Memorial of the apostles Philip and James Read more
Memorial of the apostles Philip and James
Reading of the Word of God
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
If we die with him, we shall live with him,
if with him we endure, with him we shall reign.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
John 12, 20-28
Among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks.
These approached Philip, who came from Bethsaida in Galilee, and put this request to him, 'Sir, we should like to see Jesus.'
Philip went to tell Andrew, and Andrew and Philip together went to tell Jesus.
Jesus replied to them: Now the hour has come for the Son of man to be glorified.
In all truth I tell you, unless a wheat grain falls into the earth and dies, it remains only a single grain; but if it dies it yields a rich harvest.
Anyone who loves his life loses it; anyone who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
Whoever serves me, must follow me, and my servant will be with me wherever I am. If anyone serves me, my Father will honour him.
Now my soul is troubled. What shall I say: Father, save me from this hour? But it is for this very reason that I have come to this hour.
Father, glorify your name! A voice came from heaven, 'I have glorified it, and I will again glorify it.'
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
If we die with him, we shall live with him,
if with him we endure, with him we shall reign.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
The memory of the two apostles has been celebrated together since the sixth century, when the Basilica of the Saint Apostles in Rome, which preserves their relics, was dedicated to them. Philip is among the first to be called by Jesus, and James is one of the privileged witnesses of the mission of the prophet of Nazareth. Both, with their testimony, have led many who sought salvation to the Lord. The Gospel tells of some Greeks who come to Philip and ask him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” It is a question that manifests the need for the help of a brother or sister in order to meet Jesus. It is a constant aspect in the history of the Christians. Even today, those who want to see Jesus must question his disciples. This also means to say that the fate of the Gospel, in a certain way, depends on the disciples, as well as on each of us. We must ask ourselves if we are able to grasp the requests of love that we are asked, sometimes explicitly as it happened in this case, or even in a hidden but no less urgent way, as so often happens on ordinary days. Unfortunately, our concentration on ourselves often makes us deaf to the cries of others. And we should not forget that it is not possible to follow Jesus in a solitary and individualistic way. Too many times we have even individualized faith. Yet faith is a gift that encourages the recipients to live not for themselves, but to bring the Gospel to all, and especially to those who are poor and alone. In answering Philip, Jesus suggests to us the way to be followed. He responds, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” He specifies, “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” With a short and simple metaphor, Jesus sums up his entire life, and we understand the full synthesis of his message. The answer to be given to the Greeks involves the disciples themselves. In fact, Jesus adds, “And where I am, there will my servant also be.” The meaning of life is marked by our following Jesus; to live is to be with him, to learn from him how to give our life for everyone. This is the way the disciples show the Lord to those they meet. The apostle James, who was among the first martyrs, has shown it with deeds and in words. The tradition tells that, as he was thrown from the pinnacle of the temple, he prayed the same words of Jesus: “Lord, forgive them for they do not know what they do.”
Prayer is the heart of the life of the Community of Sant'Egidio and is its absolute priority. At the end of the day, every the Community of Sant'Egidio, large or small, gathers around the Lord to listen to his Word. The Word of God and the prayer are, in fact, the very basis of the whole life of the Community. The disciples cannot do other than remain at the feet of Jesus, as did Mary of Bethany, to receive his love and learn his ways (Phil. 2:5).
So every evening, when the Community returns to the feet of the Lord, it repeats the words of the anonymous disciple: " Lord, teach us how to pray". Jesus, Master of prayer, continues to answer: "When you pray, say: Abba, Father". It is not a simple exhortation, it is much more. With these words Jesus lets the disciples participate in his own relationship with the Father. Therefore in prayer, the fact of being children of the Father who is in heaven, comes before the words we may say. So praying is above all a way of being! That is to say we are children who turn with faith to the Father, certain that they will be heard.
Jesus teaches us to call God "Our Father". And not simply "Father" or "My Father". Disciples, even when they pray on their own, are never isolated nor they are orphans; they are always members of the Lord's family.
In praying together, beside the mystery of being children of God, there is also the mystery of brotherhood, as the Father of the Church said: "You cannot have God as father without having the church as mother". When praying together, the Holy Spirit assembles the disciples in the upper room together with Mary, the Lord's mother, so that they may direct their gaze towards the Lord's face and learn from Him the secret of his Heart.
The Communities of Sant'Egidio all over the world gather in the various places of prayer and lay before the Lord the hopes and the sufferings of the tired, exhausted crowds of which the Gospel speaks ( Mat. 9: 3-7 ), In these ancient crowds we can see the huge masses of the modern cities, the millions of refugees who continue to flee their countries, the poor, relegated to the very fringe of life and all those who are waiting for someone to take care of them. Praying together includes the cry, the invocation, the aspiration, the desire for peace, the healing and salvation of the men and women of this world. Prayer is never in vain; it rises ceaselessly to the Lord so that anguish is turned into hope, tears into joy, despair into happiness, and solitude into communion. May the Kingdom of God come soon among people!
For the sick, in memory of the dead, for peace
