HOMILY FOR THE FEAST OF SAINTS PHILIP AND JAMES, APOSTLES (1)

HOMILY FOR THE FEAST OF SAINTS PHILIP AND JAMES, APOSTLES

THEME: I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Have I been with you so long and you still do not know me?

BY: Fr. Diotacious Chikontwe SMA

HOMILY FOR TUESDAY MAY 3 2022

*READINGS OF THE DAY*
1 Corinthians 15:1-8
Psalm 18:2-5
John 14:6-14

*INTRODUCTION*
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we celebrate as the Church the feast of two apostles of Jesus namely Philip and james. The two faithful servants of God who had dedicated their lives in the service of God. Both of them laboured hard to spread the words of the Gospels and the Good News to the far corners of the world.
The two are celebrated together because historically, their relics were translated to Rome on the same day.

*DEAR BRETHRENS IN CHRIST*
As we come together today to celebrate and mark the great memories of Philip and James, we are all called to reflect on ourselves and on our own calling in life. Each one of us as Christians are disciples and followers of the Lord, and we are all called to the same mission that the Lord has entrusted to His Apostles. The Lord has given to us the mission to reach out to more people among the nations, that we may be the genuine witnesses of His truth, love and resurrection among all the people of God. We are the ones to be the beacons of God’s light in our respective communities today.

*QUESTIONS FOR MEDITATIONS AS WE CELEBRATE THIS FEAST!*
The question is, are we all ready and willing to embark on this journey of faith, together with God and following in the footsteps of the Apostles like St. Philip and St. James? Are we also willing to make sacrifices of time and effort, offering our best to serve the Lord and to be the examples and inspirations for one another, that we may ever be more courageous in living our lives with faith?

*OUR CENTRAL MESSAGE FOR THIS FEAST*
Let us all therefore do our best to serve the Lord by our every contributions, even to the smallest and seemingly least significant actions we do. For it is by our combined works and efforts that God will extend His reach and works ever more gloriously among His people. Let us all spend more time in building up our relationship with God and in deepening our understanding of our faith, so that we may be truly inspirational to all those who witness our lives and works.

*CONCLUSION*
May God bless us always in our every efforts and good works, now and forevermore. Philip and James, Holy Apostles of the Lord, pray for us sinners. Amen.

Fr. Diotacious Chikontwe SMA