Feast of Saint Bartholomew, Apostle
August 24, 2021
Feast of Saint Bartholomew, Apostle
Lectionary: 629
Reading I
The angel spoke to me, saying,
“Come here.
I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.”
He took me in spirit to a great, high mountain
and showed me the holy city Jerusalem
coming down out of heaven from God.
It gleamed with the splendor of God.
Its radiance was like that of a precious stone,
like jasper, clear as crystal.
It had a massive, high wall,
with twelve gates where twelve angels were stationed
and on which names were inscribed,
the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel.
There were three gates facing east,
three north, three south, and three west.
The wall of the city had twelve courses of stones as its foundation,
on which were inscribed the twelve names
of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb.
Responsorial Psalm
- (12) Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your Kingdom
and speak of your might.
R. Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
Making known to men your might
and the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
Your Kingdom is a Kingdom for all ages,
and your dominion endures through all generations.
R. Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
The LORD is just in all his ways
and holy in all his works.
The LORD is near to all who call upon him,
to all who call upon him in truth.
R. Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
Alleluia
- Alleluia, alleluia.
Rabbi, you are the Son of God;
you are the King of Israel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Philip found Nathanael and told him,
“We have found the one about whom Moses wrote in the law,
and also the prophets, Jesus son of Joseph, from Nazareth.”
But Nathanael said to him,
“Can anything good come from Nazareth?”
Philip said to him, “Come and see.”
Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him,
“Here is a true child of Israel.
There is no duplicity in him.”
Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?”
Jesus answered and said to him,
“Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.”
Nathanael answered him,
“Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.”
Jesus answered and said to him,
“Do you believe
because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree?
You will see greater things than this.”
And he said to him, “Amen, amen, I say to you,
you will see heaven opened and the angels of God
ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
Reflection: LEADING SOMEONE TO ENCOUNTER THE LORD
Today we celebrate the feast of one of these apostles - Bartholomew, also called Nathaniel. When Philip met Jesus he was overjoyed and could not withhold his enthusiasm. He tells Bartholomew and brings him to Jesus. Nathaniel on hearing that Jesus was from Nazareth said: "What good can come out of Nazareth?". Nazareth was an insignificant place, no prophets came from there. Rabbinical thinking held that the Messiah would come from Judea, the land of David, most certainly not from a region like Galilee, overrun by Gentiles. All the same he believes and goes to see Jesus. More than a cynical remark or a statement of unbelief, Nathaniel's reaction revealed a firm adherence to God's word as he understood it and a willingness to have his assumptions challenged and his faith stretched. The fact that he nonetheless accepted Philip's invitation to meet Jesus says much about Nathaniel's openness to seeking the truth. With fitting irony Jesus says: "Behold an Israelite in whom there is no guile”. Israelite means one who sees God. No guile - Jesus recognized that he was without deceit. A no nonsense type of person. And in his openness, he asks: “Where did you get to know me?" Jesus says, “I saw you under the fig tree”. Nathaniel is pragmatic and acknowledges Jesus as 'Son of God'. Jesus tells him that he will see life in a new way. This is just the beginning. Nathaniel was led to Jesus by Philip. He was brought and introduced by another. We too have been brought to the faith by our parents. A question we should ask ourselves today is: “Whom am I bringing to the faith? Would I not like to be in his family album?”