It’s the Feast of Sts Philip and James, 2nd Class, with the color of Red. In this episode: the meditation: “Mass: The Ultimate Prayer”, today’s news from the Church: “The Case of the Notre-Dame Stained-glass Windows Goes to Court”, a preview of the Sermon: “Moderating Our Speech”, and today’s thought from the Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre.
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Sources Used Today:
- “Mass: The Ultimate Prayer” — Eastertide Day by Day
- “The Case of the Notre-Dame Stained-glass Windows Goes to Court” (FSSPX.news)
- “Moderating Our Speech” (SSPX Sermons)
- The Spiritual Life — Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (Angelus Press)
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Saints Philip and James are honored together by the Church today, two Apostles whose lives reveal different aspects of faithful discipleship in the earliest days of Christianity. Though often grouped together in the liturgy, each played a distinct role in the spreading of the Gospel and the foundation of the Church.
Saint Philip was among the first disciples called personally by Christ. The Gospel of Saint John presents him as eager and direct, immediately bringing others to Jesus, including Nathanael. Philip appears several times in the Gospel narrative asking questions that reveal both sincerity and spiritual hunger. At the Last Supper, it was Philip who said, “Lord, show us the Father,” prompting Christ’s profound response: “He that seeth Me seeth the Father also.” Through these moments, the Church sees Philip as a disciple gradually drawn into deeper understanding of the mystery of Christ.
After Pentecost, tradition holds that Philip preached the Gospel in regions of Asia Minor, enduring hardship and persecution before eventually giving his life for the faith. He is remembered as a missionary apostle, one who brought others to Christ both through his words and his witness.
Saint James honored on this feast is James the Less, often identified as the son of Alphaeus and associated with leadership in the Church of Jerusalem. He became one of the most respected figures in the early Christian community, known for wisdom, prayer, and strict devotion to the law of God fulfilled in Christ. Early Christian writers describe him as deeply ascetical, a man of prayer who spent long hours in the Temple interceding for the people.
James also played an important role in guiding the early Church through difficult questions, especially regarding Gentile converts. At the Council of Jerusalem, his voice helped bring unity and clarity. Tradition attributes to him the Epistle of James, with its strong emphasis on living faith through good works and perseverance.
The Church honors Philip and James together as pillars of the apostolic foundation, men who served Christ in different ways yet shared the same fidelity and sacrifice.
Their feast day has long been associated with the coming of spring in parts of Europe, where May 1 was once marked by special prayers for the growing season and blessings upon labor and families.
Saints Philip and James, faithful Apostles and servants of Christ, pray for us.
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The SSPX Podcast is produced by Angelus Press, which has as its mission the fortification of traditional Catholics so that they can defend the Faith, and reaching out to those who have not yet found Tradition.
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The main goal of the Society of Saint Pius X is to preserve the Catholic Faith in its fullness and purity, to teach its truths, and to diffuse its virtues, especially through the Roman Catholic priesthood.
Authentic spiritual life, the sacraments, and the traditional liturgy are its primary means of bringing this life of grace to souls.
Although the traditional Latin Mass is the most visible and public expression of the work of the Society, we are committed to defending Catholic Tradition in its entirety: all of Catholic doctrine and morals as the Church has always defended them. What people need is the Catholic Faith, without compromise, with all the truth and beauty which accompanies it.