Philip said to Jesus, “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’?”
John 14:8–9
Today’s liturgical feast is in honor of two of the Apostles, Philip
and James the Lesser. Little is known about James other than that
he was chosen by our Lord for the apostolic ministry and that we
have one of his letters, which is contained in the New Testament.
James eventually went to Jerusalem and led the Church for a few
decades until he was stoned to death as a martyr. Philip preached
in Greece, Phrygia and Syria. He and Saint Bartholomew were thought
to have been crucified upside down. Philip preached upside down
from the cross until his death.
In the Gospel for today’s Mass, we are presented with an encounter
that Philip had with Jesus. Though this encounter appears to be a
rebuke of Philip by Jesus, it’s a rebuke that is quite heartfelt.
Jesus says, “Have I been with you for so long a time and you still
do not know me, Philip?” Jesus did, indeed, spend much time with
His disciples. They stayed together, ate together, traveled
together and spent much time talking with each other. Therefore,
Jesus’ comments to Philip emanated from His real and lived personal
relationship with Philip.
Take the first part of that statement to begin with. “Have I been
with you so long…” Imagine Jesus saying this to you. Is this
something He would be able to say to you? Is it true that you do
spend much time with Him? Do you spend time reading the Gospels,
speaking to Him from the depths of your heart, conversing with Him,
praying to Him and listening to His gentle voice?
But Jesus goes on: “...and you still do not know me...?” This is a
humble truth that is important to admit. It is true that even those
who have a very deep and transforming life of prayer do not know
our Lord deeply enough. There is no limit to the transformation
that can take place in our lives when we know Jesus
personally.
Jesus’ statement goes on: “Whoever has seen me has seen the
Father.” So the next question is this: “Do you know the Father?” Do
you know the Father’s love, His care for you, His perfect will?
Though the Father and the Son are united as one God, They are still
distinct Persons, and we must, therefore, work to establish a
relationship of love with each one of them.
As initially mentioned, the comments from Jesus are a gentle rebuke
of love to Philip, and He wants to speak this same gentle rebuke to
you. But it’s a rebuke of love meant to encourage you to get to
know Him better. It’s an invitation to personalize your
relationship with Jesus and the Father in a real and concrete way.
Do you know Him? Do you know the Son of God? Do you know the Father
in Heaven?
Reflect, today, upon these loving questions of our Lord as if they
were spoken to you. Let His words encourage you to get to know Him
more deeply. Pray for your relationship to become more personal and
transforming. And as you get to know our Lord more intimately, know
that it is also the Father in Heaven Whom you are getting to
know.
My divine and personal Lord, it is the deepest desire of Your
Sacred Heart to know me and to love me. Fill my heart with this
same desire so that I will not only know You, dear Lord, but also
the Father in Heaven. Heavenly Father, I thank You for Your perfect
love and pray that I may open myself to that love more fully each
and every day. Saints Philip and James, pray for me. Jesus, I trust
in You.
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Featured image above: SS. Philip and James the Less By Paolo
Veronese, via Wikimedia Commons
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