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Today's Readings
Reading I
1 Cor 15:1-8
I am reminding you, brothers and sisters, of the Gospel I preached
to you, which you indeed received and in which you also stand.
Through it you are also being saved, if you hold fast to the word I
preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I handed on to you
as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for
our sins in accordance with the Scriptures; that he was buried; that
he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures;
that he appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve. After that, he
appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at once,
most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. After
that he appeared to James, then to all the Apostles. Last of all, as
to one born abnormally, he appeared to me.
Responsorial Psalm
19:2-3, 4-5
R. (5) Their message goes out through all the earth. or: R.
Alleluia. The heavens declare the glory of God; and the
firmament proclaims his handiwork. Day pours out the word to day;
and night to night imparts knowledge. R. Their message goes out
through all the earth. or: R. Alleluia. Not a word nor a
discourse whose voice is not heard; Through all the earth their
voice resounds, and to the ends of the world, their message. R.
Their message goes out through all the earth. or: R.
Alleluia.
Gospel
Jn 14:6-14
Jesus said to Thomas, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No
one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, then you
will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen
him.” Philip said to him, “Master, show us the Father, and that will
be enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you for so
long a time and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen
me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do
you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The
words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own. The Father who
dwells in me is doing his works. Believe me that I am in the Father
and the Father is in me, or else, believe because of the works
themselves. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do
the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I
am going to the Father. And whatever you ask in my name, I will do,
so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything
of me in my name, I will do it.” |
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Saints Philip and James,
Apostles
May 3
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Saint
Philip the Apostle
Like the brothers, Peter and
Andrew, Philip was a native of Bethsaida on Lake Genesareth (John 1:44).
He also was among those surrounding the Baptist when the latter first
pointed out Jesus as the Lamb of God. On the day after Peter's call, when
about to set out for Galilee, Jesus met Philip and called him to the
Apostolate with the words, "Follow me". Philip obeyed the call, and a
little later brought Nathaniel as a new disciple (John 1:43-45). On the
occasion of the selection and sending out of the twelve, Philip is
included among the Apostles proper. His name stands in the fifth place in
the three lists (Matt., x, 2-4; Mark, iii, 14-19; Luke, vi, 13-16) after
the two pairs of brothers, Peter and Andrew, James and John. The Fourth
Gospel records three episodes concerning Philip which occurred during the
epoch of the public teaching of the Saviour:
Before the miraculous feeding of the multitude, Christ turns towards
Philip with the question: "Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?"
to which the Apostle answers: "Two hundred penny-worth of bread is not
sufficient for them, that every one may take a little" (vi, 5-7).
When some heathens in Jerusalem came to Philip and expressed their desire
to see Jesus, Philip reported the fact to Andrew and then both brought the
news to the Saviour (xii, 21-23).
When Philip, after Christ had spoken to His Apostles of knowing and seeing
the Father, said to Him: "Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for
us", he received the answer: "He that seeth me, seeth the Father also"
(xiv, 8-9).
These three episodes furnish a consistent character-sketch of Philip as a
naïve, somewhat shy, sober-minded man. No additional characteristics are
given in the Gospels or the Acts, although he is mentioned in the latter
work (i, 13) as belonging to the Apostolic College.
Saint
James the Lesser, Apostle
Apostle. Cousin of Jesus.
Brother of Saint Jude Thaddeus. One of the first to have visions of the
risen Christ. First Bishop of Jerusalem.
Having been beaten to death, a club almost immediately became his symbol.
This led to his patronage of fullers and pharmacists, both of whom use
clubs in their professions.
Like all men of renown, large stories grew up around James. He is reported
to have spent so much time in prayer that his knees thickened, and looked
like a camel's. Soon after the Crucifixion, James said he would fast until
Christ returned; the resurrected Jesus appeared to him, and fixed a meal
Himself.
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