Feast of St. Bartholomew

Wednesday, August 24, 2016

Feast of Saint
Bartholomew Apostle
First Reading: Rev 21:9-14
Gospel Reading: John 1:45-51

Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found the one that Moses wrote about in the Law, and the prophets as well: he is Jesus, son of Joseph, from Nazareth.”

Nathanael replied, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” When Jesus saw Nathanael coming, he said of him, “Here comes an Israelite, a true one; there is nothing false in him.” Nathanael asked him, “How do you know me?” And Jesus said to him, “Before Philip called you, you were under the fig tree and I saw you.”

Nathanael answered, “Master, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” But Jesus replied, “You believe because I said: ‘I saw you under the fig tree.’ But you will see greater things than that.
Truly, I say to you, you will see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”

D@iGITAL-EXPERIENCE
(Daily Gospel in the Assimilated Life Experience)

Today is the Feast of St. Bartholomew. Isn’t it surprising why on the feast of Bartholomew, the Gospel talks about Nathanael? Nowhere, in fact, can we read the name Bartholomew in the Gospel of John. Bible Scholars have reconciled the discrepancy by looking into the literal meaning of the word Bartholomew. It is a compound word consisting of Bar (son), and Tholomeus (Tholomy). Because surnames in the time of Jesus were mostly descriptions of whose son the person was, “Bar Tholomeus” (son of Tolomy) might actually be the surname of Nathanael. His full name must have been Nathanael Bar Tholomeus, or Nathanael Son of Tholomeus.

In those days, rivalry between towns was common. When Phillip said the Messiah was from Nazareth, Nathanael Bartholomeus who was from Cana retorted, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” After his first meeting with Jesus, however, he set aside his intellectual pride. His turning point was when Jesus told him, “Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.”

To an Israelite, a fig tree is a symbol of peace. Nathanael must have been praying often under the fig tree asking God to reveal to him the Messiah. When Jesus said he saw him under the fig tree, he must have told himself, “Here is finally the one who knows my thoughts and aspirations.” But Jesus showed him that he could do more than read thoughts. Making reference to Genesis 28: 12, 13 Jesus said: “You will see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.” It was like telling him that more than reading minds, he can be that ladder that takes him to heaven. – (Atty.) Rev. Fr. Dan Domingo P. delos Angeles, Jr., DM, MMExM, MAPM, REB. Email:[email protected].
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