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Any Friend of Jesus\u2019 is a Friend of Mine.<\/strong>\u00a0 And this week, we remember one of Jesus\u2019 closest friends\u2014one of the Twelve, in fact\u2014St. Bartholomew.<\/strong><\/p>\nThis is a guy we really don\u2019t know much about.<\/strong>\u00a0 In fact, it seems like the more we learn, the more confusing the story becomes!<\/p>\n WHAT WAS HIS NAME?<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0 In the synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke), he is called Bartholomew, and he is summoned along with Philip to follow Jesus.\u00a0 In the Gospel of John, though, he is called by another name, \u201cNathaniel\u201d (or \u201cNathanael\u201d). One historian has even written, \u201cThe Chaldeans confound Bartholomew with Nathaniel.\u201d<\/p>\n WHAT DID HE DO?<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0 Bartholomew has no significant speaking part in the Gospels.\u00a0 In the Gospel of John, it is Bartholomew (or Nathaniel, as he\u2019s called there) who is first skeptical and asks, \u201cWhat good can come out of Nazareth?\u201d\u00a0 He becomes convinced, though, and follows.\u00a0 Jesus, seeing his trusting nature, says of Nathaniel, \u201cHere is a man in whom there is no deception.\u201d<\/p>\n It was Nathaniel\/Bartholomew to whom Jesus said, \u201cBefore Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.\u201d\u00a0 He understands then that Jesus is the Son of God.<\/p>\n Bartholomew\/Nathaniel shows up one more time at the end of John\u2019s gospel, and was one of the apostles present when Jesus appeared at the Sea of Galilee, after the Resurrection.<\/p>\n The most popular tradition, though, is that Bartholomew was flayed (skinned alive) and crucified upside down.\u00a0 It is that last scenario\u2014 Bartholomew holding his own skin\u2014that is depicted in Michelangelo\u2019s \u201cThe Last Judgment\u201d (top) and in this statue (bottom) by Marco d\u2019Agrate, which can be seen at the Duomo, the cathedral, in Milan.<\/p>\n His feastday is celebrated on August 24.<\/p>\n Prayer to Saint Bartholomew the Apostle<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n O Glorious Saint Bartholomew, Jesus called you a person without guile and you saw in this word a sign that he was the Son of God and King of Israel. Obtain for us the grace to be ever guileless and innocent as doves. At the same time, help us to have your gift of faith to see the Divine hand in the events of daily life. May we discern the signs of the times that lead to Jesus on earth and will eventually unite us to him forever in heaven. Any Friend of Jesus\u2019 is a Friend of Mine.\u00a0 And this week, we remember one of Jesus\u2019 closest friends\u2014one of the Twelve, in fact\u2014St. Bartholomew. This is a guy we really don\u2019t know much about.\u00a0 In fact, it seems like the more we learn, the more confusing the story becomes!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":556,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,49,72,154,223],"tags":[2722,2831,2889,682],"class_list":["post-3832","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-apostles","category-catholic","category-crucifixion","category-martyrs","category-saints","tag-apostles","tag-martyrs","tag-saints","tag-st-bartholomew"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/kathyschiffer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/Bartholomew-at-Milan-Duomo-300x300.jpg\")
HOW DID HE DIE?<\/span><\/strong> \u00a0Bartholomew is believed to have been martyred in Albanopolis, in Armenia\u2014and so is the patron saint of Armenia.\u00a0 There is even some confusion as to how he died:\u00a0 Some accounts suggest that he was beheaded, while others say that he was kidnapped, beaten unconscious, and thrown in the sea to drown.<\/p>\n\n
\nAmen.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"