Homily Feast of St. Phillip and St. James (John 14:6-14)
Homily Feast of St. Phillip and St. James (John 14:6-14)
Phillip and James are apostles that we know little about. James is known as James the lesser to distinguish him from James, the brother of the Lord. He was chosen as one of the twelve so that makes him part of the inner circle of Jesus. He was there for all the great moments of Jesus’ ministry.
Phillip is a little more conspicuous in the Gospel. He seems to be a person who was always asking the hard questions. When it comes time to multiply the loaves in the Gospel of John it is Phillip who asks how it can happen. Later in the Gospel when Jesus tells the apostles that he is going on ahead of them. Phillip asks how he and the other apostles will be able to follow when they do not know the way.
We can almost feel the frustration Jesus had. He had been instructing the Apostles for three years as to how they are to approach life and death, but Phillip still seems clueless and does not seem to trust Jesus.
Does Phillip reflect the lack of understanding we all have? How many of us are cradle Catholics; yet how many of us feel insecure in our knowledge of the faith? When we are challenged about our beliefs by others, we feel uninformed although we might have attended 16 years of Catholic school or have grown up in a Catholic home.
Is it that we don’t know the information or is it that we don’t have a personal relationship with Jesus? Knowing Jesus is not so much memorizing doctrine as it is experiencing how Jesus has taken care of us in our life.
I remember attending an African American church when I was studying Theology. When we left the church, one of my classmates said profoundly, “We know Jesus in our heads, the people we prayed with this morning know Jesus in their guts.” When we know Jesus in that way, we know Jesus.
Reflection Questions:
- Have I met people who were not well educated, but who knew Jesus well? Who are they?
- Would more information help me to know Jesus better? What might help me deepen my relationship with the Lord?
Dear Parishioners,
Today we will be having the funeral of one of the faithful priests of our diocese. Msgr. Bill Watson will be buried in Odell Illinois. His brother is Jim Watson, one of the trustees here at Sacred Heart.
Msgr. Watson spent seven years at St. Joseph parish in Rock Island when he was first ordained. This was in the 1960’s. He was then assigned to the Newman Center at the University of Illinois for twelve years. He was there during the Vietnam War, so it was a tumultuous period. Later he was the Pastor of St. Thomas in Peoria Heights for many years.
Please pray for this faithful priest and his family today.
May Our Lady and all the Angels and Saints watch over you today.
Fr. Mark