24/08/2019
Saturday August 24, 2019
Weekday (20)
Vestment: Red
Today’s Rosary: The Joyful Mystery
SAINT BARTHOLOMEW, AP. FEAST)
One of the Twelve, Bartholomew was from Cana in Galilee. Because the lists of the Twelve Apostles differ from one evangelist to another, he is usually identified with the Nathanael described in the Fourth Gospel. Tradition holds that after Pentecost, he preached the Gospel in Armenia, and suffered martyrdom there.
Entrance Antiphon cf. Ps96:2-3
Proclaim the salvation of God day by day; tell among the nations his glory.
Collect
Strengthen in us, O Lord, the faith by which the blessed Apostle Bartholomew clung whole heartedly to your Son, and grant that through the help of his prayers your Church may become for all the nations the sacrament of salvation. Through our Lord. . .
FIRST READING
A reading from the Book of Revelation (Revelation 21:9b-14)
On the foundations the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
An angel spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.” And in the Spirit he carried me away to a great, high mountain, 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. It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed; on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
The word of the Lord.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM Ps145:10-11.12-13ab.17-18 (R. see 12a)
R. Your saints, O Lord, make known the glory of your reign.
All your works shall thank you, O Lord,
and all your faithful ones bless you.
They shall speak of the glory of your reign,
and declare your mighty deeds. R.
To make known your might to the children of men,
and the glorious splendour of your reign.
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom;
your rule endures for all generations. R.
The Lord is just in all his ways,
and holy in all his deeds.
The Lord is close to all who call him,
who call on him in truth. R.
ALLELUIA John 1:49 b
Alleluia. Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel! Alleluia.
GOSPEL
A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (John 1:45-51)
Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!
At that time: Philip found Nathanael, and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!” Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You shall see greater things than these.” And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
Today's Reflection
From the Gospel we can make a presumption of the kind of character St Bartholomew is. He is a straightforward person, who says what he means what he says. We can make that presumption when he queries: “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Nonetheless, he is an open person because he follows Philip to see who Jesus is. Jesus in effect also confirms the character of Bartholomew by attesting that he noticed him under the fig tree. It is like he knows what kind of person Bartholomew really is similarly, Jesus also knows each of us through and through and he also wants to affirm our goodness. Like Bartholomew, let us continue to follow Jesus as he reveal himself to us.
