Tuesday, August 24, 2021

† " ...Which Is Greater .. ." 1

†Saint Quote
"A soul which does not practise the exercise of prayer is very like a paralyzed body which, though possessing feet and hands, makes no use of them."
— St. Alphonsus Liguori

† MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"Oh, what awesome mysteries take place during Mass! One day we will know what God is doing for us in each Mass, and what sort of gift He is preparing in it for us. Only His divine love could permit that such a gift be provided for us. O Jesus, my Jesus, with what great pain is my soul pierced when I see this fountain of life gushing forth with such sweetness and power for each soul, while at the same time I see souls withering away and drying up through their own fault. O Jesus, grant that the power of mercy embrace these souls."
— St. Maria Faustina Kowalska, 914
AN EXCERPT FROM
Diary of St. Faustina

† VERSE OF THE DAY
"But for thee, O Lord, do I wait; it is thou, O Lord my God, who wilt answer."
Psalm 38:15

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ST. BARTHOLOMEW

St. Bartholomew (1st c.) is one of Jesus' Twelve Apostles who, together with his friend and fellow Apostle Philip, came from Cana in Galilee. All we know of St. Bartholomew (also called Nathaniel) is what is mentioned of him in the synoptic Gospels and the book of Acts. Philip told Bartholomew that he had found the Messiah, and, despite Bartholomew's incredulity, the two went together to see Jesus. When Jesus saw Bartholomew he exclaimed, "Here is a true Israelite. There is no duplicity in him!", indicating that Bartholomew possessed great purity of heart. Bartholomew then asked Jesus how he knew him, and Jesus explained that he saw Bartholomew sitting under the fig tree. This secret between Jesus and Bartholomew caused Bartholomew to immediately exclaim that Jesus was the Messiah and the Son of God. According to the Roman Martyrology, Bartholomew became a missionary in the East, preaching and evangelizing in Asia Minor, Ethiopia, India, and finally Armenia, where he was flayed alive and beheaded by King Astyages. St. Bartholomew is the patron saint of nervous and neurological diseases, butchers, leather workers, tanners, cobblers, trappers, and shoemakers. His feast day is August 24th.

Feast of Saint Bartholomew, Apostle

Lectionary: 629
Reading I

Rv 21:9b-14

The angel spoke to me, saying,
"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 children of Israel.
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.

Responsorial Psalm

145:10-11, 12-13, 17-18

R. (12) Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,

and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your Kingdom

and speak of your might.
R. Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
Making known to men your might

and the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
Your Kingdom is a Kingdom for all ages,

and your dominion endures through all generations.
R. Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
The LORD is just in all his ways

and holy in all his works.
The LORD is near to all who call upon him,

to all who call upon him in truth.
R. Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.

Alleluia

Jn 1:49b

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Rabbi, you are the Son of God;
you are the King of Israel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Jn 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 child of Israel.
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 heaven opened and the angels of God
ascending and descending on the Son of Man."

Daily Meditation: John 1:45-51

You will see heaven opened. (John 1:51)

Under a fig tree. That's where Nathanael (Bartholomew) was when Jesus saw him (John 1:48). What was he doing there? Eating lunch? Thinking about his to-do list? Daydreaming? Some have speculated that because it was traditional to study the Scriptures under a fig tree, Nathanael may have been meditating on God's promises.

For centuries, God's promises in Scripture had sustained Israel with visions of hope. A radiant bride, a city and temple shimmering with the glory of the Lord—the images pointed to a peaceful future when God would live among his people. Nathanael must have drawn strength from reflecting on this life to come, even as he felt the weight of Roman occupation. Perhaps this gave him eyes to recognize Jesus as the "Son of God" and "King of Israel" who would set things right (John 1:49). And Jesus replied, in essence, Keep watching. You haven't seen anything yet!

That's what Jesus tells us too. Like Nathanael, we have wonderful images of the life to come. And we even know that this life has already begun. Baptized into Christ, we have become God's children and citizens of heaven. Now, as St. Catherine of Siena said, "All the way to heaven is heaven."

Just as Nathanael sat under a fig tree contemplating God's promises, you can set aside time for quiet, hopeful contemplation. You can try to imagine what heaven will be like. Or you can imagine Jesus surrounded by the angels and saints. You can even think about your loved ones who have gone before you and picture them with Jesus, praying for you, cheering you on, and rejoicing every time you act in faith.

So go and sit under your fig tree today, wherever that may be—an armchair, your prayer corner, the Adoration chapel. If you don't have such a place, find one wherever prayer comes easiest. Lift your heart to the Lord and let his promises fill your mind. Then listen as Jesus says to you, "You haven't seen anything yet!"

"Jesus, by your cross and resurrection, you have thrown heaven wide open. Let me see your glory and follow your gospel!"

Revelation 21:9-14
Psalm 145:10-13, 17-18

Listen to 2cents

From today's 1st Holy Scripture:
"The angel spoke to me, saying,
"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."
The city of Jerusalem is the wife? What is Jerusalem? It's the place where our Lord died, and rose again. It's the place where He wanted to be...although rejected, He still wanted to be there, in our hearts. Can perfection really exist? The Jerusalem in Revelation ends with this verse: "The treasure and wealth of the nations will be brought there, 27 but nothing unclean will enter it, nor any[one] who does abominable things or tells lies. Only those will enter whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life." This is a hint of our Lord's desires, and it says that there is a light in Jerusalem, and it says "* The city had no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gave it light, and its lamp was the Lamb." The light of the groom makes all things seen. This is beyond knowledge. This my friend, is AMAZING.

Let's pray:
"Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD, and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your Kingdom and speak of your might.

Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom."
Have you ever seen our Lord as your friend? There are all types of "friends" out there. Many from our youth are friends of acquaintance, with shared commonalities, but there are friends that exist to bring you closer to God. Those are the friends to cherish. Am I that friend to others? Do I have friends that help me get closer to our God and Father? These are the ones who are making known the splendor of His Kingdom!

We heard in the Holy Gospel:
"Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him,
"Here is a true child of Israel.
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 heaven opened and the angels of God
ascending and descending on the Son of Man."

It is good to engrave this passage into our hearts, minds, and souls. The image is that of a man, pondering in God, praying in his innermost being, calling on the Lord, and the Lord saw him.
I want, at this time, to put it on you, that the Lord our God does indeed see those with all sincerity in prayer. I promise. He pierces bone and marrow, the soul from the body, and can see when there is no duplicity, no lies.

I believe because I have seen. I have seen for myself, that I had a most deep desire in my inmost being, for something marvelous for God and it came to be. I never let a soul know. But God knew. When you turn here, you will see the Good News. This is our refuge on earth. This is where our daddy holds our hand. These words are comfort, solace, and our joy.

My fatherly analogy is as follows: I believe I spoil my kids, I love them so much I give them what they want, but as they grow older, I find myself telling them no more. Now their desires must be controlled. And they are content, satisfied. I will know their inmost desires by the way we live and at times, by an incessant prayer. For example, one 5yr old, wanted a dirt bike for over a year. I said no, I do not believe he can handle it, he could get hurt. Then then he changed his mind, to a quad ATV, like his older brothers, and still no, and it seems the more I tell him no, he still wants, and lately, he has changed to a go-kart. LOL. What's the point? The point is, that his desires bring him to me.

You see, we are a needy people. We are all needy to Our Father.
Whatever brings you closer to Him is good.

For me, all things bring me closer to Him, sickness, sadness, joys, amazement, and even sin, because of repentance, our bond is strengthened through mercy and grace.

I've learned that nothing comes by chance. It wasn't a chance for Nathanael to have been heard by God. It wasn't a mistake. Nathanael means "God has given". What God has given, we must turn into His desire. His name is now known as Bartholomew, which means "son of rich land". Why name changes? Will your name change in Heaven? If the Lord desires it so, right?
Bartholomew gave his life to God, literally, even skinned alive, OUCH! And this is the case of all the faithful; that we are to become white martyrs, until we become red martyrs. That is, giving our whole life being totally, spiritually, until we give it physically, to God. This is the Life of Christ.
Be faithful my friend. God loves you.

Let's pray:
Lord, My God, My Father,
You know my inmost being. We come before you with our every day desires. Let our desires be solely Your desires. And give us grace to accomplish this sacrifice of Love, to become one in that Heavenly Jerusalem, where no lies or darkness is to exist, but solely truth and Love, all things Christ JESUS!

from your brother in Christ,
Adrian