Feast of St. Bartholomew, Apostle
Today the church commemorates Saint Bartholomew — apostle and martyr thought to have been, along with Saint Jude, a missionary to Armenia. This is a special day of celebration for the ancient Armenian church. Tradition says that Bartholomew’s martyrdom involved being flayed alive!
Catholic tradition has also identified him with Nathanial who appears in today’s Gospel story, though some scholars doubt they are the same person. Bartholomew is venerated by Catholics, Orthodox, Lutherans, and Anglicans. He is an ecumenical saint!
All twelve apostles are remembered in our first reading from the Book of Revelation. There are Twelve Apostles because they represent the Twelve Tribes of Israel, showing a link between the old covenant and the new covenant.
In the Old Testament the number twelve is symbolic of perfection and completion. So the twelve sons of Jacob/Israel gave rise to the Twelve Tribes of Israel, who formed the divisions of the Promised Land whose center was Jerusalem.
In this spirit, Jesus chose twelve for his inner circle. They represented the new Twelve Tribes and became the "Twelve" of the New Covenant. In the Book of Revelation, "twelve apostles of the Lamb” have their names inscribed on the twelve foundations of the city, underscoring the Apostles' foundational role in the building of God’s Kingdom.
Our second reading is from the Book of Revelation. Revelation presents twelve foundations of the heavenly Jerusalem, twelve gates, twelve pearls, and twelve angels, all of which symbolize the perfection of heaven. The “Twelve” are seated around the Lamb that was slain in the heavenly throne room.
Most probably none of us will meet such a gruesome demise. But we can be sure that there will be great challenges in life that may feel like it. When hardships and crises inevitably arrive we might look to the persistence and faith of Bartholomew, whose name is inscribed on the foundation of the heavenly Jerusalem and who sits among the Twelve in heaven glorifying the Lamb that was slain.
—Timothy J. Cronin