Word to the Wise
Wednesday, May 3, 2023 - May 3 - Sts. Philip and James, Apostles
[1 Cor 15:1-8 and John 14:6-14]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. [1 Cor] If you know me, then you will also know my Father. From ow 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." [John]
The gospels and other New Testament writings show us the struggles of the first disciples (especially the apostles - the "Twelve") to understand the person and mission of Jesus, especially in the light of his death by crucifixion and his resurrection from the dead. It is a struggle even in our own time as we try to live in accord with what we know from the scriptures as well as from the reflections of those who lived closest to the time of the apostles and heard their preaching. Jesus' question, directed at Philip (but also to us)A is a poignant one: "Have I been with you so long and still you do not know me?"
The gospels and New Testament "letters" do what St. Paul says. They remind us of what has been preached to us in regard to Jesus. Each Sunday and important feast day we recite the Nicene creed and profess a faith in an "apostolic" church. The celebration of the feast of any of the apostles (including St. Paul), ironically, does not require that, but that recitation is another "reminder." We have much to "remember" and still much to learn about God's efforts to save us from ourselves! AMEN