RBWords

     The first scripture today mentions James and the second one mentions Philip.  That gives us the probable reason for the choices since today is their joint feast day! However, the gospel scripture from John more or less keeps us moving along even if the passage on Friday will be the section just before today's!  Nevertheless, the words that begin today's gospel selection are very important ones if only because they have been misused by overzealous Christians to exclude millions and millions of human beings from salvation!  

     The "farewell discourse" begins the second major section of the Gospel of John.  Here we have Jesus preparing the disciples for his death and resurrection.  At the same time, the gospel author uses the various parts of these discourses to provide his community with a way of interpreting Jesus' life, death and resurrection in their preaching.  Scripture scholars have just about given up developing a coherent organization to the whole thing, which stretches across four chapters.  We have to take each portion as it comes and try to fit it into the bigger picture of the gospel rather than create relationships between the parts.

     Philip and James were both present at the Last Supper.  Philip gets the speaking part, and it shows that the disciples were still struggling with their understanding of the identity of Jesus.  This is another example of the "misunderstanding" pattern, but here Jesus makes explicit his unity with his Father, a unity that the later Christian community would understand in the development of the Trinity.  Jesus also tries to encourage the disciples that they will do things just as powerful as they have seen him doing because of their faith in him!  This should be a challenge to all of us since we follow in the footsteps of the apostles and continue the preaching.  Do we really take Jesus at his word about this?   AMEN