By Ginto K. Paulose, CSC
Readings: Rev 21:9-14; Jn 1:45-51
Today’s feast invites me to be strong in faith. St. Bartholomew was a clear example for it. He had a strong faith. He had gone through so much of persecution that they flayed him alive and then beheaded. So I am also called to be a man of faith, whose trust is in the Lord.
The reading helps me to strengthen my faith in the Lord. It invites me not to be prejudiced about people but to look into the deeds of the people than their external factors.
The 1st reading clearly demonstrates that the apostles are the pillars of the church. If we were to examine them, they are imperfect, but God made them perfect. It is not their tribe or occupation that matters, it is the spirit of the Lord working in each of them that matters.
This readings and today’s feast invite me to put my complete trust in the Lord and work for the good of the other, believing that a greater reward is waiting for me in haven. May this feast help me not to look into one’s region, language, color etc. but to see the work of God through that person. Also, may this feast of Nathaniel help me to depend on God and to say “Rabbi you are the son of God.”