Global Courant 2023-05-03 08:41:43
Felipe and Santiago lived together with Jesus his preaching and martyrdom. Quoted in the New Testament of the Bible.
Philip and James were some of the closest disciples of Jesus Christ. While the former is mentioned several times in the Gospels as one of the first followers of the Son of God, the latter was known as “the cousin of the Lord” and wrote a letter expressing one of the basic principles of Christianity: “Faith without works, it is dead.
James, son of Alphaeus, is known as “the lesser” to distinguish him from another apostle of the same name, son of Zebedee and brother of John. He was born in Cana in Galilee and according to what Paul affirms in his Letter to the Galatians, he is the apostle before whom the risen Jesus Christ appears to him.
The Gospels also point out that James had great authority in Jerusalem. In The Acts of the Apostles it is stated that he was known as “the bishop of Jerusalem”.
Santoral of May 3: day of Saints Felipe and Santiago, the Lesser. Disciples of Jesus Christ./ Image: catholic.net
The sacred scriptures also say that the last time Paul went to Jerusalem he went “to visit James, and there in his house all the heads of the Church of Jerusalem gathered” (Acts 21,15). At this meeting, considered the first council, James wrote a letter addressed to all Christians (Acts 15).
Paul himself affirms: “James is, along with John and Peter, one of the main pillars of the Church.” The historian Hegesippus, in the 2nd century, wrote that Santiago “prayed many hours, asking the Lord for forgiveness for the sins of the people. People called him: “The one who intercedes for the people.”
Because he had managed to convince many Jews that Jesus Christ was God made man, the high priest Annas II begged him to deny such a claim in public. Santiago did the opposite.
Santoral of May 3: day of Saints Philip and James the Less, Apostles. Disciples of Jesus./ InfoVatican
The Apostle appeared before the people and said: “Jesus is the one sent by God for the salvation of those who want to be saved. And we will see him one day on the clouds, sitting at the right hand of God.
This angered several priests. Santiago was taken to the highest part of the temple and, from there, he was thrown into the void. According to other versions, he was stoned and beaten to death.
Perhaps his most outstanding legacy is his Letter, which contains phrases such as “if someone imagines being a religious person and does not speak their language, they are wrong and their religion is vain”; “O rich, if you do not share your riches with the poor, prepare yourselves for great punishments from heaven”; “If someone is sad, let him pray. If someone gets sick, call the presbyters and anoint him with holy oil” (origin of the anointing of the sick).
Santoral of May 3: day of Saints Felipe and Santiago, the minor, Apostles. Disciples of Jesus Christ./Image: Archdiocese of Mexico.
Philip, meanwhile, was born in Betsaida and, before following Jesus, was a disciple of John the Baptist. He appears in various passages in the Gospels, for example, when he asks Jesus Christ “How are we going to feed so many people?” (Jn 6, 5-7) worried about the faithful who lacked food. In addition, during the Last Supper, he was the one who asked Christ to “show him the Father” (Jn 14, 8-11).
After the Ascension, together with the rest of the apostles and the Virgin Mary, he received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Later, he left for the Phrygia region (today divided between Turkey, Hungary, Ukraine and eastern Russia) to evangelize. He was stoned and crucified to death in Hierapolis.
Other Saints of May 3
Santoral of May 3: Saint Stanislao Soltys day./ Image: Let’s pray together. Catholic Church. Saint Stanislaus Soltys. (1433-1489). After graduating in philosophy and theology from the Jagiellonian University in Poland, he entered the Lateran Congregation of Canons Regular. Already consecrated a priest, he stood out as a confessor and for his sense of charity. Pope Benedict XVI declared him a Saint in 2010.
Saint Coletus or Conleth of Kildare. (?-519). Bridget, Abbess of Kildare, in Ireland, appointed this bishop as abbot of a men’s monastery. This abbey had a great influence on the rest of the Church of Ireland. Coleto made a pilgrimage to Rome from where he brought ornaments for the church of his diocese.
Saint Juvenal of Narni. (?-376). Patron of Narni, Italy, he was the first bishop of that city, after being consecrated by Dámaso. When Ligurian troops attacked the city, the bishop climbed the wall and sang Psalm 35, unleashing a storm that prevented the invasion.
