Subj : May 3rd - SS. Philip and James To : All From : rich Date : Thu May 02 2019 08:55:20 From: rich May 3rd - SS. Philip and James We know very little about the character and subsequent lives of the apostles. The New Testament gives us glimpses of only a few; what later history records about their activities is usually obscure and untrustworthy. Would the Twelve have minded the lack of publicity? On the contrary, I am sure they would have rejoiced in it. Their sole aim was to preach Christ crucified. They made their own the words that St. John the Baptist applied to Jesus: =E2=80=9CHe must increase, while I must decrease.=E2=80=9D (John 3:30). Having said this, let's turn to the apostles Philip and James for a= n illustration. We take James first. There were two apostles by that name. This one is called James the Less (which most likely means, the younger), to distinguish him from James the Greater, the brother of St. John the Evangelist (and along with Peter and John, the closest to Christ). The bible mentions still another James, but it is not clear whether this James is an apostle or just a prominent disciple. Now, a certain James became bishop of Jerusalem. St. Paul referred to him as a =E2=80=9Cpillar o= f the Church.=E2=80=9D (Gal. 2:9). Was this =E2=80=9CJames of Jerusalem=E2=80= =9D James the Less? Was it he who wrote the =E2=80=9CEpistle of James=E2=80=9D? Most scholars t= hink that James of Jerusalem and James the Less were one person, and that he was most likely a cousin of Christ. James the bishop of Jerusalem was martyred in A.D. 62-66, bludgeoned (or stoned) to death at Jerusalem. The close association of St. James the Less with St. Philip in the Church calendar springs solely from the fact that his relics were ultimately brought to Rome and enshrined in the Church of the Holy Apostles along with those of St. Philip. Actually, Philip's ministr= y had been in Phrygia, now a part of Turkey. One attribute of James the Less that has been clearly remembered is his great spiritual wisdom. Philip's later life story is also confused. The narrators tend to m= ix him up with St. Philip the Deacon, who is mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles, chapter 8. Philip the Apostle's remains have been venerat= ed in Rome since A.D. 561. In St. Philip's case, however, the gospel references to him do give= us an inkling about his personality. Thus, when he first discovered Jesus of Nazareth, he went at once to inform his friend Nathanael (most likely the apostle St. Bartholomew). Nathanael, something of a skeptic, replied, =E2=80=9CCan anything good come from Nazareth?=E2=80=9D K= eeping his temper, Philip simply said, =E2=80=9CCome and see.=E2=80=9D Nathanael did g= o and see, and was at once captivated by our Lord. Then when Jesus was about to multiply the loaves for the five thousand, he asked Philip, =E2=80=9CWhere shall we buy bread for these peop= le to eat?=E2=80=9D Philip, a literal man, answered, =E2=80=9CNot even with tw= o hundred days' wages could we buy loaves enough to give each of them a mouthful.=E2=80=9D (John 6:5-7). Jesus' miracle showed Philip that = there was another way of solving the problem. Again, at the Last Supper, Jesus said, =E2=80=9CNo one comes to the Father = but through me.=E2=80=9D Philip, ever literal, responded, =E2=80=9CLord, show u= s the Father and that will be enough for us.=E2=80=9D The Savior replied, =E2=80= =9CPhilip, after I have been with you all this time, you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.=E2=80=9D (John 14:8-9) Even in these few references to Philip, therefore, we can see mirrored a man who is neither subtle nor very imaginative by nature, but is nevertheless earnest, dedicated, loyal: =E2=80=9Call wool and a yard wide= =E2=80=9D. Like Peter the blusterer and Thomas the skeptic, St. Philip was a man with human faults but great good will. Jesus chose such men because He knew that as their virtues grew in the context of their apostolate, those very flaws would be made virtuous. He that knows God and loves Him, though he be ignorant of what others know, is more learned than all the learned, who know not how to love God What do we know? Do we know how to love God? Can we tell and show our children and our neighbour how to love God? Our spare time--to whom do we give it; to God Who is the most loveable and will not accept half-love, nor unrequited love, or to...? 28. St. Alphonsus de Liguori (The 'Useful' Doctor, 1696-1787) -"St. Alphonsus' Devout Reflections", [Burns & Oates, 1901, p.19]: "Blessed is he who has received from God the science of the Saints. The science of the Saints is, to know how to love God. How many in the world are well versed in literature, in mathematics, in foreign and ancient languages! But what will all this profit them, if they know not how to love God? 'Blessed is he, said St. Augustine, who knows God, even if he knows nothing else.' "He that knows God and loves Him, though he be ignorant of what others know, is more learned than all the learned, who know not how to love God. "O my true and perfect lover, where shall I find one who has loved me as much as Thou hast loved me? In the past I have lost my time in learning many things which have profited my soul nothing; and I have thought little of knowing how to love Thee. I see that my life has been lost." <><><><> O Most Holy God O most Holy God, I adore Thee, through the Adorable Sacrament of the Altar, and I offer Thee, through the holy hands of the Immaculate Virgin Mary, all the consecrated Hosts on our Altars as a sacrifice of expiation, reparation, and atonement for all the sacrileges, profanations, impieties, blasphemies, and crimes committed against Thee throughout the universe. - Amen. --- NewsGate v1.0 gamma 2 * Origin: News Gate @ Net396 -Huntsville, AL - USA (1:396/4) .