Mar Philipose Shleeha (St Philip the Apostle)

Apostle, who said: come and see · Feast: 14 November

Mar Philipose Shleeha (St Philip the Apostle)
St Philip the Apostle, Byzantine icon, 10th century, St Catherine's Monastery, Mount Sinai, Egypt. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
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Word for the day

“Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” John 14:9

Life

Philip was from Bethsaida, the town of Andrew and Peter. Jesus found him and said: follow me. Philip at once found Nathanael and told him they had found the one Moses and the prophets wrote about; when Nathanael doubted, Philip said: come and see (John 1:43–46).

Before the feeding of the five thousand Jesus tested Philip by asking where they could buy bread (John 6:5–7); Greeks who wanted to see Jesus came first to Philip (John 12:21); and at the Last Supper Philip asked: Lord, show us the Father (John 14:8). Tradition says he preached in Asia Minor and died at Hierapolis in Phrygia. The Latin Church keeps his feast with St James on 3 May; the Eastern Churches remember him on 14 November.

Lessons

Come and see

Philip did not argue; he invited.

Honest questions

His questions led to some of Jesus' greatest answers.

Seeing the Father in Jesus

The face of God is shown to us in Christ.

Stories

Come and see (history)

When Nathanael asked whether anything good could come from Nazareth, Philip simply said: come and see (John 1:46).

Homily

1. Come and see

Philip's way of mission: an invitation, not an argument (John 1:46).

2. Show us the Father

Our deepest longing is to see God.

3. Whoever has seen me

In Jesus we see the Father (John 14:9).

Dear friends, today we remember Mar Philipose Shleeha. When he met Jesus, he ran to his friend Nathanael. Nathanael was doubtful: can anything good come out of Nazareth? Philip did not argue. He said: come and see (John 1:46).

At the Last Supper Philip asked what every human heart asks: Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied. Jesus answered: have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father (John 14:8–9).

We do not need to win arguments to share our faith. We need to invite: come and see, to a prayer meeting, to the Holy Qurbono, to a family rosary. And let us look more deeply at Jesus, for in him we see the Father. Amen.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, you called Philip to follow you and showed him the Father. Through his prayers, help us to invite others to come and see, and to know the Father in you. Amen.