Sts. Phillip and James
St James is thought to be the cousin of Jesus and a brother of St Jude Thaddeus. He was trained in scripture and the law. He was with the group of Apostles who first saw the resurrected Jesus.
St. James is the first bishop of Jerusalem. On one of Paul’s trips to Jerusalem, St. James and St. Paul collaborated on St Paul’s evangelization plans. He agreed that converts did not have to become Jewish before becoming Christian. He was martyred for the faith, thrown from a pinnacle of the temple, then stoned and beaten to death. A club became one of the symbols used in artwork. It is said he spent so much time in prayer that his knees thickened and looked like those of a camel.
St Phillip started as a disciple of St John the Baptist. He was a friend of St. Nathanael and introduced him to Jesus. We do not know much about St. James but from the few words of the gospel, scholars think he may have been a bit shy but practical. He was known to preach in Greece and Asia Minor. He was martyred by being tied to a cross and then stoned to death in Turkey.
St Phillip, pray for us.
St James, pray for us.
May the Lord bless you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen