Feast of Saints Philip and James, Apostles
May 3, 2021
Feast of Saints Philip and James, Apostles
Lectionary: 561
Reading I
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
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
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
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: KNOWING THE FATHER THROUGH THE SON
Philip has a particular trait as presented in the gospel of John. He found Nathaniel and told him, 'we have found the Messiah.' Later, he introduced Nathaniel to Jesus about who Jesus said, 'here is an Israelite, a true one, there is no false in him.' In today's gospel, we see Philip asking a profound question to Jesus, 'Lord, show us the Father, and that is enough.' The response of Jesus to Philip's question is quite stunning as it encompasses the summary of the Trinitarian theology. However, right from the start, Philip got things right, his questions and queries were regarding heaven and the Father. The God of the 'Our Father' is the focus of Philip, and Jesus leads him in the direction of knowing the Father through Him, reiterating the significance of the relationship of love that exists between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Not only does Jesus highlight the Trinitarian union, but also suggests a deeper faith which results in accomplishing greater works in the world. We see here, a focused purpose of Jesus unfolding with a dual intent of establishing a relationship with the Father and drawing us into the heavenly union. The words of Jesus in the gospel bear witness to the mission and the commission to preach the gospel: to preach the truth that Jesus came from the Father himself who had sent him in order that all may know him, be gathered in his name and be saved. In other words, Jesus is the only sure way to the Father, and like Philip, our desire even to know the Father comes to us from Jesus himself. Do I consider that Jesus is the true path to our Heavenly Father?