Good morning good people, May the Lord give you peace and health in the Holy Spirit.
It is on 24th August 2021.
What attracts us to Jesus?
We celebrate the feast of St. Bartholomew, Apostle.
We reflect on Revelation 21:9-14 and the Gospel of John 1:45-51.
Honesty and truthfulness attract the Lord.
Saint Bartholomew was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ. Another name was “Nathaniel of Cana in Galilee.” St. Philip brought him and introduced him to Jesus.
Bartholomew was traditionally identified with Nathanael means “God has given”.
New Jerusalem is guarded by twelve pillars with its foundation. “And the wall of the city has twelve foundations, and on them are the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.” (Rev.21:14).
The Gospel describes the calling of the apostle Bartholomew. Jesus Himself applauds Nathaniel as He calls him, “Here is a true Israelite in whom there is no duplicity.” What an honour to be appreciated by the Lord.
Jesus recognised him before Philip could approach him and wanted him to experience the profound truth about God and Heaven.
This Nathanael came from Cana (cf. Jn 21: 2) and he may have witnessed the maiden miracle at the wedding at Cana great (Jn 2: 1-11).
Philip told 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). He would have believed that the Messiah could not come from such an obscure village.
Nathanael was not satisfied with words alone, but he looked for the answers in action. In his answer, Philip offers Nathanael a meaningful invitation: “Come and see!” (Jn 1: 46).
The decisive moment in the scene of Nathanael’s vocation was his amazement: “How do you know me?” (Jn 1: 48). He was not only moved by the words of Jesus but also felt understood and recognised. And so, he answers with a clear and beautiful confession of faith: “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” (Jn 1: 49). The first crucial step in the journey of attachment to Jesus’ identity and relationship with the Father and the people.
Jesus knows all that is inside of our person. Jesus knows all the secrets of our hearts. People value what they see outside of us, but Jesus appreciates the inside of the person. Our honesty to God empowers us to recognise Jesus, the Son of God.
It is our turn to be sincere and honest in all that we are so that we are easily recognisable by the Lord. We could be prejudiced against the Lord and the Church because of the reasons we hold. But to experience, we need to ‘come and see’ in person. Words and perceptions could deceive but not the personal experience of the Truth.
May the Lord help us to be honest and sincere on all occasions to be spotted by Him. God bless you.