Scripture for
meditation: Acts 8:4-8
The members of the church who had been dispersed went
about preaching the word. Philip, for example, went down to the town of Samaria
and there proclaimed the Messiah. Without exception, the crowds that heard Philip
and saw the miracles he performed attended closely to what he had to say. There
were many who had unclean spirits, which came out shrieking loudly. Many others
were paralytics or cripples, and these were cured. The rejoicing in that town
rose to fever pitch.
Scripture for
reflection: James 2:14-17
My brothers, what good is it to profess faith without
practicing it? Such faith has no power to save one, has it? If a brother or
sister has nothing to wear and no food for the day, and you say to them, “Good-bye
and good luck! Keep warm and well fed,” but do not meet their bodily needs,
what good is that? So it is with the faith that does nothing in practice. It is
thoroughly lifeless.
We learn in Lives of the
Saints: St. Philip, a native of
Bethsaida in Galilee, was called by our Lord the day after St. Peter and St.
Andrew. We learn from tradition that he was then a married man, and that he had
several daughters, three of whom reached eminent sanctity. Like the other
apostles, St. Philip left all things to follow Christ. His name is frequently
mentioned in the gospels. After the Ascension of his Divine Master, St. Philip
preached the Gospel in that part of Asia Minor called Phrygia, which was then a
province of the Roman Empire. It is supposed that he was buried at Hierapolis
in Phrygia.
St. James the Less, the author
of the first Catholic Epistle, was the son of Alphaeus of Cleophas. His mother
Mary was either a sister or a close relative of the Blessed Virgin and for that
reason, according to Jewish custom, he was sometimes called the brother of the
Lord. The Apostle held a distinguished position in the early Christian
community of Jerusalem. St. Paul tells us he was a witness of the Resurrection
of Christ; he is also called a “pillar” of the Church, whom St. Paul consulted
about the Gospel. According to tradition, he was the first Bishop of Jerusalem,
and was at the Council of Jerusalem about the year 50…. He was martyred for the
Faith …in the spring of the year 62...and was given the surname “James the
Just.” St. James (in his Epistle) realizes full well the temptations and
difficulties (the young Church) encountered in the midst of paganism and as a
spiritual father, he endeavors to guide and direct them in the faith. Therefore
the burden of his discourse is an exhortation to practical Christian living.
Prayer: Lord God, we enjoy celebrating
the annual feast of Your Apostles Sts. Philip and James. Through their prayers
let us share in the Passion and the Resurrection of Your Son and help us merit
Your eternal presence. Amen. (Both selections taken from Lives of the Saints, Catholic Book Publishing Co. 1977)
My thoughts: If you have never taken the time to read the Epistle
of St. James, now is the time to do it. St. James is a hard-hitter, and makes
clear to all who read his letter that Christianity demands a high level of
living. He is the author of the famous line “Faith without works is nothing”. He
does not mince words, and, as a result, is most applicable to the times in
which we are now living. You will also find him in the Gospels, as Jesus always
took him along with Peter and John to the “big events”. His mother is said to
have stood at the foot of the Cross with Mary. Philip is a powerful, spirit-filled
man who also is found in the Gospels, but really comes to life in the Acts of
the Apostles. He is always ready and willing to listen to the voice of the Holy
Spirit and follows His directions without question. In one section, where he
just baptized an Ethiopian eunuch, Luke tells us that Philip just disappears
from view. Talk about having grace-filled powers! From the meditation for today
you can see that he was so powerful that people were basically dancing in the
streets wherever he preached. He was on fire for Christ. Are we? Maybe it is
time to ask ourselves if we, too, can draw people to God by being who we are.
Is there anything in our way of life, in our speech or in our actions that
distinguishes us from the crowd? There should be. There should be a very
counter-culture layer to our lives. Filled with the love of God, we should dispense
mercy and love and truth wherever we go. Like the great saints of this week:
St. Joseph the Worker, St. Catherine of Siena, St. Athanasius, and Sts. Philip
and James, can we call ourselves the workers in Christ’s vineyard? The times
are challenging, but we can rise above it all and bring our fellow sojourners
back to the path that leads to Christ. Just take the time to study this week’s
saints. You will become brave, bold and on fire!!!
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