Saints Philip and James (Feast)
1 Cor. 15: 1-8 John 14: 6-14
Theme: Faithful followers
Today is Friday of the 5th week of Easter and the church celebrates the feast of two of our Ancestors in faith, Philip and James who were among the Apostles of Jesus. They both ran the race until the end of their lives, and they were martyred for their faith in God. These men were faithful disciples of Christ, and they willingly sacrificed their lives for their faith in God. That is why as we celebrate their feast today, the altar and the ministers will all be adorned with the red vestment, and not the white vestment that is used during the Eastertide. Like it is commonly said, the blood of the Martyrs is the seed of Christianity. Their model of discipleship continues to challenge all of us who are followers of Christ in our own time.
This brings us to a very important question today, as we celebrate these great men of our faith. To what extent are you willing to go for your faith in Christ, and what is your quality of discipleship? Is it something you are proud of, and willing to practice. In the lives of these great men that we celebrate today, we see selflessness, service, love, and sacrifice. All these put together is what encouraged them till the end of their lives, that ended in Martyrdom. The challenge thrown at all of us today, is that we imbibe this same spirit that was practiced by the Apostles, in their service to both God and humanity. These qualities are needed today in our lives as children of God and Christians if we truly desire to make a positive change in our world. Unfortunately, many of us are more comfortable following the trend of the world, instead of following the way of God that is difficult and narrow. We prefer to walk the path that will not give us much stress, unlike choosing to walk the path of Christ that will bring us pain and discomfort but will lead us to eternal life at the end of our earthly pilgrimage.
Humanly speaking none of us wants stress and discomfort, but in the worship of God, we cannot really run away from it. So, we pray that whenever challenges come to us in life, the grace of God will be there to strengthen us. May the Lord grant us the grace to remain steadfast in faith until the end of our lives, in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit, Amen. Peace be with you.