Today’s Readings – Saints Philip and James, Apostles

We celebrate today the feast of two of the Twelve Apostles – James and Philip.

James is known as the ‘son of Alphaeus’ and, to be honest, we know practically nothing about him beyond his name and that he was chosen to be one of the inner circle of Jesus’ disciples – the Twelve. He is known as ‘James the Less’ and is not to be confused with James, one of the two sons of Zebedee, known as ‘James the Greater’. Nor is he to be confused with James, son of Clopas in the Acts of the Apostles, who was a “brother” (cousin) of Jesus, later ‘bishop’ of Jerusalem and the traditional author of the Letter of James.

Philip came from the same town as Peter and Andrew, Bethsaida in Galilee. In the first chapter of John’s Gospel we see Jesus calling him directly, whereup … Continue

Yesterday’s Readings – Saint Athanasius, Bishop and Doctor

Athanasius was born in Alexandria, in northern Egypt, in 293. He was a theologian, Patriarch of Alexandria, a Church Father, and a noted Egyptian leader of the fourth century. He is best remembered for his role in the conflict with Arius and Arianism. At the first Council of Nicaea in 325, … Continue