SAINT BARTHOLOMEW, Apostle – Feast: 24 August

The feast of Saint Bartholomew was celebrated in some countries of Europe already in the 8th century. In Rome it began to be celebrated in the 9th century on 24 or 25 August. In the Byzantine Church this latter date was the feast of the translation of the relics of the Apostle, while the proper feast was celebrated on  11 June, together with that of Saint Barnabas. The calendar of Pope Pius V fixed the feast on 24 August.

The Evangelists Matthew, Mark and Luke list Bartholomew along with the other Apostles (Matthew 10:3; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:14; Acts 1:13). He was from Cana and was closely associated with the other Apostles after the Lord’s resurrection (John 21:1-14). Experts are of opinion that he is probably the same person as Nathanael (= gift of God) whom the Lord declared as a true Israelite in whom there was no guile and who in turn was the first to declare the identity of Jesus, saying, “You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel” (John 1:45-51). Saint John mentions Nathanael among the Apostles, while he leaves out the name of Bartholomew. It is therefore likely that both names belong to the same person.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we thank You again for all of those Apostles, who are such great  examples for our own lives. We thank You today for Bartholomew, or Nathanael, and for the openness he showed in his life, coming to Jesus with the acceptance that whatever He would tell him was the truth. And as we learn from the tradition of the Church, Bartholomew was given the opportunity to suffer and die as a martyr of Christ, in witness to the faith.

We pray You to give us the renewed determination to live our faith as a witness to others, so that those who know us or hear us will not be led astray, but will be drawn nearer and closer to You. We ask that our example will be that which brings many others to know You and to serve You, even as the lives of the Apostles did. Amen.

Jakarta, 24 August 2018

A Christian Pilgrim

 

MATTHEW 5:7 [KJV]

Jakarta, 24 August 2018

A Christian Pilgrim