Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 08-24-05, Feast of St. Bartholomew, Apostle & Martyr

August 24, 2005
Feast of Saint Bartholomew, Apostle

Psalm: Wednesday 37

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
Ps 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."

Catholic Culture

Collect:
Lord, sustain within us the faith which made Saint Bartholomew ever loyal to Christ. Let your Church be the sign of salvation for all the nations of the world. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

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» August Devotion: The Immaculate Heart

August 24, 2005

Feast of St. Bartholomew, Apostle

Old Calendar: St. Bartholomew

St. Bartholomew, a doctor in the Jewish law, was a dear friend of St. Philip the Apostle. Because Bartholomew was a man "in whom there was no guile," his mind was open to the truth. He went willingly with Philip to see Christ, and recognized the Savior immediately as the Son of God. After having received the gifts of the Holy Spirit on the first Pentecost, Bartholomew evangelized Asia Minor, northwestern India, and Greater Armenia. In the latter country, while preaching to idolaters, he was arrested and condemned to death.

St. Bartholomew

In St. John's Gospel, Bartholomew is known by the name Nathaniel (the liturgy does not always seem aware of this identity). He hailed from Cana in Galilee, was one of the first disciples called by the Lord. On that initial meeting Jesus uttered the glorious compliment: "Behold, an Israelite indeed in whom there is no guile!" After the resurrection he was favored by becoming one of the few apostles who witnessed the appearance of the risen Savior on the sea of Galilee (John 21:2). Following the ascension he is said to have preached in Greater Armenia and to have been martyred there. While still alive, his skin was torn from his body. The Armenians honor him as the apostle of their nation. Concerning the fate of his relics, the Martyrology says: "His holy body was first taken to the island of Lipari (north of Sicily), then to Benevento, and finally to Rome on an island in the Tiber where it is honored by the faithful with pious devotion."

The Church of Armenia has a national tradition that St. Jude Thaddeus and St. Bartholomew visited the Armenians early in the first century and introduced Christianity among the worshippers of the god Ahura Mazda. The new faith spread throughout the land, and in 302 A.D., St. Gregory the Illuminator baptized the king of Armenia, Dertad the Great, along with many of his followers. Since Dertad was probably the first ruler to embrace Christianity for his nation, the Armenians proudly claim they were the first Christian State.

Excerpted from The Church's Year of Grace, Pius Parsch.

Patron: bookbinders; butchers; cobblers; Forentine cheese merchants; Forentine salt merchants; leather workers; nervous diseases; neurological diseases; plasterers; shoemakers; tanners; trappers; twitching; whiteners; Gambatesa, Italy; Armenia.

Symbols: Flaying or tanner's knife and book; three vertical flaying or tanner's knives; human skin; human skin on a cross; devil under his feet; St. Matthew's Gospel; scimitar; cross;

Often Portrayed As: elderly man holding a tanner's knife and a human skin; skinless man holding his own skin.

Things to Do:

In Sandwich, Kent, England, there is a St Bartholomew's Bun Race. The Bartlemas Bun Race for children takes place around the chapel of St. Bartholomew's Hospital on this feast day. Each participant receives a currant bun, while the attendants are each given a St Bart's Biscuit, which has an imprint of the hospital's ancient seal.
St. Bartholomew's relics are in Rome, in the Church of St. Bartholomew-on-the-Tiber, or San Bartolomeo all'Isola (translated as: St. Bartholomew's on the Island). This site provides some information about this church.
Read the Life of St. Bartholomew from The Golden Legend.
Since gingerbread is one food associated with this saint, read this short history of gingerbread.
Armenians revere St. Thaddeus and St. Bartholomew as the "First Illuminators" of the Armenian Church. This site gives a short Armenian perspective of these apostles. (Click on the Encyclopedia.)

Love overcomes Evil

The toughest thing to do when cultivating holiness is to tame one's worst inclinations and traits. As one gazes inward to take stock of all the components, so-to-speak, of one personalities, once the mind is quiet, once can see a river of moods, opinions, passions, and reactions, an the inner monologue sprouting from them.

The river at times runs smoothly and peacefully, but some times it finds stones and rocks; other times, it carries debris from old bad memories, sufferings and pains; then the water gets choppy and one is surprised of one's ability to hate, to lash out, to kill even if that were possible.

Only the Lord can calm the waters. This is the moment of surrender, of admitting our inadequacy to love plentifully. This is the moment to fall prostrate and ask for forgiveness, healing, and restoration. Then, watch the river flow peacefully again; the walk over the waters by His side.

Do this often and then you'll notice that slowly, steadily, new, wholesome and holier traits will come to the fore. A New Man, a New Woman starts to grow and when you look on your countenance reflected from the newly-calmed waters, you will see His Face; a new joy takes shape and a new security. The realization comes suddenly that little matters in this world of suffering except for Love, freely given and freely accepted.

Once the soul discover that Love overcomes Evil, the soul finds peace.

Homily of the Day

Homily of the Day

Title:	Holiness of Heart
Author:	Father Frank E. Jindra
Date:	Tuesday, August 24, 2005

John 1:45-51

Why this reading today from John? It is believed that Bartholomew and Nathanael are one and the same. Well then, what was Nathanael Bartholomew (son of Tholomy?) doing beneath the fig tree?

Something I read once suggested he was reading or reflecting on one of the psalms as he sat beneath the fig tree. Maybe it was one of these:

Psalm 17 — a cry for justice from the Psalmist. Was Nathanael crying out for justice in his day as he looked at his own life and the lives of his fellow Jews in the Roman occupation?

Psalm 24 — a call to worship. Was Nathanael seeing himself as unworthy to praise God, and Jesus called him worthy when they met?

Psalm 32 — confession of sin, similar to Psalm 24 in this respect. Did Nathanael see a need for cleansing that he met in the Son of God?

Psalms 34, 35, 36, 52, 55, and 119 also have the word for guile in them. Look at them all for similar ideas.

(WARNING: Psalm 119 is the longest psalm in the Bible. You could spend a long time looking through that one! The word shows up in verse 78.)

I like this interpretation of our gospel reading for today. If I had to pick a psalm Nathanael was reading, I would have to go with Psalm 24. There have been many times I have felt unworthy of my calling to be a follower of Jesus, let alone a priest. It is good to feel unworthy, as long as we also know that Jesus has called us, set us free, and named us “without guile.”

Today, beg the Lord for mercy. Cry out for holiness of heart. Then hear the Lord say: “Now here is one I approve of.”

A Voice in the Desert

Wednesday August 24, 2005 Feast of Saint Bartholomew, Apostle

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

In the Gospel reading today, we hear Nathaniel speaking to the apostle Philip, and he says to Philip, Can anything good come out of Nazareth? Now we ask ourselves: Why would he say such a thing? Well, you can put it into two points of context.

First of all, for Philip to come up to Nathaniel (who is also known as Bartholomew) and to say to him, “We found the Messiah,” just put yourself into that situation. What if somebody came up to you and said, “Guess what! We found the one we’ve been waiting for! The one promised in the Scriptures, we found him!” What would your initial reaction be? To jump up and say, “Let’s go,” or to say, “Sure you have. We’ve been waiting for a couple of thousand years; why would we think it’s going to happen now?” One can understand why there would be a little bit of incredulity right from the start.

Yet, at the same time, there is more. Nazareth is a place that has its name from the Hebrew word Nazar, which means “a shoot.” In the Book of Isaiah, we are told that a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse. They knew which family was going to bear the Messiah because it was from the line of David. They did not know who it was going to be. They did not know which sibling it may have been, and so on, but they knew generally which tribe and which family the Messiah was going to come from. And so they founded a town because this little group of people knew that from their numbers the Messiah would come, the shoot that was promised. They founded a place and called it by the title which they expected to be fulfilled: Nazar – Nazareth.

These people were made fun of; they were ridiculed and rejected. Nazareth would have been a little tiny Podunk place out in the middle of nowhere that would have had no more than a couple of dozen people living in it, a very, very small place. In fact, if you go to Nazareth today, the Church of the Annunciation sits over the entire town of ancient Nazareth. That is how small it was. Today Nazareth is a pretty large city, one of the Christian cities in Israel, but if you go to the Church of the Annunciation, there you will find all of the places where people lived in ancient Nazareth. There is a particular cave there that has always been reverenced as the home of the Holy Family. These were not people who were living in the lap of luxury. They were not even people who would have been living according to modern standards at the time. They lived in caves. So one can understand, putting it that way, that these people were seen as being kind of backwards. They were seen as being a little odd and rather eccentric. They though the Messiah was going to come from their numbers – imagine that! They were right.

There is another prophecy about each Israelite sitting under his own tree. And so when Jesus looks at Nathaniel and says, Before Philip called you, I saw you sitting under the fig tree, Nathaniel understood immediately that this was the fulfillment of prophecy. Not only was the prophecy regarding the Messiah fulfilled and suddenly he began to recognize this in his own mind, but also what Our Lord had told him, which is why he would respond by saying, You are the Son of God. This is why Jesus would say, You believe that just because I told you I saw you sitting under the fig tree? The whole exchange would seem a little bit odd to us, but if you put it into the context of what had been prophesied, the things that needed to be fulfilled with regard to the Messiah, and the natural doubts that the people would have had, then we can understand why Saint Bartholomew would have had a few doubts and how his doubts were completely removed by this one little statement, because Our Lord said of him that he is a true Israelite in whom there is no duplicity.

No duplicity means that as soon as he recognizes the truth, he is going to reject everything contrary and embrace the truth in its fullness. There is no falsehood. There is no deceit. There is no selfishness. He was a man of virtue and he would give his life for the Lord – in a most grueling manner, actually. Saint Bartholomew was flayed; he was skinned alive. That is how they killed him. So we see that once he understood Who Jesus was his entire life was changed and he dedicated himself one hundred percent to the service of God.

Now we need to look at our own selves because we know Who Jesus is and we have a few changes we probably need to make because most of us are probably not one hundred percent devoted to the service of God to make sure that we are seeking to do His Will in all things. That is the lesson we have to learn from Saint Bartholomew today: We need to be without duplicity. We cannot put up a façade and make ourselves look nice while underneath we are really pretty rotten. We cannot be living this dual life where we want people to think we are saints while when we are on our own we are anything but. We need to be striving for true holiness. We need to be striving to know and to do the Will of God. We need to be seeking perfect union with Jesus Christ. That is what our lives have to be about. Then we can be members of the New Israel, the new people of God, without duplicity, seeking Jesus Christ with a pure heart so that there is no falsehood in us, that there is nothing phony, but rather that what we are seeking and living is one and the same: Jesus Christ – the Truth, the Messiah, the Son of God, the One Whom we have found, the One Whom we know to be true – and to model our lives after Him and to change so that we are seeking to live only for God every moment of every day of our lives.

* This text was transcribed from the audio recording with minimal editing.

American Catholic's Saint of the Day

August 24, 2005

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).

Lutheran Gospel for the Day is the same, but an Old Testament lesson and different Epistle are used:

FIRST LESSON
• Exodus 19:1-6

On the third new moon after the Israelites had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that very day, they came into the wilderness of Sinai. 2They had journeyed from Rephidim, entered the wilderness of Sinai, and camped in the wilderness; Israel camped there in front of the mountain. 3Then Moses went up to God; the LORD called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the Israelites; 4You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. 5Now therefore,if you obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession out of all the peoples. Indeed, the whole earth is mine, 6but you shall be for me a priestly kingdom and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the Israelites.”

PSALM 12

SECOND LESSON
• 1 Corinthians 12:27-31a

You are the body of Christ and individually members of it. 28And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers; then deeds of power, then gifts of healing, forms of assistance, forms of leadership, various kind of tongues. 29Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles” 30Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? 31But strive for the greater gifts.

GOSPEL
• John 1:43-51

The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” 44Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.” 46Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” 47When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said of him, “Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!” 48Nathanael asked him, “Where did you get to know me?” Jesus answered, “I saw you sitting under the fig tree before Philip called you.” 49Nathanael replied, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” 50Jesus answered, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these.” 51And Jesus said to him, “Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

The Word Among Us

Wednesday, August 24, 2005

Meditation
John 1:45-51

St. Bartholomew

The apostle Bartholomew—in today’s gospel he goes by his other name, Nathanael—decided he should get to know this man who knew him inside out. Just how did Jesus demonstrate such intimate knowledge of him?

When Nathanael sat down to meditate, we can imagine him taking note of where he was: under a fig tree. Evidently a man who knew Scripture well, Nathanael began to reflect on some Old Testament prophecies regarding fig trees. In Zechariah 3, Satan accuses the high priest Joshua, but God gives him spotless garments. Joshua is told that if he walks in God’s way, he can govern the people and have access to the Lord. God then promises to send his servant, the “Branch,” ushering in an era when everyone will invite his neighbor to sit under his fruitful vine and fig tree (Zechariah 3:10).

For the prophet Micah, too, the fig tree symbolized restoration. Although he laments the lack of early fruit (godly, upright men), he promises also that the temple will be restored as the highest mountain, the seat of just judgment; war will cease, and every man will sit fearlessly under his own vine and fig tree (Micah 4:1-4; 7:1-2). How Nathanael must have longed for that prophecy to be fulfilled!

When Jesus said, “I saw you under the fig tree” (John 1:48), Nathanael must have realized that all his reflections and longings were an open book to Jesus. He must be the promised Messiah! But then, Jesus gently invited him to expand his vision. There is much more to the kingdom of God than enjoying the shade of one’s own fig tree. Jacob’s ladder (John 1:51; Genesis 28:10-17) shows that God’s plan is cosmic, able to defeat death and the powers of darkness. If he chooses, Bartholomew can play a role in establishing that kingdom.

How often are we aware that God sees all our thoughts? How willingly do we invite him to listen to our thoughts, help us clarify them, and shape them as we take on his mind? Today, try turning off the radio and the television for a half hour and instead think aloud before the Lord. Oh, and don’t forget to be silent long enough to hear his half of the conversation!

“Lord, you know me inside and out. I invite you to think with me, and to draw me into your vision for building the kingdom.”

Revelation 21:9-14; Psalm 145:10-13, 17-18

Jn 1:45-51
#	Douay-Rheims	Vulgate
45	Philip findeth Nathanael and saith to him: We have found him of whom Moses, in the law and the prophets did write, Jesus the son of Joseph of Nazareth.	invenit Philippus Nathanahel et dicit ei quem scripsit Moses in lege et prophetae invenimus Iesum filium Ioseph a Nazareth
46	And Nathanael said to him: Can any thing of good come from Nazareth? Philip saith to him: Come and see.	et dixit ei Nathanahel a Nazareth potest aliquid boni esse dicit ei Philippus veni et vide
47	Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him and he saith of him: Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no guile.	vidit Iesus Nathanahel venientem ad se et dicit de eo ecce vere Israhelita in quo dolus non est
48	Nathanael saith to him: Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said to him: Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.	dicit ei Nathanahel unde me nosti respondit Iesus et dixit ei priusquam te Philippus vocaret cum esses sub ficu vidi te
49	Nathanael answered him and said: Rabbi: Thou art the Son of God. Thou art the King of Israel.	respondit ei Nathanahel et ait rabbi tu es Filius Dei tu es rex Israhel
50	Jesus answered and said to him: Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, thou believest: greater things than these shalt thou see.	respondit Iesus et dixit ei quia dixi tibi vidi te sub ficu credis maius his videbis
51	And he saith to him: Amen, amen, I say to you, you shall see the heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.	et dicit ei amen amen dico vobis videbitis caelum apertum et angelos Dei ascendentes et descendentes supra Filium hominis

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