FEAST OF SAINTS PHILIP AND JAMES, APOSTLES
First Reading - 1 Corinthians 15:1-8
Gospel - John 14:6-14
The gospel passage unfolds the fullest explanation of the relationship between Jesus and the Father. The apostles seem to have not yet understood the identity of Jesus. However, due to the blindness to the full personality of Jesus represented by Philip, Jesus reveals his spiritual bonding and unity of personality with the Father. Jesus points out the reasons of fusion of personality that exists with the Father; through his words and the works of the Father. Jesus seems to say that he has fully saturated himself with what Father is. Hence, Jesus claims to represent the Father inasmuch as he does, speaks and leads people to the Father. Consequently, he has the authority to say that he is the Way, the Truth, and the Life that leads to the Father.
In the first reading, Paul makes an authoritative claim to have witnessed the risen Christ like the other apostles. Therefore, the preaching of his gospel can't be downplayed because he has been specially commissioned by Jesus to do so. Hence, he claims that the gospel that he has preached to Corinthians has authoritative impact without any alterations that leads to eternal life by believing and living according to it. (The claim of Paul is asserted at the time when some questioned his authority to teach the gospel as he was not from the circle of apostles of Jesus).
Dear friends, the gospel passage is one of the masterpieces that reveals the oneness or unity that exist between the Father and Jesus. Jesus claims that he fully represents the Father in his personality. The close bonding and fusion of identity between the Father and the Son remind us that we, as children of the Father, are to imitate Jesus in representing the Father. Jesus also invites his every disciple to mirror the Father to the world by their words, works and life. Can others find something unique and attractive about our life? Yes, they can, if we are able to mirror the presence of God through our lives.
The gospel exhorts everyone to follow Jesus as he shows us the Way to the Father, tells us the Truth about the Father, and leads us to the Life in the Father. Paul helps us understand this through the first reading where he exhorts the Christians in Corinth to believe and observe the gospel preached to them. We are also to believe in words of Jesus and observe them, hence we can follow Jesus who is the Way, the Truth and the Life.
May God help us imitate Jesus in our lives everyday.
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