May 3 + Saints Philip and James

Philip and James were both Apostles and both served Christ faithfully during the very early days of the Church.

Philip seems to have been an enthusiastic person. He was the one who brought his friend Nathanael to Jesus, insisting to Nathanael that he had found the person about whom Moses had written. Some years later, it was Philip who made arrangements, with the help of Andrew, to have a group of Greek Gentiles brought to Jesus. Philip also had a practical, down-to-earth mind. He was the apostle who commented that it would take a considerable amount of money to feed a crowd of more than 5,000 hungry men, women, and children. It was Philip who asked to see the Father when Jesus spoke about him at the Last Supper. Philip was martyred in 80 AD by being crucified upside down, yet he continued to preach from his cross until his final breath.

James was the son of Alphaeus and is mentioned less frequently in the New Testament than Philip is. Sometimes James is called the Less, which indicates that he was younger than the other apostle named James.

After Jesus’ death, James continued to preach the Gospel and became the first bishop of Jerusalem. He met his death as a martyr in that city about the year 62 AD. Tradition identifies James as the author of the epistle associated with his name. Saint Paul tells us that he was favored by a special apparition of Christ after the Resurrection.