Sunday, August 19, 2012

8/24/2012 – Bartholomew - Friday of the 20th week in ordinary time – John 1:45-51


Today we celebrate the feast of St. Bartholomew.  The apostle Bartholomew is mentioned in the lists of the apostles in the New Testament, but many Scripture scholars identify him as Nathaniel, which is the reason for the Gospel we hear today.  Nathaniel is a man from Cana in Galilee who is summoned to Jesus by Philip.  When Philip tells Nathaniel that they have found Jesus, Nathaniel wonders how anything good can come from Nazareth.  Philip invites Nathaniel to come & see for himself.
         Like Nathaniel, we come to our faith with our preconceived notions and prejudices, with the judgments and assumptions we make that can hinder us along our journey.  Yet, Nathaniel does go to see Jesus for himself, and Jesus immediately pays him a compliment, saying that there is no duplicity or deceitfulness about him.  Even in the midst of his flaws and his prejudices, Nathaniel seeks the truth. 
         In the midst of our flaws and short-comings, may we also genuinely seek out our faith just as Nathaniel did.  May we never give up in seeking out truth, which we can only find in God. 

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