May the Lord give you peace and health in the Holy Spirit.
It is 24th August 2021.
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.
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).
Gospel describes the calling of the apostle Bartholomew. Jesus Himself applauds Nathaniel as He called 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.
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.