‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.’
Today we celebrate the feast of Sts Philip and James. They were martyred for the love of God.
Like the brothers, Peter and Andrew, Philip grew up in Bethsaida on the Sea of Galilee. He was a follower of St John the Baptist and when John the Baptist pointed out Jesus as the Lamb of God, Jesus met Philip and called him to be His apostle.
"Follow me". Philip obeyed the call, and a little later brought Nathaniel (Bartholomew) as a disciple. It was Philip whom Jesus asked him how to feed the multitude. Philip was captivated by Jesus, but somehow still did not understand Him. Perhaps he was naive. However, once he received the Holy Spirit, he understood and spread the Word of God to Greece and Frisia.
Jesus wants us to know that if we have faith in Him we have faith in the Father because the Father and He are one. St Philip met a horrific death either by stoning, beheading or crucifixion upside down. He is the patron saint of bakers and pastry chefs due to his interaction at the feeding of the thousands.
St James the Less is the author of the epistle. He was the son of Alphaeus of Cleophas. His mother, Mary, was a close relative of Mary and for that reason the Jewish custom referred to him as the brother of the Lord. He witnessed the Resurrection of Christ. James the Less is different from James the Great, the son of Zebedee and the brother of John. St James the Less preached in Syria and contributed to an eastern expansion of the Gospel. He was clubbed to death and is the patron saint of pharmacists holding the pestle which resembles a club. His images show him carrying a book signifying the authority in the early Church.
Nobody knew what God was like but now we know. ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.’
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