Thursday 24th of August
St Bartholomew
“You will see heaven laid open, and the Son of Man.”
John 1:45-51
Today is the feast day of St Bartholomew, one of the twelve believed to be the same as Nathaniel in today’s reading. Before his encounter with Jesus, Nathaniel had his doubts, questioning ‘can anything good come from Nazareth?’ Jesus knew this, and in his first encounter with Nathaniel, his words put him at ease. In that moment, Nathaniel knew Jesus was the Son of God, the King of Israel.
How do we avail ourselves of opportunities to encounter the love of the Jesus? Do we take time regularly to pray with the word of God, receive the sacraments, or spend time in adoration? Like Bartholomew, we need more than the word of others, but to encounter Jesus for ourselves. Today let us pray for our hearts to be open like St Bartholomew to encounter Jesus today as he really is.