Wednesday of 21st Week in Ordinary Time
BARTHOLOMEW, Apostle ( Feast )
It is quite likely that Nathaniel of today’s gospel is the same person as the apostle Bartholomew. If so, he was an open and honest man, “in whom there was no deceit,” as Jesus said.
First Reading: Revelation 21:9-14
One of the Seven Angels who had carried the bowls filled with the seven final disasters spoke to me: “Come here. I’ll show you the Bride, the Wife of the Lamb.” He took me away in the Spirit to an enormous, high mountain and showed me Holy Jerusalem descending out of Heaven from God, resplendent in the bright glory of God.
The City shimmered like a precious gem, light-filled, pulsing light. She had a wall majestic and high with twelve gates. At each gate stood an Angel, and on the gates were inscribed the names of the Twelve Tribes of the sons of Israel: three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, three gates on the west. The wall was set on twelve foundations, the names of the Twelve Apostles of the Lamb inscribed on them.
Gospel: John 1:45-51
Philip went and found Nathanael and told him, “We’ve found the One Moses wrote of in the Law, the One preached by the prophets. It’s Jesus, Joseph’s son, the one from Nazareth!” Nathanael said, “Nazareth? You’ve got to be kidding.”
But Philip said, “Come, see for yourself.”
When Jesus saw him coming he said, “There’s a real Israelite, not a false bone in his body.”
Nathanael said, “Where did you get that idea? You don’t know me.”
Jesus answered, “One day, long before Philip called you here, I saw you under the fig tree.”
Nathanael exclaimed, “Rabbi! You are the Son of God, the King of Israel!”
Jesus said, “You’ve become a believer simply because I say I saw you one day sitting under the fig tree? You haven’t seen anything yet! Before this is over you’re going to see heaven open and God’s angels descending to the Son of Man and ascending again.”
Prayer
Lord our God,
would that it could be said of each of us:
”there goes and honest person
in whom there is no deceit,”
one who is worthy of the name Christian.
Make us into true disciples of Jesus
who live as we believe day after day,
and who cooperate in bringing people
to your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Reflection:
24 August 2021
John 1: 45-51
“Come and See”
We have little information about Bartholomew, one of the 12 apostles of Jesus. The Church has identified him with Nathanael for centuries, without absolute certainties. The Gospel of John says Nathanael came from Cana in Galilee [21.2]. As with Andrew and Simon, Philip wished to share his enthusiasm for Jesus with his friend Nathanael. Philip used his knowledge of the scriptures to describe Jesus to his friend and says he found the one Moses wrote about in the law, as had the prophets. Moreover, he invites Nathanael to “Come and see!”
Philip’s invitation echoes the invitation made by Jesus to Andrew and his companion. Today, the whole Gospel is making the same invitation to us. But this “seeing” is possible with the inner eye – the eyes of faith, rather than the physical eye.
When John the Baptist pointed out Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, Andrew and his companion responded and went after Jesus to find out more about him. Furthermore, Jesus gave them an invitation – “Come and see!” Andrew could not hold the joy of the encounter for himself and went searching for his brother, Simon Peter. The story of Nathanael is something similar. Philip, who came across Jesus, wanted to share his joy with his friend and brought Nathanael to Jesus.
Nathanael had his own prejudices about the one who was coming from Nazareth. In the early part of his Gospel, John the evangelist narrated these vocation stories to convey the Missionary role of everyone who encountered Christ. John reminds his community of their responsibility to make known to others this Jesus of Nazareth, whom they have encountered, and to bring them to Jesus.
All the apostles did exactly the same after their life experience with Jesus. According to the traditions, Bartholomew preached the Gospel in Armenia and Persia and, like most of the apostles, was martyred for his faith. This is the message of this Apostle as we remember his martyrdom today – the call to talk about Jesus of Nazareth and to bring people to Jesus. Not everyone would appreciate it – and that was the reason for the persecution and death of so many holy martyrs of the Church. Apostle Bartholomew, pray for the persecuted Christians around the world.