The Holy and All-Praiseworthy Apostle Philip.
Polyeleos Feast.
1 Corinthians 4:9-16; John 1:43-51.
Read John 1:43-51
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!
Today we celebrate the feast of the Apostle Philip, and so we’re looking at the gospel selected for his feast, rather than one of the continuous readings from Luke that we’ve been reading for the past few months. All of the twelve Apostles, plus Paul and the evangelists Mark and Luke, have feasts that are important enough to warrant their own hymns at vespers and matins and special readings at the Divine Liturgy. And today’s reading tells us something not just about Philip, but about the very vocation of the apostolic life.
Philip is from the town of Bethsaida, which seems to mean “house of fish” or “house of fishing.” This evokes the phrase Jesus uses in the gospels of Matthew and Mark when he calls his first disciples: “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” And that’s exactly what Philip shows himself to be: he is called by Jesus, and the very next thing he does is to tell someone else (Nathaniel) about who he has encountered (“the one Moses wrote about in the Law…”). Nathanael is skeptical at first, but Philip persists enough to get his friend to “come and see” – and Jesus takes care of the rest.
Tomorrow we begin the pre-Christmas fast, which Ukrainians often call “Philip’s fast,” since it begins at the conclusion of today’s feast. The Church calls me to fast for the next forty days: as a minimum, from meat on Wednesdays and Fridays. Can I dedicate my fasting to today’s apostles, who, like Philip, are calling their neighbours to meet Christ? Can I offer my fasting as a prayer that I have the courage to respond to this call myself? If I do, I may find a double joy: seeing other’s come to Christ, and coming to know Him in a deeper way myself.
Bible References