VATICAN - The Pope’s catechesis at the general audience: “The goal to which our life must tend: to meet Jesus, as Philip met him, striving to see in Him, God, our heavenly Father”

Thursday, 7 September 2006

Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - On Wednesday 6 September at the general audience held in St Peter’s Square, Pope Benedict XVI continued his catechesis on the Apostles reflecting this time on the figure of Saint Philip. “In lists of the Twelve he is always in fifth place, so substantially among the first - the Pope said -. Although Philip was of Jewish origin, his name is Greek, like that of Andrew, this small sign of cultural opening is not to be undervalued. The information we have about him is supplied by the Gospel of John. Philip comes from the same place as Peter and Andrew, Bethsaida”.
Shortly after he was called by Jesus, Philip meets Nathaniel, who is sceptical with regard to what Philip tells him about the Messiah, but Philip insists: "Come and see!". “In this answer, brief but clear, Philip reveals the traits of the true witness: not content to propose only the announcement, as a theory, he involves the interlocuter directly suggesting a personal experience of what has been announced” the Pope said and continued: “We may imagine that Philip addresses us too with those two verbs which imply personal involvement. He says to us as he said to Nathaniel: "Come and see!". The Apostle wants us to know Jesus from close up. In fact friendship, deep knowledge of the other person, requires closeness, indeed in part it lives on closeness. It should not be forgotten that, as Mark writes, Jesus chose the Twelve primarily "to be with Him", to share his life and learn directly from him not only his way of behaving, but above all, who He really was. Only in this way in fact by sharing his life they could know him and then tell others about him”.
In the Letter to the Ephesians Saint Paul says the important thing is to "learn Christ", “not only, or not so much, by listening to his teaching, his words, but rather knowing his person, his divinity, his mystery, his beauty. He is not only Master, he is Friend, indeed he is Brother”. St Philip the Apostle therefore urges us too to ‘come’ and ‘see” “to establish contact of listening, responding, of communion of life with Jesus day after day”.
In the Gospels a number of elements reveal the prestige Philip enjoyed in the college of the apostles. In particular during the Last Supper, when Jesus explains that to know him is to know the Father, Philip asks: "Lord, show us the Father, and we will be content”. “In his reply to Philip - the Pope explained - Jesus refers to his own person as such, meaning that it is possible to understand Him not only through what he says, but even more through what he is. To express ourselves with the paradox of the Incarnation , we can rightly say that God assumed a human face, that of Jesus, and consequently, from then on, if we truly wish to know the face of God, we need only dwell on the face of Jesus! In his face we see who God is and what he is like!”
The Holy Father concluded his reflection underlining “the goal to which our life must tend: to meet Jesus, as Philip met him, striving to see in Him, God, the heavenly Father. If we did not have this goal, we would have to refer only to ourselves as in a mirror and we would be ever more alone! Philip teaches us instead to let ourselves be captured by Jesus, to stay with him and to call others to share this indispensable company. Seeing, finding God, finding true life.”
After greeting visitors in various different languages the Pope asked those present to accompany with their prayers his imminent visit to Germany: “I thank the Lord for this opportunity to visit for the first time since my election as Bishop of Rome, my homeland, Bavaria. Dear friends please accompany, this visit, which I entrust to the Blessed Virgin Mary. May she guide my steps and obtain for the German people a new springtime of faith and civil progress.” (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 7/9/2006, righe 47, parole 690)


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