St. Bartholomew's Declaration of Faith
August 24th Readings Reflection: Feast of Saint Bartholomew, Apostle
Today the Church celebrates the feast of St. Bartholomew the Apostle, also known as Nathanael in many places throughout the Gospels. Today’s Gospel recounts the story of St. Bartholomew’s coming to follow Christ. St. Philip told Bartholomew that he had found the One Who fulfilled the Messianic prophecies. Bartholomew was skeptical at first, asking if “anything good [could] come from Nazareth.” Philip replied in words that Our Lord often used when calling His Apostles: “Come and see.”
Jesus revealed Himself to Bartholomew by identifying the future Apostle as a “true child of Israel” in whom was found “no duplicity.” Bartholomew was astounded that Jesus already knew him when they had only just met, declaring, “Rabbi, [Y]ou are the Son of God; [Y]ou are the King of Israel.”
St. Bartholomew’s profession of faith is quite profound, especially to occur at his very first meeting with Our Lord. Readers may recall St. Peter’s similar declaration of faith: “Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God” (Mt 16:16 DRB). St. John Chrysostom, however, pointed out a key difference between the two Apostles’ declarations of faith. St. Bartholomew’s reflected a preliminary understanding of Who Our Lord is, prompted by the supernatural wisdom that Jesus revealed to him. Bartholomew declared Jesus to be “the King of Israel.” St. Peter, on the other hand, declared Jesus to be the Christ, the Messiah, Who was sent by God to be King of the entire world.
St. Peter’s declaration of faith, when compared with that of St. Bartholomew, shows the fruits of a mature, more developed faith. St. Bartholomew’s declaration of faith was absolutely admirable, for he recognized Jesus as One Who is more than ordinary man. Bartholomew’s faith contrasts with the disbelief found among the scribes and Pharisees who refused to recognize the divine Source of Christ’s power, instead attributing His miracles to the work of the devil. However, St. Peter’s declaration of faith was richer and more spiritual and accurate than St. Bartholomew’s.
By the time Peter declared his faith in Jesus as the Messiah and Son of God, he and the other Apostles had been traveling with Jesus extensively, witnessing His many miracles and listening to His teachings night and day. As St. Thomas Aquinas famously said, we cannot love what we do not know. If we do not properly know God, we cannot properly love Him. It is not enough to merely marvel at Christ’s miracles; we must seek to know Who He is and grow ever closer to Him through prayer and the sacraments.
On the feast of St. Bartholomew, may this holy Apostle pray for us, that we may receive the grace to recognize Jesus Christ for Who He truly is and to grow ever deeper in our knowledge and love for Him.
I am very appreciative of your work. Thank you for this reflection.
Excellent as usual. Thank you. Happy Feast day! St Bartholomew, pray for us.