SAINTS Philip and James are both apostles of Jesus Christ. Both abandoned their lives to serve the Lord, more so after Jesus Christ’s death, for they have seen, touched and conversed with the risen Lord. Like the Lord, they, too, were crucified. Although they were assigned to different places to spread the teachings of Jesus after the Pentecost, their relics were brought from the East to Rome in the 6th century. Buried together in a church named in their honor in 563, their feast day since then are jointly celebrated on May 3. The church was renamed Basilica of the Holy Apostles.
Saint Philip, patron of hatters and pastry chefs
Philip is from Bethsaida, Galilee, and a disciple of John the Baptist. Married with many daughters, three of whom of eminent sanctity, he was one of the early apostles, invited by Jesus, after Saints Peter and Andrew, to follow Him.
Fr. Nil Guillemette in The Cedars of Lebanon presented an interesting proposition about “discovery preceded by a search,” which implied: “Jesus first sought out Philip and found him only after a diligent search.”
And Philip responded immediately and wholeheartedly, although “a bit slow in understanding and a bit unsure of himself.” In his treatise, Father Nil considers this quite significant, for it spells volumes about man’s relationship with God. He concludes: “If we search for God, it is because God first searched for us! In fact, He is always trying to find us. We are the ones afraid of abandoning ourselves to His love.”
When Philip saw his friend Nathanael, he told him about Jesus, but, with skepticism, Nathanael retorted, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?”
Again, Father Nil praises how Philip responded with “sober discretion,” which should be a model of a Christian’s approach to evangelization.
“No big speech, no attempt to force his discovery on unwilling ears, no indignant declamation—just an appeal to personal inquiry. Come and see.”
Philip must have been treated with familiarity in the Lord’s circle that, when the Gentiles wish to see the Lord, they addressed Philip about it. He preached in Phrygia and Hierapolis, Roman empires in Asia Minor, where he was stoned to death and crucified.
Saint James the Just
Saint James is a first cousin of Jesus and, so, was called Brother of the Lord.He is also referred to as James the Just for his gentleness and upright character. He is considered so holy that Christians touch the hem of his garment when they see him. Historian Eusebius of Caesaria writes that so assiduous in prayer is James that the skin of his knees is as hard as that of camels. Saint Epiphanius narrates that apostle James used to wear a “lamina of gold on his forehead as a badge of dignity.”
This saint, whose venerable features resemble that of the Lord Jesus’s, wrote the Letter of James which rank among the best in the New Testament. Written in excellent Greek, it deals about perseverance during trials, temptations, prayers, faith and good works. It was addressed to the Christian community of Israelites.
Saint Paul acknowledged his leadership, considered him pillar of the Christian groups, and assigned him as the first bishop of Jerusalem, a post he administered for 30 years. However, Saint Jerome and Saint Epiphanius wrote that it was Jesus, who assigned Saint James to take care of the church in Jerusalem when he ascended to heaven. Saint James preferred to be called Slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, the phrases he used as sender in the Letter of Saint James.
Rev. Hugo Hoover, SO Cist., in Lives of the Saints states that the letter is addressed to Christians outside Palestine, aware of “difficulties and temptations they encounter in the midst of paganism.” While preaching on the divinity of Christ, stones were thrown at him and was taken in the terrace of the temple and cast headlong down to earth.
Half dead, the 96-year-old raised his hands toward heaven and prayed to the Lord for his executioners, the same words Jesus said while on the cross: “Forgive them, for they know not what they do!” He received a mortal blow on the head to silence him. Their feast day is on May 3.
Santiago is a former regional director of the Department of Education-National Capital Region. She is currently a faculty member of Mater Redemptoris College, Laguna.