Come and See

August 24, 2007

Feast of Saint Bartholomew, Apostle

One of the seven angels who held the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came and said to me, "Come here. I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb." Revelation 21:9

But Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come from Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see." John 1:46

Piety

Let us pray. Lord, sustain within us the faith which made Saint Bartholomew ever loyal to Christ. Let your Church be the sign of salvation for all the nations of the world. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

(http://www.catholicculture.org/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2007-08-24)

Study

http://www.usccb.org/nab/082407.shtml

What happens when we accept God’s invitation? Yesterday, the warning was issued for people who rejected the invitation and for those who accepted it but were unprepared to fulfill God’s mission for us.

Today, we see how the faithful servant is rewarded. Despite Nathanael’s initial skepticism (“Can anything good come from Nazareth?”), he comes to almost immediately believe that Jesus is the Son of God. Jesus promises him he will see great things…great things like Jacob’s ladder in the Hebrew Bible or meeting the “wife of the Lamb” in Revelation.

Have you overcome your skepticism and sin? Have you responded to God’s open invitation to you to “come and see?”

The promises made to Nathanael (St. Bartholomew) reveal that faith matters. God rewards us for our devotion to Him and our expression of that devotion shown by praising him and serving our neighbors.

Nathanael’s life also shows us that God continues to invite us into His presence, just like in the story of the wedding feast yesterday. Not only do we see the invitation to Nathanael in the first chapter of John’s Gospel, Nathanael is there in the last chapter.

So now we know that Nathanael did see greater things. He is there on the seemingly unsuccessful fishing trip when Jesus meets most of the disciples on the shores of Lake Tiberius. Jesus instructs them where to catch the fish. Nathanael witnesses the success of those who respond to the invitation even though past experience may indicate that this will not lead to success. After the nets were filled, Jesus invites Nathanael and the other disciples to share a meal and a blessing with Him.

Action

How are you making your faith matter today?

Will you cast your nets where Jesus tells you to fish?

Where will you cast them today?