Thursday, August 24, 2023

 

Feast of Saint Bartholomew, apostle

(Revelation 21:9b-14; John 1:45-51)

In the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Bartholomew is paired with Philip, the apostle.  Because Nathaniel has that distinction in John’s gospel, he is considered the same as Bartholomew.  In today’s passage from John, Bartholomew/Nathaniel recognizes Jesus as Messiah.

His recognition approximates what Simon calls Jesus in this Sunday’s gospel.  In the famous passage from the Gospel of Matthew, Simon says Jesus is “the Christ (i.e., Messiah), the Son of the living God.”  Jesus in turns names Simon, “Peter,” which is to say the rock, the foundation of his Church.  Jesus gives a descriptive title to Bartholomew/Nathaniel as well.  He is a true Israelite without duplicity.

We should strive to be likewise.  We say that we are Christians; that is, followers of Jesus.  We should always act like him.  This means praying to God constantly and serving others diligently.  Doing so, we too will experience angels working marvelous deeds. 

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