« As from the heavens the rain and the snow come down... so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth » (Is 55,10)

DAILY GOSPEL: 24/08/2010 «Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.» John 6,68 Saint Bartholomew, apostle - Feast Book of Revelation 21:9-14. One of the seven angels who held the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came and said to me, "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 Israelites. 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. Psalms 145(144):10-11.12-13.17-18. All your works give you thanks, O LORD and your faithful bless you. They speak of the glory of your reign and tell of your great works, Making known to all your power, the glorious splendor of your rule. Your reign is a reign for all ages, your dominion for all generations. The LORD is trustworthy in every word, and faithful in every work. You, LORD, are just in all your ways, faithful in all your works. You, LORD, are near to all who call upon you, to all who call upon you in truth. Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 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 Israelite. 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 the sky opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man." Jn 1,45-51 Commentary of the day  Saint Peter Damian (1007-1072), hermit then Bishop, Doctor of the Church Sermon 42, the second for Saint Bartholomew : PL 144, 726, 728 C-D « As from the heavens the rain and the snow come down... so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth » (Is 55,10)            The apostles are those precious pearls that Saint John tells us he beheld in his Revelation and of which the gates of the heavenly Jerusalem are composed (Rv 21,21)... For indeed, when the apostles reflect the light of divinity through their signs or miracles, they open the way to the heavenly glory of Jerusalem to people who have been converted to faith in Christ. And whoever has been saved because of them enters life as one on a journey crosses over a threshold... It is of them, too, that the prophet says: «Who are these that fly along like clouds?» (Is 60,8). These clouds pour down water when they bedew the earth of our hearts with the rain of their instruction, making them fertile and apt to bear the seeds of good works.            Bartholomew, whose feast day is today, means in Aramaic nothing less than: son of a water-bearer. He is son of the God who raises the minds of his preachers to the contemplation of truths from on high in such a way that they can spread efficaciously and abundantly the rain of God's word in our hearts. This is how they drink water at its source so that they can cause us to drink in our turn. Tuesday, 24 August 2010 St. Bartholomew, Apostle - Feast SAINT BARTHOLOMEW Apostle Feast          St. Bartholomew was one of the twelve who were called to the apostolate by our blessed Lord Himself. Several learned interpreters of the Holy Scripture take this apostle to have been the same as Nathaniel, a native of Cana, in Galilee, a doctor in the Jewish law, and one of the seventy-two disciples of Christ, to whom he was conducted by St. Philip, and whose innocence and simplicity of heart deserved to be celebrated with the highest eulogium by the divine mouth of Our Redeemer.         He is mentioned among the disciples who were met together in prayer after Christ's ascension, and he received the Holy Ghost with the rest. Being eminently qualified by the divine grace to discharge the functions of an apostle, he carried the Gospel through the most barbarous countries of the East, penetrating into the remoter Indies. He then returned again into the northwest part of Asia, and met St. Philip, at Hierapolis, in Phrygia. Hence he travelled into Lycaonia, where he instructed the people in the Christian Faith; but we know not even the names of many of the countries in which he preached.         St. Bartholomew's last removal was into Great Armenia, where, preaching in a place obstinately addicted to the worship of idols, he was crowned with a glorious martyrdom. The modern Greek historians say that he was condemned by the governor of Albanopolis to be crucified. Others affirm that he was flayed alive, which might well enough consist with his crucifixion, this double punishment being in use not only in Egypt, but also among the Persians.