The community of saints accompanies us on our journey of faith. This week we have celebrated a variety of saints who represent different time periods and cultures. Monday we celebrated St Catherine of Siena, a Dominican laywoman from Italy from the 15th century who is a Doctor of the Church. Wednesday was the feast day of St Joseph the Worker, the spouse of Mary. Yesterday was the feast day of St Athanasius of Alexandria, Egypt, an Early Church Father from the 4th century who is also a Doctor of the Church. Today we celebrate two of the Apostles - Philip and James. This is not James the Greater, the son of Zebedee, the patron saint of the Camino in Spain. Rather this is James the Lesser, normally identified by Scripture scholars as the son of Alphaeus.
We see a bit of Philip’s curiosity in our Gospel reading today. Jesus is telling the disciples about his relationship with the Father. In response, Philip wants Jesus to show them the Father. Jesus tells Philip that if one has seen Jesus, he has indeed seen the Father. We might have a similar curiosity about our faith. We may want to see more – we may want truth or further explanation. A curious mind and the questions we ask will help us in our search for God.
As we celebrate these wonderful saints this week, we harken back to the Early Church and to the diverse group of the faithful who have helped us journey in faith throughout history. May we always see the saints as our friends who are helping us with their prayers and intercessions along our journey.
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