Philip came from Bethsaida, the town of Peter and Andrew. John's Gospel gives him more attention than the others do: he is called by the Lord with the word "Follow me," he brings Nathanael to Jesus with the answer "Come and see," he is asked where bread might be bought for the crowd, and at the Last Supper he says, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us," drawing the reply, "Whoever has seen me has seen the Father." That exchange is the Gospel of the feast. James, called the Less to distinguish him from the son of Zebedee, is named in the lists of the Twelve as the son of Alphaeus. Christian tradition has commonly identified him with James who led the church in Jerusalem and to whom the Letter of James is ascribed, though the New Testament does not make the identification explicit. Saint Paul names James among those to whom the risen Lord appeared, and the first reading of the feast is that list of resurrection witnesses from the fifteenth chapter of First Corinthians. The two apostles are joined in one celebration because their relics were placed together in the Roman basilica now known as the Church of the Holy Apostles, and the anniversary of its dedication became their feast. The date has moved more than once; in the reform of the General Roman Calendar following the Second Vatican Council the feast was assigned to May 3. Red vestments are worn, with the Gloria and the Preface of the Apostles, whom the Church honors as the foundation on which she is built.

Feast

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May 3

feast