Whoever believes in me will do the same works as I do, even greater
Today is the feast of Saint Phillip and James. I sometimes wonder what it feels like for the apostles who are already in heaven to see the readings chosen for reflection of the Church on the days their feasts are celebrated. Certainly, in the beatific vision that is a matter of no consequence. For an earthling it might have been embarrassing. Of James son of Alpheus, or James the Lesser, there is not even a word of what he said, wrote or did. Instead, we are given to reflect on a reading from the writings of St. Paul in which he mentions that the risen Lord appeared to James, among other people. The reading about Phillip narrates an incident he probably is not very proud of. After a long time with the Master, he reveals his incredulity by telling Jesus: “Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.” To this Jesus replied: “Have I been with you for so long a time, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?"
A particular beauty of the scriptures is that they do not gloss over the human weaknesses and slowness of the apostles before they were "dressed with power from above." That way, we can easily identify with them and at the same time, look to them as our models, knowing that with the grace of God, they did overcome these human limitations and died as heroes of the faith.
In many of our thoughts and actions, we might behave a little like Phillip; we sometimes behave as though we do not fully believe in what Jesus claims he is. He could well say to us as he said to Phillip: Have I been with you (and here we can insert our name) and you still do not know me? Yes, Jesus has been with us all this time, in the Eucharist, in his word, in the poor... And it is just possible that we still do not fully know him.
There are two more statements in today’s gospel that I find challenging to me, and perhaps to many other Christians, especially leaders in the faith. Jesus says: “…whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father.” The ability to act like Christ is a test of how much we believe in him. “Works” may not simply mean miracles but can also be understood in the wider sense of actions of love, actions that bring wholeness to others and ultimately lead them to salvation. The other statement is that: “And whatever you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” All of us must acknowledge that there is plenty of room in growing in Christ. We pray that the Spirit that transformed the apostles into heroes of faith may also transform our lives to grow in Christ.
