Studying the Bible is fun. There are a lot of detective works to be done. That was the reason why I recommended the Bible to the Student Union Newspaper for those who want to increase their knowledge. In order to unlock the secrets in the Bible, I told them, you need to equip yourself with knowledge from a great diversity of subjects such as languages, mathematics, geography, chemistry, astronomy etc.
On May 3, the Catholic Church celebrates feast of St. Philip and St. James the Lesser. Little is known about the life of James the Lesser, to be distinguished from James, the brother of John, sons of Zebedee. James was a very ordinary name. Many people were called James (Jacob) in Jesus' time. In the early church, James, the brother of the Lord, commanded great influence. But according to the synoptic gospels, James the Lesser was the son of Alphaeus. So, he would not be the brother of the Lord. May be! Some people argued that Mary, the mother of James (Luke 24:10) was the sister of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Therefore, this James is entitled to be called the brother of the Lord. What a piece of detective work! Tradition also has James the Lesser authored the first Catholic Epistle. I can only leave it to biblical scholars to establish this authorship.
In the synoptic gospels, Philip is mentioned only once in the list of the Twelve Apostles. The gospel of John gives us more information about him. After baptism, Jesus decided to return to Galilee and he found Philip who came from Bethsaida (John 1:43-44). Then he introduced Nathanael (Bartholomew) to Jesus. Philip was a model disciple. After finding the Messiah, he was eager to share this good news with his friends.
In the miracle of 5 loaves and 2 fish, Jesus posed a problem to Philip.
How are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat? (John 6:5)
Philip answered him, "Two hundred denarii would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little." (John 6:7)
First of all, they might not have the money. Secondly, even if they had the money, there would not be enough bread available in the neighbourhood. In fact, Andrew could only find a lad with 5 barley loaves and 2 fish (John 6:9). Feeding the 5000 with only 5 loaves and 2 fish was simply impossible. In hind sight, probably, the best answer would be "Lord, you know what to do." But how could Philip possibly know. He could only objectively state the situation at hand.
During the last Feast of Passover, some Greeks came to Jerusalem to worship. They approached Philip in order to see Jesus (John 12:21). Philip did not go with them alone. Instead, he came to Andrew and together, they brought the matter to Jesus. Philip would have done this all by himself. But he was humble indeed. He did not want to claim all the credit for himself.
At last, in the Last Supper when Jesus told them that he would be returning to the Father to prepare room for them, Philip requested.
Lord, show us the Father, and we shall be satisfied (John 14:8).
The mood in the Last Supper was rather confusing. Jesus their master began with a surprise washing of their feet. Then the master talked about a traitor and Peter's denials. And what was worst, the master said he would be leaving them behind. While everyone else might have other thoughts in their mind for themselves, Philip was able to focus on Jesus' words. He wanted to see the Father to whom their master was going to return. He was able to capture the most important issue at hand.
Then Philip and some other apostles totally vanished from the scene. He had learned the mystery and matured.
My sweet Jesus, thank You for Your giving us great apostles to lay the foundation of the Church. They were ordinary men and You have transformed them into effective instruments of God. May we follow their examples to proclaim Your good news to all men. Amen.
St Philip and St. James the Lesser, pray for us. Amen.
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