Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 08-24-04, Feast of St. Bartholomew, Apostle and Martyr

USCCB.org/New American Bible ^ | 08-24-04 | New American Bible

[Salvation]

August 24, 2004
Feast of Saint Bartholomew, Apostle

Psalm: Tuesday 37 Reading I Responsorial Psalm Gospel

Reading I
Rev 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.

Responsorial Psalm
145:10-11, 12-13, 17-18

R (12) 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.

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."

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Martyrdom of the Holy and Glorious Apostle, Bartholomew

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From: Revelation 21:9b-14


A New World Comes Into Being. The New Jerusalem

---

[9b] (One of the seven angels) spoke to me, saying, "Come, I will show you
the Bride, the wife of the Lamb." [10] And in the Spirit he carried me
away to a great high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem
coming down out of heaven from God, [11] having the glory of God, its
radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.
[12] It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates
twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the
sons of Israel were inscribed; [13] on the east three gates, on the
north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three
gates. [14] And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them
the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

---

Commentary:


9-21. In contrast with the punishment visited on the evil city,
Babylon, the harlot (cf. 17:1), we are now shown the Holy City, the new
Jerusalem, the spouse, coming down from heaven. There is a significant
parallel between 17:1ff and 21:9ff.


The author writes with a truly remarkable mastery of language: after
the introduction (v. 9), he describes the Holy City using three
literary devices which, after giving the measurements of the city, he
repeats in more or less reverse order. The description is like the
impressions a traveler has as he approaches: first, from afar, he sees
its radiance--the city as a whole and the glory of God (vv. 10-11); as
he comes closer he can distinguish walls and gates (vv. 12-13), and
when closer still its foundation stones (v. 14). Once inside, he
realizes its sheer scale (vv. 15-16) and is able to assess the size and
richness of its walls (vv. 17-18) and foundation stones and gates (vv.
19-21); and he is spellbound by the brightness that shines from the
glory of God (21:22-22:5).


The city is given the titles of Bride and Wife (Spouse) which are
normally used to designate the Church (cf. 19:7). This is easy to
understand in the context of the imagery used: the city represents the
Church, the community of the elect viewed in its complete, indissoluble
union with the Lamb.


10-14. This vision is rather like the one the prophet Ezekiel had when
he saw the New Jerusalem and the temple of the future (cf. Ezek 40-42).
However, St John stresses (cf. also 21:2) that the city comes down from
heaven: this shows that the full establishment (so long desired) of the
messianic kingdom will be brought about by the power of God and in line
with his will.


The description of the Holy City begins with the view from outside.
This is the first thing that is seen and it is what makes it strong and
unassailable. He speaks of walls and gates and foundations. The names
of the tribes of Israel and the twelve Apostles show the continuity
between the ancient chosen people and the Church of Christ; and yet the
point is made that the Church is something quite new which rests on the
twelve Apostles of the Lord (cf. Eph 2:20). The arrangement of the
gates, in threes facing the four points of the compass, indicates that
the Church is universal: all nations must come to it to gain salvation.
This is what St Augustine means when he says that "outside the catholic
Church one can find everything except salvation" ("Sermo Ad Cassar",
6).

---

Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.

[Salvation]

From: John 1:45-51


The Calling of the First Disciples

---

[45] Philip found Nathaniel, and said to him, "We have found Him of
whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth,
the son of Joseph." [46] Nathaniel said to him, "Can anything good
come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see." [47] Jesus
saw Nathaniel coming to Him, and said to him, "Behold, an Israelite
indeed, in whom is no guile!" [48] Nathaniel said to Him, "How do you
know me?" Jesus answered him, "Before Philip called you, when you were
under the fig tree, I saw you." [49] Nathaniel answered Him, "Rabbi,
you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel! [50] Jesus
answered him, "Because I said to you, I saw you under the fig tree, do
you believe? You shall see greater things than these." [51] And He
said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see Heaven opened,
and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."

---

Commentary:


45-51. The Apostle Philip is so moved that he cannot but tell his
friend Nathanael (Bartholomew) about his wonderful discovery (verse
45). "Nathanael had heard from Scripture that Jesus must come from
Bethlehem, from the people of David. This belief prevailed among the
Jews and also the prophet had proclaimed it of old, saying: `But you, O
Bethlehem, who are little to be among the clans of Judah, from you
shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler of Israel' (Micah 5:2).
Therefore, when he heard that He was from Nazareth, he was troubled and
in doubt, since he found that the announcement of Philip was not in
agreement with the words of the prophecy" (St. John Chrysostom, "Hom.
on St. John", 20, 1).


A Christian may find that, in trying to communicate his faith to
others, they raise difficulties. What should he do? What Philip
did--not trust his own explanation, but invite them to approach Jesus
personally: "Come and see" (verse 46). In other words, a Christian
should bring his fellow-men, his brothers into Jesus' presence through
the means of grace which He has given them and which the Church
ministers--frequent reception of the sacraments, and devout Christian
practices.


Nathanael, a sincere person (verse 47), goes along with Philip to see
Jesus; he makes personal contact with our Lord (verse 48), and the
outcome is that he receives faith (the result of his ready reception of
grace, which reaches him through Christ's human nature: verse 49).


As far as we can deduce from the Gospels, Nathanael is the first
Apostle to make an explicit confession of faith in Jesus as Messiah and
as Son of God. Later on St. Peter, in a more formal way, will
recognize our Lord's divinity (cf. Matthew 16:16). Here (verse 51)
Jesus evokes a text from Daniel (7:13) to confirm and give deeper
meaning to the words spoken by His new disciple.

---

Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.

[KOZ.]

please add me :)
thanks.

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**The description........one can find everything except salvation.**

Powerful words!

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I'll be glad to!

[NYer]

Tuesday August 24, 2004   Feast of Saint Bartholomew

Reading (Revelation 21:9b-14)    Gospel (St. John 1:45-51)

Today, as we celebrate the feast of Saint Bartholomew, remember that Nathaniel and Bartholomew are the same person. This is why we have this particular reading from the gospel of Saint John about Nathaniel and about what Jesus had to say regarding him,  Here is a true Israelite. There is no duplicity in him. Now, Nathaniel initially says to Phillip, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Remember, the word Nazareth comes from the Hebrew word Nazer which means, “a shoot” as in “a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse.” And so, Nazareth was founded by a small group of people, the House of David, who believed fully well that the Messiah was going to come from among their number. Of course, the people of Israel thought that they were nuts and that is exactly why Nathaniel is asking the question he is asking. Nazareth is a little Podunk town out in the middle of nowhere with a bunch of people who they thought were pretty crazy. Yet, this is where God chose to send His Son.

Now we can look at what the angel says to Saint John, “Come here. I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” We are each the bride of the Lamb and we can say, “Can anything good come out of this?” Look at whom He has chosen to be His bride. It is the new Jerusalem, but we are the members of the new Jerusalem. In baptism, we have been made members of Jesus Christ, and, just as in marriage, the two shall become one, so we have become fully incorporated into Christ Himself. We, together, make up the bride of Christ; we are to be united with Him; we are to be faithful to Him; we are to love Him and to serve Him. And, of course, we know, too, that God has chosen (for those whom He has called to Himself) not the ones whom the world would consider the greatest but the ones the world considers the least. If we were to line up a whole bunch of people and say, “Now which ones here most deserve to be members of the bride of Christ?” we would probably not be among those who were chosen by the worldly types. And, so, people can look and say, “Can anything good come out of this? Out of this group of people? Out of the Church?”

Of course, on the natural level the answer is pretty doubtful. But this is not on the natural level because the Bridegroom of our souls is not natural but is supernatural. He is God, and if we are united with Him as a bride and a bridegroom are united, the two become one. Therefore, we share in His divine nature and in His divine life. The good comes out of Christ and not out of us. It is His life and it is His love in us that He is giving to us. We, then, are able to turn and offer this back so that we can live in a divine way; we can serve in a divine way; we can love in a divine way. This, not because of anything within ourselves that is so good, but rather because of Him who is perfectly good who is united to us. What a blessing! What a gift that God has given to us to call us to this kind of glory, to this union with Christ!

But that means that He wants from us the same thing that he saw in the apostle, Bartholomew (Nathaniel). That is, He wants us to be true Israelites with no duplicity, to be single-heartedly in love with Him. It does not mean to be pulled here and there or to be seeking our own will while giving lip service to Him. But, rather, to be seeking Him alone; to be seeking perfect union with Him; to be offering ourselves in every way for Him; to be loving Him at every moment of every day. Because we are members of the new Israel, of the new Jerusalem, we are called to that single-hearted nature of love. We are to be perfectly united to the bridegroom of our souls and to be completely in love with Him. That is what it means to a member of the new Israel without duplicity, without anything standing between Him and ourselves because we are united with Him perfectly and completely.

Therefore, we want to open ourselves, that is, to open our hearts entirely to Him; to hold nothing back; to have nothing in the way and to get ourselves out of the way because we have given ourselves completely to Him and we have received Him completely to ourselves. We are to live His life and we are to allow Him to live in us and through us. We are to be single-heartedly devoted to Him alone. That is our glory. That is our call and it is something supernatural. If you sit back and say, “I cannot do it”, then you are right - by yourself, that is. But, Jesus can do it in you because He can do all things and with Him nothing is impossible. It is even possible for Him to take the likes of us and make us the bride of the Lamb and to make us the new Israel with no duplicity in our hearts. Only He can do that in us, and only if we cooperate since He is not going to force it on us.  What is more, we have to see that he has done this in us. Let the people of the world look and say, “Can anything good come out of this?” and let them see that the good which is coming out of us is the love of Jesus Christ Himself, which is perfectly good

[Salvation]

FEAST OF THE DAY

St. Bartholomew is named as one of the 12 apostles of the Lord in
the New Testament. Many scripture scholars believe that
Bartholomew and Nathaniel are the same person. There is little
reliable information about his life, and most of the information we do
have comes from the bible and the legends and traditions
surrounding this saint. It is believed that Bartholomew was born at
Cana, in Galilee.

In the Synoptic Gospels, there is little mentioned about Bartholomew
except his inclusion in the list of Apostles and his presence at
various events. In the Gospel of John, Bartholomew is brought to
Jesus by Philip and is paid the compliment by Jesus that he is a true
Israelite and has no duplicity in him (Jn 1:47b). Later in John's
Gospel, Bartholomew is among those who meet the Jesus, after his
resurrection, on the shore of the Sea of Tiberias.

After the Ascension of Jesus Bartholomew preached in the East. He
reached as far as India and Armenia before he was martyred by
being flayed alive. In art, Bartholomew is often represented holding
the instrument of his death, a knife, or his skin showing he was
flayed alive.


QUOTE OF THE DAY

Philip found Nathaniel 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 Nathaniel said to him, "Can anything
good come from Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see."
Jesus saw Nathaniel coming toward him and said of him, "Here is a
true Israelite. There is no duplicity in him." Nathaniel said to him,
"How do you know me?" Jesus answered and said to hi, "Before
Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree." Nathaniel answered
him, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel." Jn 1:45-50


TODAY IN HISTORY

410 Rome sacked by Visigoths, symbolizing fall of Western Roman
Empire


TODAY'S TIDBIT

Prayer is the raising of the mind and heart in adoration, thanksgiving,
reparation and petition. Prayer, which is always mental because it
involves thought and love of God, may be vocal, meditative, private,
and personal, social and official. The official prayer of the Church as
a worshiping community is called the liturgy.


INTENTION FOR THE DAY

Please pray for inspiration for all of us to develop deeper and richer
prayer lives.

[Salvation]

Thank you.

[Salvation]

Tuesday, August 24, 2004
St. Bartholomew, Apostle (Feast)

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel:

Revelation 21:9-14 Psalm 145:10-13, 17-18 John 1:45-51 To rely on our talents is a cause of great loss. When soneone places confidence in his own prudence, knowledge, and intelligence, God, To make him know and see his insufficiency, withdraws from him His help and leaves him to work by himself. This is often why our undertakings miserably fail.  -- St. Vincent de Paul

[Salvation]

American Cathlic's Saint of the Day

August 24, 2004

St. Bartholomew

In the New Testament, Bartholomew is mentioned only in the lists of the apostles. Some scholars identify him with Nathanael, a man of Cana in Galilee who was summoned to Jesus by Philip. Jesus paid him a great compliment: “Here is a true Israelite. There is no duplicity in him” (John 1:47b). When Nathanael asked how Jesus knew him, Jesus said, “I saw you under the fig tree” (John 1:48b). Whatever amazing revelation this involved, it brought Nathanael to exclaim, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel” (John 1:49b). But Jesus countered with, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this” (John 1:50b).

Nathanael did see greater things. He was one of those to whom Jesus appeared on the shore of the Sea of Tiberias after his resurrection (see John 21:1-14). They had been fishing all night without success. In the morning, they saw someone standing on the shore though no one knew it was Jesus. He told them to cast their net again, and they made so great a catch that they could not haul the net in. Then John cried out to Peter, “It is the Lord.”

When they brought the boat to shore, they found a fire burning, with some fish laid on it and some bread. Jesus asked them to bring some of the fish they had caught, and invited them to come and eat their meal. John relates that although they knew it was Jesus, none of the apostles presumed to inquire who he was. This, John notes, was the third time Jesus appeared to the apostles.

Comment:

Bartholomew or Nathanael? We are confronted again with the fact that we know almost nothing about most of the apostles. Yet the unknown ones were also foundation stones, the 12 pillars of the new Israel whose 12 tribes now encompass the whole earth. Their personalities were secondary (without thereby being demeaned) to their great office of bearing tradition from their firsthand experience, speaking in the name of Jesus, putting the Word made flesh into human words for the enlightenment of the world. Their holiness was not an introverted contemplation of their status before God. It was a gift that they had to share with others. The Good News was that all are called to the holiness of being Christ’s members, by the gracious gift of God.

The simple fact is that humanity is totally meaningless unless God is its total concern. Then humanity, made holy with God’s own holiness, becomes the most precious creation of God.

Quote:

“Like Christ himself, the apostles were unceasingly bent upon bearing witness to the truth of God. They showed special courage in speaking ‘the word of God with boldness’ (Acts 4:31) before the people and their rulers. With a firm faith they held that the gospel is indeed the power of God unto salvation for all who believe.... They followed the example of the gentleness and respectfulness of Christ” (Declaration on Religious Freedom, 11).

[Smartass]

THANKS FOR     THE PING!

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Thank YOU for stopping by!

[lightman]

St. Bartholomew is one of the most anonymous and inconspicuous of Apostles.

Several years ago I was delighted to hear the feast heralded by an organ rendition of Aaron Copeland's "Fanfare for the Common Man"---a true tribute to a very common Apostle!

[Salvation]

Very anonymous indeed. In fact, the homily today talked about the "common" apostle being like all of us.

[lightman]

I love this petition from a prayer remembering all the Apostles (please excuse the all caps)

WE REMEMBER PHILIP AND BARTHOLOMEW, JAMES AND JUDE,
AND PRAY FOR ALL YOUR INCONSPICUOUS PEOPLE, WHO, WITHOUT
FANFARE OR ACCLAIM PERFORM THEIR SERVICE TO THE BEST OF THEIR
ABILITY.....

[Salvation]

wonderful. Worth remembering. Making a mental note that it is with Bartholomew!

[Salvation]

The Word Among Us

Meditation
John 1:45-51



Saint Bartholomew

Jesus promised Nathaniel (whom tradition identifies as Bartholomew), “You will see greater things” than his initial recognition that Jesus was the “Son of God” and the “King of Israel” (John 1:49,50). And, as he followed Jesus throughout the rest of his life, Nathaniel did indeed see many “greater things.” He saw Jesus perform countless signs and wonders. He even saw himself and his fellow apostles heal the sick, cast out demons, and preach to multitudes! In fact, you might say that for Nathaniel, part of following Jesus meant the ongoing revelation of the mysteries of heaven and an ongoing unveiling of the power of God to deliver and restore.

Jesus’ words here point to a very important dimension in our own lives of faith. Like Nathaniel, we too are capable of seeing and experiencing “greater things” year after year as our Christian life unfolds under the mantle of God’s grace.

It is especially in prayer—the most intimate connection with Jesus that we can know—that we can expect Jesus to show great things to us. An infinite world of heavenly glory awaits us every time we lift our hearts up to heaven to worship Jesus and receive his love. And that glory consists in both understanding the love and wisdom of God and in our ability to cooperate with Jesus in his desire to transform this world. It’s not only in active work but also in prayer that we can move mountains in the lives of those around us. And watching hearts change is perhaps the greatest of all “greater things” we could ever see.

Jesus wants to be known and loved in this world. He wants to show people the reality of who he is. Often, he will use us, his followers, to do this. So don’t be surprised when amazing things happen around you as a result of your prayer and obedience to the Spirit. Jesus loves you and wants to use you to reveal himself to others. He has a future planned for you that only gets better and better. Just say “yes” to him, and watch that future, filled with “greater things,” unfold.

“Jesus, thank you for opening heaven to me through prayer and revelation. Lord, help me to see you do greater and greater things through me as I stay close to you.”