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Rv 21:9b-14
Jn 1:45-51
Feast of St. Bartholomew
The Book of Revelation, aka “The Apocalypse”, claims to be a “revelation of Jesus Christ… to his servant John” (Rev. 1:1). In today’s reading “The holy city Jerusalem” can be understood to be an image of the Christian Church which is “the bride… of the Lamb” (Rev. 21:2) who is the risen Christ. This is Christian imagery for the New Jerusalem, the Old Jerusalem being the location of the Temple of Israel (the place where God was to be found) which had been recently destroyed by the Romans. Twelve gates, guarded by twelve angels, are inscribed with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. Twelve courses of foundation stones are inscribed with the name of the twelve apostles. (Rev. 21:12-14)
The Church, the bride of Christ, is built on the holy enduring double foundation of the great Hebrew tradition of faith and the witness of the Apostles!
According to today’s Gospel, Nathaniel believed and became a foundation stone of the City of God! He was a Jew who wondered, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:46) but was open to change his opinion. Nathaniel experienced Jesus and believed, so Jesus promised him a vision of the glory of the Son of Man (John 1:51). The other Gospels and the Book of the Acts of the Apostles call Nathaniel “Bartholomew”. And that is ALL that we know about him.
Nathaniel saw, he believed, he followed. No one recorded what he did or what happened to him after the Resurrection. Even so the whole Church remembers a faithful Jew who believed that God became present in the Temple; who became a foundation stone of the new temple, the new City of God, by witnessing Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.
He never brought attention to himself but the whole Church remembers that he was there.
All of us are likewise invited to see, to adjust our opinion, to believe, and to follow. Some of us are destined to do so more boldly, more publicly. Most of us are destined to do so more quietly, perhaps even more privately. But all of us are called and sent to witness to our rich tradition of faith and our current relationship with Christ in the New Jerusalem, the City of God, the Mystical Body of Christ -the community of faith which we call “Church” – by our presence to and with each other.
Fr. John M. Lee, C.P., Retreat Director, Bishop Molloy Retreat House, www.bishopmolloy.org
Related articles
- Saints Philip and James, Apostles (thepassionists.org)
- Expert Witnesses (thepassionists.org)
- Becoming a Saint (thepassionists.org)
