Apostles and Mary

SS Philip and James, Apostles

(Feastday May 3)
We know very little about the character and subsequent lives of the apostles. The New Testament gives us glimpses of only a few; what later history records about their activities is usually obscure and untrustworthy. Would the Twelve have minded the lack of publicity? On the contrary, I am sure they would have rejoiced in it. Their sole aim was to preach Christ crucified. They made their own the words that St. John the Baptist applied to Jesus: "He must increase, while I must decrease." (John 3:30).

Having said this, let's turn to the apostles Philip and James for an illustration.
We take James first. There were two apostles by that name. This one is called James the Less (which most likely means, the younger), to distinguish him from James the Greater, the brother of St. John the Evangelist (and along with Peter and John, the closest to Christ). The bible mentions still another James, but it is not clear whether this James is an apostle or just a prominent disciple. Now, a certain James became bishop of Jerusalem. St. Paul referred to him as a "pillar of the Church." (Gal. 2:9). Was this "James of Jerusalem" James the Less? Was it he who wrote the "Epistle of James"? Most scholars think that James of Jerusalem and James the Less were one person, and that he was most likely a cousin of Christ. James the bishop of Jerusalem was martyred in A.D. 62-66, bludgeoned (or stoned) to death at Jerusalem.

The close association of St. James the Less with St. Philip in the Church calendar springs solely from the fact that his relics were ultimately brought to Rome and enshrined in the Church of the Holy Apostles along with those of St. Philip.

Actually, Philip's ministry had been in Phrygia, now a part of Turkey. One attribute of James the Less that has been clearly remembered is his great spiritual wisdom.

Philip's later life story is also confused. The narrators tend to mix him up with St. Philip the Deacon, who is mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles, chapter 8. Philip the Apostle's remains have been venerated in Rome since A.D. 561.

In St. Philip's case, however, the gospel references to him do give us an inkling about his personality. Thus, when he first discovered Jesus of Nazareth, he went at once to inform his friend Nathanael (most likely the apostle St. Bartholomew). Nathanael, something of a skeptic, replied, "Can anything good come from Nazareth?" Keeping his temper, Philip simply said, "Come and see." Nathanael did go and see, and was at once captivated by our Lord.
Then when Jesus was about to multiply the loaves for the five thousand, he asked Philip, "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?" Philip, a literal man, answered, "Not even with two hundred days' wages could we buy loaves enough to give each of them a mouthful." (John 6:5-7). Jesus' miracle showed Philip that there was another way of solving the problem.

Again, at the Last Supper, Jesus said, "No one comes to the Father but through me." Philip, ever literal, responded, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us." The Savior replied, "philip, after I have been with you all this time, you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father." (John 14:8-9)

Even in these few references to Philip, therefore, we can see mirrored a man who is neither subtle nor very imaginative by nature, but is nevertheless earnest, dedicated, loyal: "all wool and a year wide". Like Peter the blusterer and Thomas the skeptic, St. Philip was a man with human faults but great good will. Jesus chose such men because He knew that as their virtues grew in the context of their apostolate, those very flaws would be made virtuous.

Blessed Virgin Mary

The Gospels depict the Mother of God as having constant concern for Her Son, following Him in His journeys, always ready to help Him at any time, caring for His well-being and tranquility at home, which He always refused to take advantage of. Finally, we see Her standing in indescribable grief by the Cross of Her Crucified Son, hearing His final words and commandments, entrusting Her care to His beloved pupil. Not a word of reproach or despair left Her lips. She conceded all to the will of God. This was the time of Her supreme greatness.

Again, briefly, there is mention of the Virgin Mary in the Acts of the Holy Apostles when, upon Her as well as the Apostles, on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descended in the form of fiery tongues.

After that, according to tradition, She lived some 10 to 20 years. Fulfilling the Lord's will, the Apostle John the Theologian, author of the fourth Gospel, took Her into his home, and with great love, as if being Her own son, he cared for Her till Her very end. When the Christian faith spread to other countries, many Christians came from far off countries to see and hear Her. From that time the Most Holy Virgin Mary became a mother to all of Christ's pupils and a high example of virtue.

The Dormition (called the Assumption by the Roman-Catholic church). Once, as the Holy Virgin prayed on the Mount of Olives (near Jerusalem), the Angel Gabriel appeared to Her, as he had the first time in Nazareth, holding in his hand a branch with a white flower from Paradise, and announced to Her that in three days Her earthly life would come to an end and that the Lord would take Her to Him. The Lord arranged it so that toward that time the Apostles congregated in Jerusalem from the many parts of the world where they were preaching. At the hour of Her end, a bright light illuminated the room in which the Virgin Mary was lying. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself, surrounded by Angels, appeared and received Her most pure soul. The Apostles buried Her holy body, according to Her wish, at the foot of the Mount of Olives in the Garden of Gethsemane, in the cave where reposed the bodies of her parents and of the righteous Joseph. During the burial, many miracles came to pass. By touching the bier of the Mother of God, the blind regained their sight, demons were exorcised, and many diseases were cured.

Three days after the burial of the Theotokos, there arrived belatedly the Apostle Thomas, who had missed the burial. He was very distraught at not having paid his last respects to the Mother of Jesus and wished to see Her body for the last time. When the cave in which the Virgin Mary was buried was opened, Her body was not found, but only Her burial clothes. The Apostles returned to their home in amazement. In the evening during their prayers, they heard Angels singing. Glancing upward, the Apostles saw the Most Holy Virgin surrounded by Angels, in radiant heavenly glory. She said to the Apostles: "Rejoice! I am with you for all the days and nights."

She has been fulfilling this promise to help and defend Christians to the present day, having become our heavenly Mother. For Her great love and all-powerful help, Christians always have honored Her and turned to Her for help, appealing to Her as the "Fervent intercessor for the Christian race, the Joy of all those who grieve, Who did not abandon us after Her Dormition." From these earliest times, following the example of the prophet Isaiah and the righteous Elizabeth, all Christians began to address Her as the Mother of God or Theotokos, and this title was confirmed during the Third Ecumenical Council (431 AD) in Ephesus.

The Most Holy Virgin Mary serves as great example to all those who are striving for perfection. She was the first who decided to dedicate Her whole life to God and who showed that voluntary virginity is higher than wedded life. From the first centuries, in emulating Her and Her Son and other prophets and apostles, many Christians began to pass their life in virginity, prayer, fasting, meditation and contemplation. Thus, the monastic life arose, and there appeared many monasteries which became sources of inspiration for a pious life and spiritual wisdom.