#stbartholomew

Thought for the Day – 24 August – The Feast of St Bartholomew, Apostle of Christ – Today’s Gospel: John 1:45–51

Bartholomew or Nathanael?   We are confronted again with the fact that we know almost nothing about most of the apostles.   Yet the unknown ones were also foundation stones, the 12 pillars of the new Israel whose 12 tribes now encompass the whole earth.   Their personalities were secondary—without thereby being demeaned—to their great office of bearing tradition from their firsthand experience, speaking in the name of Jesus, putting the Word Made Flesh into human words for the enlightenment of the world.   Their holiness was not an introverted contemplation of their status before God.   It was a gift that they had to share with others.   The Good News, was that, all are called to the holiness of being Christ’s members, by the gracious gift of God.

The simple fact is that humanity is totally meaningless unless God is its total concern.   Then humanity, made holy with God’s own holiness, becomes the most precious creation of God…(via Franciscan Media)

Note:   the name “Nathanael” means “God has given”.

St Bartholomew, Pray for us!

Saint of the Day – 24 August – St Bartholomew Apostle of Christ – Martyr – Patronages – Armenia; bookbinders; butchers; Florentine cheese and salt merchants; Gambatesa, Italy; Catbalogan, Samar; Għargħur, Malta; leather workers; neurological diseases; plasterers; shoemakers; curriers; tanners; trappers; twitching; whiteners ; Los Cerricos (Spain), 16 further cities all over the world.   Attributes –  cross, elderly man holding a tanner’s knife and a human skin, tanner’s knife, bright red (skinless) man holding his own skin. (Image above - Bartholomew, Andrew and James).

Saint Bartholomew is one of the Twelve Apostles, mentioned sixth in the three Gospel lists (Matthew 10:3; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:14) and seventh in the list of Acts (1:13).   The name (Bartholomaios) means “son of Talmai” which was an ancient Hebrew name.

Besides being listed as an Apostle, he is not otherwise mentioned in the New Testament, at least not under the name Bartholomew:  many ancient writers and Catholic tradition have identified Bartholomew as Nathaniel in the Gospel of John (John 1:45-51, and 21:2).

The Gospel passage read at Mass on the feast of Saint Bartholomew is precisely this passage from John (1:45-51) where Nathaniel is introduced to Jesus by his friend Phillip, and Jesus says of him “Here is a true child of Israel. There is no duplicity in him (1:47).”

We are presented with the Apostle’s character in this brief and beautiful dialogue with the Lord Jesus.   He is a good Jew, honest and innocent, a just man, who devotes much time to quiet reflection and prayer – “under the fig tree (1:48)” – and has been awaiting the Messiah, the Holy One of God.

At Jesus’ mention that “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you (1:48),” Nathaniel responded “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel (1:49)!”

Being “a true child of Israel,” Nathaniel was a man well-read in the Scriptures and knew what they said of the Messiah and where he would come from.   This is why he is skeptical of Phillip’s claim that Jesus is the Messiah, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth (1:46)?”

But Nathaniel was lacking “duplicity” – that is, his heart was undivided, his intentions pure – his openness to reality was always ready to recognise and surrender to the truth when he encountered it.   He remained open to his friend Phillip’s invitation to “Come and see (1:46).”   In encountering Jesus and hearing His words, he found himself face to face with the Truth Himself, and, like John the Baptist’s leap in his mother’s womb at the Lord’s presence, Nathaniel’s words leapt out of his own heart in a clear and simple confession of faith, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”

Jesus, in Matthew 5:8, says, “Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God.”   In Nathaniel we have an example of the pure man who sees – recognises –  God when confronted with Him and on seeing Him believes in Him and upon believing in Him, follows Him.

Nothing is known for sure about the life of Nathaniel/Bartholomew after the Ascension of Jesus but tradition holds that he preached in the East and died a martyr’s death in Armenia, being flayed alive for having won converts to the Lord Jesus.

Quote of the Day – 24 August – The Feast of St Bartholomew, Apostle

“Here is a true child of Israel. There is no guile in him.” Bartholomew/Nathanael answered him : “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.”

John 1:47-48

Thought for the Day – 24 August The Feast of St Bartholomew, Apostle

“…Philip told this Nathanael that he had found “him of whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph” (Jn 1: 45).   As we know, Nathanael’s retort was rather strongly prejudiced:  “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (Jn 1: 46).   In its own way, this form of protestation is important for us. Indeed, it makes us see that according to Judaic expectations the Messiah could not come from such an obscure village as, precisely, Nazareth (see also Jn 7: 42).

But at the same time Nathanael’s protest highlights God’s freedom, which baffles our expectations by causing Him to be found in the very place where we least expect Him. Moreover, we actually know that Jesus was not exclusively “from Nazareth” but was born in Bethlehem (cf. Mt 2: 1; Lk 2: 4) and came ultimately from Heaven, from the Father who is in Heaven.

Nathanael’s reaction suggests another thought to us:  in our relationship with Jesus we must not be satisfied with words alone.   In his answer, Philip offers Nathanael a meaningful invitation: “Come and see!” (Jn 1: 46). Our knowledge of Jesus needs above all a first-hand experience:  someone else’s testimony is of course important, for normally the whole of our Christian life begins with the proclamation handed down to us by one or more witnesses.

However, we ourselves must then be personally involved in a close and deep relationship with Jesus;  in a similar way, when the Samaritans had heard the testimony of their fellow citizen whom Jesus had met at Jacob’s well, they wanted to talk to Him directly and after this conversation they told the woman:  “It is no longer because of your words that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and we know that this is indeed the Saviour of the world” (Jn 4: 42).

…To conclude, we can say that despite the scarcity of information about him, St Bartholomew stands before us to tell us that attachment to Jesus can also be lived and witnessed to without performing sensational deeds.   Jesus Himself, to whom each one of us is called to dedicate his or her own life and death, is and remains extraordinary.”

Note: the name “Nathanael” means “God has given”.

Pope Benedict XVI – General Audience 4 October 2006

St Bartholomew Pray for us!