Mount of the Beatitudes
John 14:6-14
It started off rather innocently! A simple statement to our parents! I cleaned my room! I did my homework! I really did pass that test! I brushed my teeth! Or something along those lines! But then it all kind of fell apart when our parents responded. SHOW ME! And then the excuses began!
We celebrate today the feast of the Apostles Philip and James the Less. Unfortunately we know almost nothing about their lives beyond the fact that Jesus called them to follow Him. In fact the only reason they are paired up is that it was on this date in the 6th Century that both their bodies were brought to Rome to be buried together in the Basilica of the 12 Apostles.
In today’s Gospel, however, we do get one glimpse into the life of Philip and it does not go well. Jesus is telling the Apostles that, if you know Him, then you know the Father and you have seen Him. But Philip answers and says “Show us the Father.” Basically – we haven’t seen the Father! SHOW ME!!!
You can almost hear the exasperation in Jesus’ voice! How can you not get it? If you see Me, you have seen the Father. How much more does He have to do? You have seen the Father in every word I have spoken, every parable, every teaching! You have seen the Father in every healing touch, in the raising of Lazarus and the feeding of the 5000.
We don’t know how Philip responded. We hope that his eyes and his heart were opened and that he was ‘cured of his short-sightedness.’ But let’s remember today that we can be, at times, just as oblivious to the presence of the Father in our lives! Let’s hope today for a bit more awareness of God’s presence all around us – in the kindness of strangers, in a comforting touch or word, in the unexpected blessings that come our way and in the beauty of creation that is right in front of our eyes.