Saint Bartholomew, Apostle – Feast
Gospel: John 1:45-51In today’s Gospel, Jesus promises Nathanael, traditionally identified with Saint Bartholomew, “You will see greater things than that,” and then speaks of heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man. The greatest of these “greater things” is the mystery of the Incarnation itself: in Jesus, God has become man and heaven has truly been opened to humanity. The Son of God did not assume our human nature merely to come close to us, but to draw us into His own relationship with the Father. Through Him, we who are creatures are given the grace to become sons and daughters of God. This is the astonishing dignity of Christian life: God became one of us so that, by grace, we might share in His divine life. Bartholomew’s encounter begins simply with Philip saying, “Come and see,” but it leads him to confess Jesus as “the Son of God” and eventually to give his whole life for Him. Every encounter with Christ should lead us to the same discovery: in Him heaven is open, our identity is transformed, and our destiny is no longer merely earthly. The “greater things” have already begun, we are beloved children of the Father, united to the Son and called to share His life eternally. Let’s reflect: Do I truly live with the wonder and dignity of knowing that, through Christ who became one of us, I have been given the grace to become a beloved child of God?
Don Giorgio