Sts. Philip and James, Apostles

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Today we celebrate two of the Twelve Apostles, chosen by Our Lord and entrusted with the mission of being witnesses to him, especially his Resurrection, as today’s First Reading reminds us. Today we celebrate James, the son of Alphaeus, sometimes known as James the Lesser, as opposed to James, the son of Zebedee and brother of John the Evangelist, known as James the Greater. In today’s First Reading it makes specific mention of James, apart from the Twelve. It’s not clear which James is being referred to here, but it is clear that James is being named as an Apostle who received the grace of seeing the Risen Lord, to whom he may also have been related (see Galatians 1:19, Matthew 13:55).

Philip, as the Gospel reminds us today, needed a little time to process what Our Lord was trying to teach regarding the Holy Trinity; Jesus told him, “Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me.” He didn’t yet grasp that seeing Our Lord was also seeing the Father; he was seeing God, and Son and Father, along with the Holy Spirit, is God.

There are two Philips found in the New Testament. There are two James, possibly three found throughout the New Testament, and two of them are Apostles. It’s not important to keep track, of who’s who, but to remember that each Apostle should rejoice, as Our Lord taught, because their “names are written in Heaven” (Luke 10:20). Let’s pray today that through their intercession and inspired by their witness that our names will be written in Heaven as well.

Readings: 1 Corinthians 15:1–8; Psalm 19:2–5; John 14:6–14. See also 4th Week of Easter, Friday.

6th Week of Easter, Monday (2)

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In today’s First Reading Paul arrives in Philippi, his first missionary stop in Europe after spending time evangelizing Asia Minor. In Saturday‘s First Reading we saw the Spirit urging Paul to head to Macedonia, and Philippi is the biggest city in that district. The culture is no longer predominantly Jewish; in Paul’s time, when there weren’t enough Jewish families to found a synagogue, the Jews of the town would go to pray in a spot outside of it instead, which is why Paul goes to the most likely spot today where Jews would gather in order to share the Gospel with them.

Luke recalls this momentous occasion because Paul does find people there who believe and are baptized. We know that a thriving Christian community begins there, which is why Paul sends them a letter that we still have today in the canon of Scripture: the Letter to the Philippians.

The Holy Spirit sent Paul to Philippi, and also prepared those living there to welcome the Gospel preached by Paul. The Spirit was able to use Paul’s astuteness and Lydia’s faith to found a Christian community. Let’s ask the Spirit today how we can use our talents to help spread the Gospel.

Readings: Acts 16:11–15; Psalm 149:1b–6a, 9b; John 15:26–16:4a. See also 6th Week of Easter, Monday.

6th Sunday of Easter, Cycle C

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As we prepare for the Solemnity of the Ascension, to be followed two weeks from today by Pentecost, we see the readings turning to the protagonism of the Holy Spirit in the Church. In today’s Gospel, at the Last Supper, Our Lord promises to send the Holy Spirit in order to teach the disciples and remind them of what Our Lord had told them. We see that help of the Holy Spirit in today’s First Reading when the apostles explain, “It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us…” Today we call that the Magisterium of the Church. John in today’s Second Reading is taken in spirit to see a vision of the heavenly Jerusalem; the Spirit enables him to see things others can’t.

We have a powerful Advocate. The Spirit doesn’t just hover around us; the Spirit is within us, along all the Most Holy Trinity, if we remain in a state of grace. The Spirit sanctifies us, and wants to guide us as well, if we let him. Even when we are not open to the Spirit, the Spirit helps our shepherds to teach us and remain faithful to what Our Lord has told us: the Gospel.

In two weeks we hope to receive a special outpouring of the Spirit who already dwells within us through baptism and a holy life. Let’s examine our lives to see whether we are letting the Spirit guide us, and hope and pray for a personal Pentecost.

Readings: Acts 15:1–2, 22–29; Psalm 67:2–3, 5–6, 8; Revelation 21:10–14, 22–23; John 14:23–29. See also 5th Week of Easter, Monday.

5th Week of Easter, Saturday (2)

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In today’s First Reading there is a momentous new person, place, and pronoun that show the Acts of the Apostles are starting to head in our direction, geographically and historically. We hear of Timothy for the first time, a Jewish-Gentile convert whom Paul takes with him on his missionary voyage. Timothy would later be the recipient of two letters by Paul that form part of the canon of Scripture: 1 Timothy and 2 Timothy. These Pastoral Epistles by Paul show Timothy years later continuing Paul’s work of caring for the Churches, and in Paul’s advice we see the Church taking shape as we live in it today.

Paul today has lots of ideas for where to go next in his missionary voyage, but the Spirit reins him in. Little does he know the Spirit is saving him for something big: Macedonia. The difference between Macedonia and most of the places mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles is that Macedonia is in Europe: by going to Macedonia Paul goes from Asia Minor, where most of his missionary work took place, into a new continent, and for those of us with a European background, the Acts of the Apostles start heading in our direction.

Lastly, there is a momentous change of pronoun: Luke suddenly goes from speaking of “they” to speaking of “we”: though it can’t be definitively confirmed, this “we” seems to indicate that Luke is actually accompanying Paul for the rest of the mission. Paul’s story draws closer to us, historically and geographically, but that “we” also leaves room for us to get involved. Where can we go to continue the work Paul started? How can we help to care for the Churches today? Let’s ask St. Paul, St. Timothy, and St. Luke to intercede for us and help us to see how we can help build on what they started.

Readings: Acts 16:1–10; Psalm 100:1b–3, 5; John 15:18–21. See also 5th Week of Easter, Saturday.

5th Week of Easter, Friday (2)

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In today’s First Reading the Council of Jerusalem concludes by sending a letter and envoys to Christians from a Gentile background, as well as the converts from Judaism who were telling them they had to be circumcised and follows Mosaic Law for salvation. Nothing more would be expected of them than had been expected of Gentiles living among Jews in the past (the norms mentioned in the letter come in part from Leviticus 17, which had norms for non-Jews living among Jews). Paul and Barnabas return to their Church to share the good news, and Judas and Silas come with them to show that the decision is legitimate.

When the letter is read to the Christians assembled in Antioch we can only imagine their relief. Jewish strictures were very demanding and would have involved a dramatic change of lifestyle for the Gentiles who were already trying to bring their lives into conformity with the Gospel. Here we see the birth pangs of the Church as she goes beyond the cultural confines of Judaism. Even today the faith goes beyond any one culture, while reflecting the culture of the believers who comprise the Church. The Gospel seeks to enrich every culture while not being enslaved to them, and that sense it will at times be counter-cultural.

Let’s not be shy about being counter-cultural if it means conforming our lives to the Gospel. If a decision comes between my culture and the Gospel, the Gospel should win.

Readings: Acts 15:22–31; Psalm 57:8–10, 12; John 15:12–17. See also 5th Week of Easter, Friday.