Feast of Saints Philip and James, Apostles

那時候，耶穌對他的門徒說：「我是道路、真理、生命，除非經過我，誰也不能到父那裏去。你們若認識我，也就必然認識我父；現在你們已認識他，並且已經看見他。」斐理伯對他說：「主！把父顯示給我們，我們就心滿意足了。」耶穌回答說：「斐理伯！這麼長久的時候，我和你們在一起，而你還不認識我嗎？誰看見了我，就是看見了父；你怎麼說：把父顯示給我們呢？你不信我在父內，父在我內嗎？我對你們所說的話，不是憑我自己講的；而是住在我內的父，作他自己的事業。你們要相信我：我在父內，父也在我內；若不然，你們至少該因那些事業而相信。
「我實實在在告訴你們：凡信我的，我所做的事業，他也要做，並且還要作比這些更大的事業，因為我往父那裏去。你們因我的名無論求父什麼，我必要踐行，為叫父在子身上，獲得光榮。你們若因我的名向我求什麼，我必要踐行。」
若望福音 14:6-14

Duccio [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

在今天的福音中，我們讀到耶穌在最後晚餐中跟門徒說的話。耶穌的話：「我是道路、真理、生命，除非經過我，誰也不能到父那裏去」(若 14:6)，是對多默之前的提問的回應。耶穌跟門徒預告祂要離開他們，但門徒就是不明白。斐理伯也叫耶穌把父顯示給他們。從耶穌對斐理伯的回應，可聽得出祂有點失望。耶穌叫門徒相信：祂在父內，父也在祂內。耶穌降生成人，就是要讓我們藉著祂認識天主。

今天是宗徒聖斐理伯與聖雅各伯的慶日。單憑福音裡的記載，我們也許不覺得他們有什麼過人之處，但藉著他們和其他宗徒，基督的福音得以廣傳。作為基督徒，我們跟十二宗徒有同樣的召叫，就是要讓他人知道耶穌就是道路、真理、生命。縱使我們都有很多弱點，但正如聖保祿宗徒所說：「我幾時軟弱，正是我有能力的時候」(格後 12:10)藉著基督，偕同基督，加上聖母和全體聖人聖女的代禱，我們自會有力量承行天主的旨意，把福音傳到普天下去。

Jesus said to Thomas, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, then you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” Philip said to him, “Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “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. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father'? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own. The Father who dwells in me is doing his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else, believe because of the works themselves. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father. And whatever you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it.”
John 14:6-14

In today's Gospel reading, we revisit Jesus' words to the apostles at the Last Supper. Jesus said: "I am the way and the truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me." He said this in response to Thomas' question earlier. Jesus told the apostles that He would have to leave them soon, but they did not understand. Philip also asked Jesus to show them the Father. We could tell Jesus' disappointment from His reply. He asked them to believe that: He is in the Father, and the Father is in Him. The reason why the Son of God became man is so that we can come to know the Father through Him.

Today is the feast of Sts. Philip and James. Based on the Gospel,
we might not think they were any different from us. But it's precisely through them and the other apostles that the Gospel of Jesus spread throughout the world. As Catholics, we share the same call to preach the message that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. We have many weaknesses, but as St. Paul says: "for when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Cor 12:10) Through Christ, and with Christ, together with the intercession of Our Lady and all angels and saints, we will find the strength to do the will of God, to spread the Gospel far and wide.

evangelization

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