3 May 2022
Feast of Saints Philip and James, Apostles
“…you still do not know me…?”
There is a tremendous difference between knowing of someone, and knowing someone. For example if I was strolling through Hollywood and walked by the home of, say, Tom Cruise, and I shouted out to him, called him by name, and asked if I could visit him, should I be shocked if he ignores me or denies me? Of course not: I do not know him, and he does not know me. I simply know of him. But if I knew him personally, I might be greeted and welcomed as a friend. Hence Jesus says in Matthew’s Gospel, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name? Did we not drive out demons in your name? Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?’ Then I will declare to them solemnly, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers,’” (Matthew 7:21-23). These people knew of Jesus, they knew the power of His Name, but they did not know Him: they had no relationship with Him. They did not believe in Him, love Him: they were doing their own works rather than the works of God.
In our Gospel today Philip reveals that he does not quite fully know Jesus, and so Jesus, knowing Philip, reveals more of Himself. More importantly, rather than simply answering Philip’s request, He invites Philip to reflect on his knowledge and experience of Jesus. “You want to see the Father?” Jesus essentially says, “The Father who dwells in me is doing his works…believe because of the works themselves.” Philip has seen Jesus do things that only God can do; if Jesus’ words are not enough for Philip to understand the unity of Jesus and the Father, then he can believe in Jesus simply by what he has seen: thus, if he knows Jesus, he will know His Father.
Do we know Jesus? Do we believe in Him? “…whoever believes in me will do the works that I do…” He says, for to know Jesus is to be in intimate union with Him, just as He is in the Father and the Father is in Him, and if Christ is within us and we are within Him, how else will that truth be revealed except by the witness of our lives?