3 May 2019
Feast of Saints Philip and James, Apostles
“Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.” (Jn 14:8)
Would that we were all as honest and holy in our prayers as Philip is in his demand to Jesus at the Last Supper! Often we do not consider that anything will be enough for us. Or if we do aim for satiety, we seek it in what cannot actually provide it. We seek satisfaction in material things, in careers, in entertainment, but we do not find it. We place the demand of our personal fulfillment upon friendships and relationships which are not meant to bear the burden of satisfying every one of our needs and wants. How much Philip, seated with Jesus the night before Jesus was to be crucified, far exceeds us in knowledge of what will truly satisfy the human heart: only the sight of the face of the God! Yet, what a long way Philip had to go in order to understand what reaching that goal would actually look like.
“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.” (Jn 14:9) Although he did not understand then, Philip was to come to understand later that the Son is in the Father and the Father is in the Son. He was to be sent to spread that message throughout the whole world. (Ps 19:5) He was to die far away from his homeland, martyred for preaching this very message of the unity of the Father and the Son. On this feast of the Apostles, let us ask ourselves, when we speak to Jesus, what do we tell Him will be enough for us? When we prayerfully recall the gaze of the risen Christ resting upon us, do we understand that in that gaze is the infinite love of the eternal Father? May the Apostles intercede for us that we may desire what they desired, and someday join them in seeing for all eternity the face of the One who loves us more than any other.