Saint Philip & Saint James, Apostles

May 1 – St. Philip and St. James, Apostles – (RC May 3) –

We know nothing of James but his name and the fact that he was one of the 12 apostles. He is not the James of Acts, brother of Jesus and later bishop of Jerusalem. James, son of Alphaeus, is also known as James the Lesser to avoid confusing him with James the son of Zebedee, also an apostle and known as James the Greater.

Philip came from the same town as Peter and Andrew, Bethsaida in Galilee. Like the other apostles, Philip took a long time coming to realize who Jesus was. At the feeding of the 5000 Jesus asked Philip where they should buy bread for the people to eat. St. John comments, “[Jesus] said this to test him, because he himself knew what he was going to do.” Philip answered, “Two hundred days’ wages worth of food would not be enough for each of them to have a little.”