Today we celebrate two of the Twelve members of Jesus’ circle.
Philip, a friend of Andrew’s from Bethsaida, is invited by Jesus himself to join his company. In the Fourth Gospel, Philip often says what the other eleven are thinking. In John’s accounting of the feeding of the multitude with the bread and fish, Philip wonders how Jesus plans to do this: “Two hundred days’ wages worth of food would not be enough for each of them to have a little.” In today’s Gospel, Philip asks Jesus to come to the point: “Show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” Philip, a Greek, introduced many Greek Jews to Jesus. Philip is thought to have preached in what is today Turkey.
There are two Apostles named James in the Gospels. The James we remember today was believed to be a cousin of Jesus. He is not the James who was part of Jesus’ core group that included Peter and John; the James we celebrate today is therefore often referred to as James the “Less.” He doesn’t appear in the Gospels on his own, outside of the Twelve. After Jesus’ ascension, James the “Less” became the leader of the Jerusalem church and became a mentor of sorts to Saint Paul as he began his missionary work among the Gentiles. Tradition assigns his name to one of the short “catholic” epistles in the New Testament. A constant theme of James’ preaching was the Christian community’s obligation to provide for the poor and care for the sick.
There are two notable points in this Gospel. The first is that Jesus challenges the disciples to do the work that he did. Of course, Jesus worked miracles. There is some evidence that the disciples may have the ability to cure.
As for you and me, and Christians now, we do not have the power to perform instant cures. However, over time man has learned to conquer many diseases. Physicians and surgeons, these days would probably be seen as miracle workers by those living in ancient times.
While there may not be a direct connection to Jesus, it was Jesus’ powerful message of reaching out to help the weak, the ill, the dying, that over the years has influenced societies to seek remedies and cures for the sick.
We see men and women, scientists and doctors spending countless hours researching ways to bring about a better life for their fellow men and women.
The second point is the challenge to offer the correct prayers. What does that mean? Jesus says that all prayers offered in his name will be granted.
A prayer offered in Jesus’ name is a selfless prayer, not one that focuses only on one’s self interests, personal ambition, or in a worst-case scenario personal revenge. The test of a good prayer is to ask oneself; Can I make it in the name of Jesus? Does my prayer reflect the love and compassion of Jesus’ life and message?
Philip and James and their fellow Apostles became the pillars of the Church. With our good works and prayers may we continue to build that Church.