus’ invitation to follow Him, Philip gradually became exposed to the everyday affairs of the ministry, and his personality as an extremely practical man was displayed. At the Feeding of the Five Thousand, Philip quickly pointed out that they did not have enough money to buy the required food. Likewise, at the Last Supper, he was clueless about the spiritual unity of the Father and the Son and instead insisted on a physical revelation, which Jesus quickly corrected.
James was the son of Alphaeus and Mary, two close relatives of Christ, which likely meant that James and Jesus were cousins. He is often nicknamed “the Less,” “the Just,” or “the Brother of the Lord” so as not to confuse him with another apostle named James. Unlike Philip, there is hardly any mention of James in the gospels other than that he was one of the Twelve. In the Pauline Epistles and the Acts of the Apostles, however, James had a more prominent role, serving as the first bishop of the Jerusalem diocese. When the Council of Jerusalem was convened to deal with the pressing question of whether Gentile converts should be circumcised or not, James was the last to speak in honor of his position, after which he gave pastoral advice on how best to carry out Peter’s earlier doctrinal pronouncement that the Jewish Law should no longer be held binding on Christians.
Both these men eventually shared in the martyrdom of their Master. Philip went to the Greek city of Hierapolis to preach the Good News and was crucified or beheaded, depending on the account. James the Less was thrown from the top of the Temple Tower by an angry mob of Jews. They share the same feast day because their relics were transferred to Rome simultaneously.
Many Christians tend to overemphasize the allure of heaven at the expense of earth. Thus, the tasks of daily life are seen as trivial and treated as mere stepping stones to the ultimate reward of the life to come. That has never been the position of the Church. Since Christ has both a human body and a divine nature, earth and heaven have the same importance, and to treat the former as inferior to the latter is to literally “dehumanize” Jesus.
Drawing as examples the attitude of Philip and James, who poured themselves wholeheartedly into earthly matters, we should likewise allow ourselves to be swept away with the things that demand our attention, whether as grueling as giving bread to the poor or as cerebral as studying the correct theology. Even though these works might seem transient, they are not because in God, heaven and earth kiss each other in the eternal embrace of holy matrimony.
Saints Philip the Apostle and James the Less, pray for us!
|Painting used: Saint Philip / Saint James the Less c. 1886-94 by James Tissot
Beloved Son
This May 3 (Saturday), the Catholic Church celebrates the universal feast of Saints Philip and James the Less—Apostles of the Lord!
Philip and James were among the original twelve apostles that Jesus called to form the core of His Church. Both men are, therefore, given their rightful place in the liturgical calendar.
There are several mentions of Philip in the Gospels. He was likely a close friend of Peter and Andrew since he also lived in Bethsaida, their hometown. He was also proficient in Greek, as evidenced when some Greek-speaking Gentiles talked to him about the Messiah. Philip originally submitted himself as a disciple of John the Baptist and was present during the descent of the Holy Spirit upon Christ in the Jordan. After he accepted Jesus’ invitation to follow Him, Philip gradually became exposed to the everyday affairs of the ministry, and his personality as an extremely practical man was displayed. At the Feeding of the Five Thousand, Philip quickly pointed out that they did not have enough money to buy the required food. Likewise, at the Last Supper, he was clueless about the spiritual unity of the Father and the Son and instead insisted on a physical revelation, which Jesus quickly corrected.
James was the son of Alphaeus and Mary, two close relatives of Christ, which likely meant that James and Jesus were cousins. He is often nicknamed “the Less,” “the Just,” or “the Brother of the Lord” so as not to confuse him with another apostle named James. Unlike Philip, there is hardly any mention of James in the gospels other than that he was one of the Twelve. In the Pauline Epistles and the Acts of the Apostles, however, James had a more prominent role, serving as the first bishop of the Jerusalem diocese. When the Council of Jerusalem was convened to deal with the pressing question of whether Gentile converts should be circumcised or not, James was the last to speak in honor of his position, after which he gave pastoral advice on how best to carry out Peter’s earlier doctrinal pronouncement that the Jewish Law should no longer be held binding on Christians.
Both these men eventually shared in the martyrdom of their Master. Philip went to the Greek city of Hierapolis to preach the Good News and was crucified or beheaded, depending on the account. James the Less was thrown from the top of the Temple Tower by an angry mob of Jews. They share the same feast day because their relics were transferred to Rome simultaneously.
Many Christians tend to overemphasize the allure of heaven at the expense of earth. Thus, the tasks of daily life are seen as trivial and treated as mere stepping stones to the ultimate reward of the life to come. That has never been the position of the Church. Since Christ has both a human body and a divine nature, earth and heaven have the same importance, and to treat the former as inferior to the latter is to literally “dehumanize” Jesus.
Drawing as examples the attitude of Philip and James, who poured themselves wholeheartedly into earthly matters, we should likewise allow ourselves to be swept away with the things that demand our attention, whether as grueling as giving bread to the poor or as cerebral as studying the correct theology. Even though these works might seem transient, they are not because in God, heaven and earth kiss each other in the eternal embrace of holy matrimony.
Saints Philip the Apostle and James the Less, pray for us!
|Painting used: Saint Philip / Saint James the Less c. 1886-94 by James Tissot
10 hours ago | [YT] | 8