Resting in the Shade

Aug 24: Feast of Saint Bartholomew, Apostle

Today is the Feast of the Apostle Bartholomew, so you might wonder why today’s Gospel is about the call of Nathanael. It’s because… they’re the same person.

That’s right!

The name Bartholomaios means "son of Talmai" (or Tholmai).¹ It’s a last name; Nathanael is a first name. It’s not really clear why the synoptic Gospel list him by his surname, while John gives his first, but it’s the only real discrepancy between the two lists of apostles. Also, the synoptics don’t say anything about Bartholomew, while John gives us today’s story.

Nathaniel, by the way, is the name we gave to the baby we adopted for a brief time last winter. Nathanael is the patron saint of neurological diseases, like Amelia has. It’s not the reason we picked the name, but it did seem fitting.

Reading 1

Rv 21:9b-14

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.

The Bride is, of course, the Church.

Not this Bride.

Jesus loves the Church, and all its members.

But we should remember that we didn’t build the Church; we inherited it. The new Jerusalem, described her, was built on the twelve Apostles. And those stones were chosen from among the twelve tribes of Israel.

We owe a lot to our forebears, which is why we have feast days like today.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 145:10-11, 12-13, 17-18

R. 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.

Remember that “apostle” means “one who is sent.” Jesus sent the Apostles to make known the glory of the Kingdom. Bartholomew went to India,² Armenia, and Azerbaijan. Which isn’t very far by modern standards, but imagine walking that distance for the Gospel.

Alleluia

Jn 1:49b

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Rabbi, you are the Son of God;
you are the King of Israel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

It’s not always easy to recognize when Jesus calls us, but Nathanael did.

Gospel

Jn 1:45-51

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."

Jesus performs a minor miracle, identifying Nathanael from a distance, in the shade. But this is enough for Nathanael, apparently, to call Jesus the King of Israel.

But Jesus says that’s not all!

Jesus doesn’t want us to settle for minor miracles. He promises we’ll see heaven itself. Don’t just rest in the shade—expect big things when you choose to follow the Christ.

1. From the Catholic Encyclopedia entry on St. Bartholomew.

2. Although not as far as Thomas did.