The Feast of St. Bartholomew, an Apostle of Christ

 

Having been born of Him we have His nature, His glory.

Reflection on Today’s Readings, the Feast of St. Bartholomew, Apostle, Thursday 24th August, 2023  

Texts: Revelation 21:9-14; Psalm 145:10-13,17-18; John 1:45-51 

We celebrate today the feast of St. Bartholomew, an apostle of Christ. In this celebration St. John speaks to us about our life in Christ. The new Jerusalem is the image of the new people of God. St. John says, “An angel spoke to me, saying, ‘Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.’ ... and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.” We are from God because we are born of God in Christ. Having been born of Him we have His nature, His glory. 

Every Christian bears the glory of God. Apostle Paul puts it thus: “And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit” (2Cor. 3:18). St. Paul tells us that bearing God’s glory is the result of seeing God’s glory. Hence, Philip says, “Come and see”. Jesus assures us we will see His glory: "Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.” 

We should be true to our Christian identity

We shine with the glory of God by possessing His attributes – holiness, love, mercy, righteousness, etc. This happens when we build our life on the faith of the apostles and have the identity of God’s people. St. John says, “on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed; ... And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.” This where the life of apostle Bartholomew becomes a light for us. We should be Christians with no guile in them. We should be true to our Christian identity.  

Prayer 

Strengthen in us, O Lord, the faith, by which the blessed Apostle Bartholomew clung wholeheartedly to your Son, and grant that through the help of his prayers your Church may become for all the nations the sacrament of salvation. Amen  

Fr. Andrew Olowomuke