August 24, 2019 Feast of Saint Bartholomew, Apostle

2019년 8월 24일 성 바르톨로메오 사도 축일 

오늘의 복음 : http://info.catholic.or.kr/missa/default.asp 

제1독서

요한 묵시록. 21,9ㄴ-14
천사가 나 요한에게 말하였습니다. 9 “이리 오너라. 어린양의 아내가 될 신부를 너에게 보여 주겠다.” 
10 이어서 그 천사는 성령께 사로잡힌 나를 크고 높은 산 위로 데리고 가서는, 하늘로부터 하느님에게서 내려오는 거룩한 도성 예루살렘을 보여 주었습니다. 11 그 도성은 하느님의 영광으로 빛나고 있었습니다. 그 광채는 매우 값진 보석 같았고, 수정처럼 맑은 벽옥 같았습니다. 
12 그 도성에는 크고 높은 성벽과 열두 성문이 있었습니다. 그 열두 성문에는 열두 천사가 지키고 있는데, 이스라엘 자손들의 열두 지파 이름이 하나씩 적혀 있었습니다.
13 동쪽에 성문이 셋, 북쪽에 성문이 셋, 남쪽에 성문이 셋, 서쪽에 성문이 셋 있었습니다. 14 그 도성의 성벽에는 열두 초석이 있는데, 그 위에는 어린양의 열두 사도 이름이 하나씩 적혀 있었습니다.

 

복음

요한. 1,45-51
그때에 45 필립보가 나타나엘을 만나 말하였다. “우리는 모세가 율법에 기록하고 예언자들도 기록한 분을 만났소. 나자렛 출신으로, 요셉의 아들 예수라는 분이시오.” 
46 나타나엘은 필립보에게, “나자렛에서 무슨 좋은 것이 나올 수 있겠소?” 하였다. 
그러자 필립보가 나타나엘에게 “와서 보시오.” 하고 말하였다.
47 예수님께서는 나타나엘이 당신 쪽으로 오는 것을 보시고 그에 대하여 말씀하셨다. “보라, 저 사람이야말로 참으로 이스라엘 사람이다. 저 사람은 거짓이 없다.” 
48 나타나엘이 예수님께 “저를 어떻게 아십니까?” 하고 물으니, 예수님께서 그에게, “필립보가 너를 부르기 전에, 네가 무화과나무 아래에 있는 것을 내가 보았다.” 하고 대답하셨다. 49 그러자 나타나엘이 예수님께 말하였다. “스승님, 스승님은 하느님의 아드님이십니다. 이스라엘의 임금님이십니다.” 
50 예수님께서 나타나엘에게 이르셨다. “네가 무화과나무 아래에 있는 것을 보았다고 해서 나를 믿느냐? 앞으로 그보다 더 큰 일을 보게 될 것이다.” 
51 이어서 그에게 또 말씀하셨다. “내가 진실로 진실로 너희에게 말한다. 너희는 하늘이 열리고 하느님의 천사들이 사람의 아들 위에서 오르내리는 것을 보게 될 것이다.”

August 24, 2019

Feast of Saint Bartholomew, Apostle

Daily Readings — Audio

Daily Reflections — Video

http://www.usccb.org/bible/ 

Daily Mass : http://www.catholictv.com/shows/daily-mass 

Reading 1
Rv 21:9b-14
The angel spoke to me, saying,
“Come here.
I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.”
He took me in spirit to a great, high mountain
and showed me the holy city Jerusalem
coming down out of heaven from God.
It gleamed with the splendor of God.
Its radiance was like that of a precious stone,
like jasper, clear as crystal.
It had a massive, high wall,
with twelve gates where twelve angels were stationed
and on which names were inscribed,
the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel .
There were three gates facing east,
three north, three south, and three west.
The wall of the city had twelve courses of stones as its foundation,
on which were inscribed the twelve names
of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 145:10-11, 12-13, 17-18
R.  (12)  Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,
and let your faithful one　　s bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your Kingdom
and speak of your might.
R. Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
Making known to men your might
and the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
Your Kingdom is a Kingdom for all ages,
and your dominion endures through all generations.
R. Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
The LORD is just in all his ways
and holy in all his works.
The LORD is near to all who call upon him,
to all who call upon him in truth.
R. Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.

Gospel
Jn 1:45-51
Philip found Nathanael and told him,
“We have found the one about whom Moses wrote in the law,
and also the prophets, Jesus son of Joseph, from Nazareth .”
But Nathanael said to him,
“Can anything good come from Nazareth ?”
Philip said to him, “Come and see.”
Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him,
“Here is a true child of Israel .
There is no duplicity in him.”
Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” 
Jesus answered and said to him,
“Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.”
Nathanael answered him,
“Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.”
Jesus answered and said to him,
“Do you believe
because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree?
You will see greater things than this.”
And he said to him, “Amen, amen, I say to you,
you will see heaven opened and the angels of God
ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

http://evangeli.net/gospel/tomorrow

 «Come and see»

Mons. Christoph BOCKAMP Vicar of the Opus Dei Prelature in Germany
(Bonn, Germany)

Today, we celebrate the feast of St. Bartholomew, apostle. Evangelist John so vividly narrates his first encounter with the Lord, that it is easy for us to visualize the scene. It is a dialogue between young, direct, franc... divine hearts!

Jesus casually meets Phillip and tells him «follow me» (Jn 1:43). Shortly afterwards, Philip, enthused about his meeting with Jesus, finds his friend Nathanael and tells him that, at long last, he has found whom Moses and the prophets wrote about: «He is Jesus, son of Joseph, from Nazareth» (Jn 1:45). The answer he receives is not enthusiastic but rather skeptical: «Can anything good come from Nazareth?» (Jn 1:46). Something similar happens almost everywhere. It is standard procedure in every city or every town to be inclined to think that nothing worth its while may come from the next city, or town... there, they are all worthless... And vice versa.

But Philip does not get discouraged. And, friends though they are, he does not offer any additional explanation and just tells Nathanael: «Come and see» (Jn 1:46). He goes, and from the very first moment he sees Jesus his vocation shows up. What, apparently, may look as sheer chance, it was, no doubt, set up since long in God's plans. Nathanael is certainly not an unknown person for Jesus: «Before Philip called you, you were under the fig tree and I saw you» (Jn 1:48). What fig tree? Maybe it was just Nathanael's favourite place where he used to go to when he wanted to relax, to ponder, to be alone... Under the amorous gaze of God, though. Just like all of us, all the time. But to realize the infinite love of God for each one of us, to be fully conscious He is at my door knocking I need an external voice, a friend, a “Philip” who may tell me: «Come and see». Somebody to take me to St. Josemaria Escriva's way, which he describes like this: May you seek Christ, may you find Christ, may you love Christ.

http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html

 

“Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” - John

“Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”

I was hanging out with Nathanael and some other friends from Cana when I heard, him trashing Nazareth. That wasn’t too surprising since Nazareth is only half an hour’s walk away and it’s our rival.

But, Nathanael wasn’t just running his mouth and trying to get attention like usual. He and his friend, Philip, were having a serious conversation about the new religious movement that Philip has joined. Philip’s always been a pretty even keel guy so his joining this group seemed really odd.

Philip was trying to sign up Nathanael but it was tough since Jesus, the movement’s leader, is from Nazareth. Finally, after Nathanael dissed Nazareth, Philip lost patience.

“Come and see,” Philip told him. Why not?  Nothing else was going on in town. I followed at a distance to see what my buddy would do.

When Jesus saw Nathanael coming, he started feeding him a line that I knew Nathanael would never resist.
“Here is a true child of Israel. There’s no duplicity in him.” Jesus told him.  Nathanael is a sucker for anyone who makes him feel important so he asked Jesus, “How do you know me?”

Jesus told him that even before Philip started to recruit him into the movement, he had seen him under the fig tree. Instantly Nathanael was all in and told Jesus that he’s the Son of God. Just like that!

Then Jesus promised him what I thought were crazy things like seeing angels.

At that, I was out of there. But I had to admit Jesus sure knew how to meet Nathanael where he was. I’m as skeptical as anyone but Jesus seemed awfully real. I don’t want to change my life by following some wandering rabbi but I can’t get Jesus out of my mind.

Note to readers: A couple of quick questions fed this reflection: who was Nathanael (I had only vaguely heard of him) and where was he from? What explained his disdain for Nazareth? When I Googled Nathanael and learned he was from Cana the passage made sense, especially after I learned that:

•Cana was three miles from Nazareth so the two probably had a typical small town rivalry
•Philip and Nathanael were friends and Jesus had told his new apostles to recruit their friends as disciples. 

 http://www.presentationministries.com/obob/obob.asp

FRIENDS BRING FRIENDS TO JESUS

"Philip sought out Nathanael..." �John 1:45

In the world of social media, the word "friend" has taken on a nebulous meaning. St. Philip shows the power of a true friend. Jesus calls Philip to follow Him (Jn 1:43). The first thing Philip does is seek out his good friend Nathanael (also called Bartholomew) (Jn 1:45). Philip tells Nathanael about Jesus, ignores his friend's sarcastic response, and invites Nathanael to come and see for himself (Jn 1:45-46). Then Philip gets out of the way and allows Jesus to take over (see Jn 3:30). Nathanael's friendship with Philip overcame any of his prejudices, and so Nathanael had a profound, life-changing encounter with Jesus. Nathanael became one of the twelve apostles and a cornerstone of the Church (Eph 2:20; Rv 21:14). Which of your friends need Jesus? Certain people might never come to Jesus but for you. The Lord has put these people in your life because they've put Him out of their life. Yet they haven't put you out of their life. Be a Philip. Be such a good friend that your friends will trust you enough to come and see for themselves (see Jn 1:46).

Prayer: Father, may I be a good ambassador for Your kingdom (2 Cor 5:20). Use me to arrange many meetings between my friends and Your Son.

Promise: "You will see much greater things than that." —Jn 1:50

Praise: The Church "rises on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the capstone" (Eph 2:20). St. Bartholomew and all the apostles, pray for us.

 http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/readings/

 "Come and see"

How can we know with certainty that Jesus is truly who he claims to be - the Son of God and Savior of the world? Philip was eager to tell his friend Nathaniel (who is also known as Bartholomew in Matthew 10:3 and Luke 6:14) about his decision to be a disciple of Jesus. Philip tried to convince his friend that Jesus was the Messiah, whom Moses and the prophets had foretold would come. Nathanial was very skeptical because he didn't think it was possible for the Messiah to come from Nazareth, a town in Galilee. Nathaniel not only disliked the town of Nazareth, he despised its residents as unworthy Jews. "How could anything good come from such a place?"

Nazareth was at the crossroads of the ancient world where people from different cultures and religions would pass through. Perhaps Nathaniel thought  its religious teachers were not orthodox enough in their understanding and interpretation of the law of Moses. Besides, how could the Messiah come from Galilee when the prophets said he would come from Bethlehem of Judea? Aren't we all a bit like Nathaniel? We are skeptical when someone tries to convince us of the truth until we can comprehend it for ourselves.

A skeptical but earnest search for God's truth
So what kind of proof did Philip offer to Nathanael? Rather than argue with his friend, Philip took the wiser strategy of inviting Nathanael  to "come and see" for himself who this Jesus claimed to be. Clever arguments rarely win people to the Gospel - but an encounter with the person of Jesus Christ can change one's life forever. When people are receptive to the word of Christ and when they see his love in action, the Lord Jesus himself, through the power of the Holy Spirit, touches their hearts and opens their minds to recognize that he truly is the Son of God who reveals the Father's love and truth to us.

When Philip brought Nathanael to Jesus, Jesus did something which only God could do! He opened Nathanael's heart and his innermost thoughts and desires to God's revelation. Jesus called Nathanael a true "Israelite in whom there is no guile." God had chosen Jacob, who was given the name Israel, over his twin brother Essau, because Jacob was a man of faith, without guile or cunning like Essau (Genesis 25:27).  Nathanael, like Jacob, hungered for God and believed in God's promises. Nathanael knew the Scriptures. He had read the law and the prophets. And like Jacob he was waiting for the fulfillment of God's promises to his people Israel. Nathanael was an earnest seeker of God. He not only sought to grow in understanding of God's word, but he sought an intimate personal relationship with God as well. That is why he was willing to meet Jesus, to see if perhaps this miracle worker from Galilee might be the long-awaited Messiah and Savior.

God's word brings blessing and refreshment for those who receive it
What is the significance of Jesus' revelation of seeing Nathanael "under the fig tree"? For the people of Israel, the fig tree was a symbol of God's peace and blessing (1 Kings 4:24b-25, Micah 4:4). It provided shade from the midday sun and a cool refreshing place to retreat, pray, and reflect on God's word. Rabbis often gathered their disciples under the shade of the fig tree to teach them the wisdom and revelation of God's word in the Scriptures. The rabbis had an ｅxpression for comparing the fig tree to being nourished with God's word in Scripture, "He who tends the fig tree will eat its fruit."

Jesus offers the greatest gift possible - peace and friendship with God
It is very likely that Nathanael had been thinking about God's word  while sitting  "under his fig tree" and reflecting on God's promise to send a Messiah King who would free his people from sin and oppression and usher in God's kingdom of righteousness and peace for the whole world. Perhaps Nathanael dozed off for a midday nap and dreamt of God's kingdom like Jacob had dreamt when God gave him a vision of a great ladder which united earth with heaven (see Genesis 28:12-17). Through the gift of revelation Nathanael recognized that Jesus was truly the Messiah, the everlasting "Son of God and King of Israel" (John 1:49).  The Lord Jesus offered Nathanael the greatest gift of all - the gift of friendship with God and the offer of free access to God's throne in heaven.

Jesus promises that we will dwell with the living God
What does Jesus mean when he says "you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man"? one of the most remarkable revelations recorded in the Bible is the dream of Jacob (Genesis 28:12-17). God had opened a door for Jacob that brought him and his people into a new relationship with the living God. In Jacob's dream God revealed his angelic host and showed him the very throne of heaven and promised Jacob that he and his descendants would dwell with the living God.

Jesus, the Son of God, unites earth and heaven in himself
Jesus' response to Nathanael's new faith in accepting Jesus as the Messiah is the promise that Jesus himself will open the way for free access to the very throne of God in heaven. Jesus is the fulfillment of God's promise to Jacob and his descendants - he is the way to the Father in heaven and the true "ladder (or stairway) which unites earth with heaven." In Jesus' incarnation, the divine Son of God taking on human flesh for our sake, we see the union of heaven and earth - God making his dwelling with us and bringing us into the heavenly reality of his kingdom through his Son, Jesus Christ.

Jesus gives us free access to God's presence
Jesus' death on the cross, where he defeated sin and won new life for us through his resurrection, opens the way for each of us to come into a new relationship with God as his adopted sons and daughters. The Lord Jesus opens the way for each one of us to "ascend to heaven" and to bring "heaven to earth" in the daily circumstances of our lives. God's kingdom is present in those who seek him and who strive to do his will. Through the gift of faith God opens a door for each one of us to the heavenly reality of his kingdom. Do you see with the "eyes of faith" what the Lord Jesus has done for us?

"Heavenly Father, through your Son Jesus Christ, you have opened the way to heaven for each one of us. As you personally revealed yourself to your beloved patriarchs and apostles, so reveal yourself to me that I may recognize your presence with me and know the power of your kingdom at work in my life. May I always find joy and peace in your presence and never lose sight of your everlasting kingdom."

Psalm 145:10-13,17-18

10 All your works shall give thanks to you, O LORD, and all your saints shall bless you!
11 They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom, and tell of your power,
12 to make known to the sons of men your mighty deeds, and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations. The LORD is faithful in all his words, and gracious in all his deeds.
17 The LORD is just in all his ways, and kind in all his doings.
18 The LORD is near to all who call upon him, to all who call upon him in truth.

Daily Quote from the early church fathers: The Lord of Angels, by John Chrysostom (347-407 AD)

"Do you see how he [Jesus] leads him [Nathanael] up little by little from the earth and causes him no longer to imagine him as merely a man? For one to whom angels minister and on whom angels ascend and descend, how could he be a man? This is why he said, 'You shall see greater things than these.' And to prove this, he introduces the ministry of angels. What he means is something like this: Does this, O Nathanael, seem to you a great matter, and have you for this confessed me to be King of Israel? What then will you say when you see 'angels ascending and descending on me'? He persuades him by these words to receive him as Lord also of the angels. For on him as on the king's own son, the royal ministers ascended and descended, once at the season of the crucifixion, again at the time of the resurrection and the ascension, and before this also, when they 'came and ministered to him' (Matthew 4:11). They also ascended and descended when they proclaimed the good news of his birth and cried, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace' (Luke 2:14), when they came to Mary and also when they came to Joseph... Our Lord made the present a proof of the future. After the powers he had already shown, Nathanael would readily believe that much more would follow." (excerpt from the Homilies on the Gospel of John 21.1)

  

More Homilies

 August 24, 2017 Feast of Saint Bartholomew, Apostle