Nathanael/Bartholomew - whoever it was, a story about ready faith!

Homily for the Feast of the Apostle Bartholomew
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We know almost nothing historically about Bartholomew except that he was real. His name is mentioned in every list of the apostles. He is thought to have come from Cana, so he would have known personally the dumpy little town of Nazareth that Jesus was from. He would have known that there was nothing to do in Nazareth. That the place was a real drag. Very boring. And that it was doubtful that anything good could come from there. And so his association with today’s Gospel, in which Nathanael, presumed by process of elimination to be another name for Bartholomew, reacts negatively when told by Philip that the Messiah was actually an ordinary dude from Nazareth. Nothing special. Nothing special at least by way of outward appearance.

Though at first seeming skeptical, Nathanael proves himself to be no doubting Thomas. In fact, quite the opposite. He first trusts his friend Philip, who invites him to come and see Jesus for Himself. Then, after speaking with Jesus very briefly, and experiencing in just a few words that Jesus understands and knows Nathanael as well as Nathanael knows himself, Nathanael professes an even greater faith than Philip initially proposed, naming Jesus to be the very Son of God. That Nathanael gets over his initial skepticism so quickly shows the virtue of this great apostle; namely, that there is no duplicity or falseness or unnecessary doubt in him. He goes to see and then professes simply what he sees, without requiring more and more signs. Consequently, Jesus praises the faith of Nathanael, and promises that his faith will lead him to see and to believe even greater things, for to the one who has, more will be given, and he will grow rich!

Nathanael’s profession of faith marks an important turning point in the faith of every Christian who begins to doubt that what has been handed on to him, or reported to him by others may not be true. This transition is a transition of moving closer to Christ, from the Christ that has been handed on to us, to a Christ that we can experience ourselves, a Christ that we can speak to others about ourselves. This is a Christ that we are not only told about, but also a Christ that we can see with the eyes of our heart, and hear with the ears of the heart, and believe in from the heart, for Christ wishes us to know him not only from the outside testimony of others, but desires a profound friendship that grows from within the depths of our hearts.