24 August 2019
Feast of Saint Bartholomew, Apostle
Today, the Church celebrates the feast of St. Bartholomew, the apostle, who is identified as Nathanael in the gospel of St. John. Jesus says of him, “Here is a true child of Israel. There is no duplicity in him.” This is after Nathanael casts into doubt the fact that the savior, Jesus could come from Nazareth.
Rather than highlight Nathanael’s apparent presumption and arrogance, Jesus commends his straightforward honesty. What you see is what you get. There’s a beautiful lesson for us all here. When it comes to our relationship with God, we may be tempted to always speak, feel, and act a certain way, so much so, that we will even be dishonest before God. As evidenced in today’s gospel, God values honesty. He wishes that we speak to him from our heart’s unfiltered and honest depths. Then, like Nathanael, we will encounter him who knows us and has seen us all along.