Do the Works I Do
Homily on the Feast of Sts Philip and James and Triduum in Honor of St Dominic Savio, 3 May 2024
We gather today on this First Friday of the month to honor not only the most Sacred Heart of Jesus but also Sts. Philip and James, Apostles of the Lord.
Very little is known about St James except that he was the son of Alphaeus, and that he was chosen by the Lord among many disciples to be one of his twelve apostles. He is also called James the lesser so as not to be confused with the other apostle of the Lord also named James the greater, son of Zebedee and brother of John, the Evangelist.
St Philip on the other hand was more popular. He came from the town of Bethsaida in Galilee, the same town as Sts Peter and Andrew. In the gospel written according to John, Philip was mentioned several times playing a significant role in the public ministry of Jesus. Allow me to mention just three of those instances.
First and foremost, Philip was among the first disciples to follow Jesus (see John 1:43-46). When Jesus saw him, he said to him “Follow me.” And immediately after being called by Jesus, he tried to look for his friend, Nathanael (also known as Bartholomew) and as soon as he found him, he told him “We have found the one Moses spoke of in the law – Jesus, son of Joseph, from Nazareth. Unfortunately, his friend’s response wasn’t that positive “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Nathanael asked him. To this, Philip simply replied “Come, see for yourself.”
In this first episode, we see two positive qualities manifested by Philip: (1) his prompt response to Jesus’ call, and (2) his zeal in bringing his friend Nathanael to meet Jesus. Let us reflect: Are we also that prompt in following Jesus whenever we hear him speaking to us? Or do we just take his words for granted and carry on with life without being changed for the better? Another question to help us reflect is this: Are we that eager to bring other people close to Jesus? – for example, my spouse, my kids, my friends?
Now, the second instance was during the multiplication of the loaves and the fish (see John 6:6). When Jesus saw a vast crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” Philip replied saying, “Not even with two hundred day’s wages could we buy loaves enough to give each of them a mouthful.” Philip must have been very good in Math and so was able to compute immediately how much it would take to feed the multitude. But he just couldn’t think of a better answer to Jesus’ question.
In this second episode, we see in the words of Philip, a disciple who sees only the human impossibility of finding a solution to the concrete problem of hunger they were facing. This time he was not so quick to recognize in Jesus, one who could make seemingly impossible things possible. Despite his slowness in this regard, however, Jesus still performed the miracle to feed the five-thousand. But definitely there must have been much more people than that number.
The third instance was during the last supper (see John 14:5-14). Jesus said in reply to Thomas, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father also. From this point on you know him; you have seen him.” These words prompted Philip to request a favor from Jesus without any hesitation “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” And to his request Jesus replied “After I have been with you all this time, you still do not know me? Philip, whoever has seen me has seen the Father.”
In this third episode, we again see in the words of Philip, the human weakness of a disciple who had been striving to follow Jesus faithfully and yet at the same time struggling to know who their Lord really was. This makes us realize that even if the apostles had seen Jesus face to face, and had stayed with him for three long years, they still could not believe him to be really the Messiah, the Son of the all-powerful God.
Isn’t this a big consolation for us who continue to struggle in our faith and trust in the Lord esp. in the most difficult times of our lives? The good news is that the Lord knows very well what we are going through. And being the God of mercy and compassion he doesn’t easily get angry. On the contrary, with his Sacred Heart burning with love for us, he chooses to patiently wait and accompanies until we mature in faith. We on our part should never give up even when things go wrong or when we fail to follow him, but strive to persevere in our faith by getting to know him more and more deeply through prayer and the celebration of the sacraments.
Philip’s ignorant request might have put him in an embarrassing situation. But it was actually a blessing in disguise because it eventually led to Jesus’ self-revelation “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” And most important of all it prompted Jesus to reveal to us what we believers are really capable of doing. He said “I solemnly assure you, the man who has faith in me will do the works I do, and greater far than these… because I go to the Father, and whatever you ask in my name I will do.”
As we honor Jesus today in his most Sacred Heart as well as his two apostles, Philip and James, let us also celebrate our Catholic faith, always aware that this FAITH can empower us to do the same works that Jesus did and even greater far than what he had actually done.
Let me end with this story. There was once a teenage boy named Dominic who was fascinated by his friendship with Jesus. At three years old, he learned how to say his prayers and never ate at table without first saying the grace before meals. While growing up as a child he developed a strong devotion to Jesus especially in the Holy Eucharist. At seven, when he received his first Holy Communion he was so happy that he drew up some serious resolutions to keep for the rest of his life: among them to go to confession often and receive communion frequently and devoutly; to keep Sundays and feastdays holy; to keep Jesus and Mary as his best friends; and above all, to die rather than commit a sin.
This boy eventually grew up into a young man with a strong faith and deep love for Jesus. Not feeling satisfied with fulfilling his ordinary duties extraordinarily well, Dominic grabbed every opportunity to do good and to bring his companions to the Lord, as recommended by Don Bosco, his spiritual guide. He in fact said “If I could win all my schoolmates to God, how happy I would be!”
And so one day at one corner of the playground, Dominic grabbed a porn magazine from the hands of his friends, tore it into small pieces before their eyes and boldly reprimanded them, saying “Did God give us eyes to look at such things as this? Aren’t you ashamed?… you are preparing yourselves to go to hell.”
At another time Dominic stopped a violent fight between two angry boys much taller than him. Holding up in his hand a little crucifix between them, he said emphatically to each of them, “Before you fight, first look at this and say, ‘Jesus Christ was innocent and He died forgiving His murderers. I am a sinner, and I am going to hurt Him by not forgiving my enemies.’ Then you can start – and throw your first stone at me!” Amazingly, both of them dropped their weapons and with the help of Dominic’s daring intervention they immediately reconciled with one another.
Still, on another occasion Dominic volunteered to help the victims of the cholera epidemic in Turin unmindful of the high risk of contamination. These are just some of the many good and heroic deeds done by Dominic empowered by his steadfast faith. Later on when Don Bosco saw all the good he had been doing, he asked him “What are you going to be?” Dominic replied “If God gives me the grace, I want to be a priest.”
At barely fifteen years old, Dominic got seriously ill and eventually died a saintly death. After receiving the last sacraments he was heard exclaiming “Oh, what a beautiful sight I see!” With his hands joined and still smiling he gave up his beautiful soul to God. That day was March 9, 1857 in Mondonio, Italy. Today he is widely known as Saint Dominic Savio, whose feast we shall be celebrating next Monday, on May 6.
In this Holy Mass let us celebrate the power of our steadfast faith in the Risen Lord, always aware of what miracles this FAITH can empower us to do – the same wonderful works that Jesus did and even greater far than what he had actually done. GiGsss!
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