St Bartholomew

Apocalypse 21:9-14 
John 1:45-51
Can any good thing come from that place?….Rabbi, you are the Son of God.

The Lord sees us and knows us true and true.Heaven is the prize and we must not lose our focus. Bartholomew was a simple soul. He was seeking spiritual enlightenment while pondering under the fig tree, Philip invited him to meet the Messiah from Nazareth. And so he asks, can anything come from Nazareth? Nazareth simply did not fit the preconceived notions that people had about where to look for the Messiah. The popular proverb regarding Nazareth, as many popular proverbs are, was quite inaccurate. But out of nothing comes something. After Christ revealed his thoughts, he proclaimed Christ as the Son of God.Jesus praises Nathanael for his honesty and faith.

We are members of the church. That’s to say, we are not only built upon the foundation of the apostles and receive our faith from them and are strengthened by them, but we are also called to continue their mission, their apostolate – the mission of Jesus. We, too, are being sent out into the world to proclaim the Good News of Jesus.
The original 12 apostles were not that holy in the beginning. They were ordinary people. They, too, were afraid of dying – they ran away when Jesus was arrested. They were not prepared either when they were first called. Yet as they increased their relationship with Jesus and came to understand what He told them – especially after the coming of the Holy Spirit – they became courageous and were willing to step out in faith in order to announce the Good News of the glory of God.

We are all called to be saints, holy women and men of God, and to be apostles, people sent out on a mission. This is our vocation. We must carry on the ministry and mission of the Lord, and the traditions of those first “apostles.” It may seem like an impossible mission, yet with God, all things are possible. Are you ready to accept the invitation?
May God fill us with His love and mercy so that we may always think, speak, and treat others with fairness, loving-kindness, patience, and goodness as we witness to the Good News. Amen.

St Bartholomew-Pray for us. Amen.

N.B. Please say a private prayer for me as I celebrate my birthday today. Thanks and God bless.

Credit:
This article is written by Rev Fr. Joseph Osho OSJ. Please visit his personal blog @ https://www.blogger.com/profile/10377666931103644634
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