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. (Ps 145:10-11)
Today is the Feast of St. Bartholomew, Apostle.
That is about all that we know about him: his name.
In the scriptures, he is often associated with Nathaniel, the one who Jesus said, “in this one there is no guile.” However, we know nothing about him.
We do know that his name has been recorded in the list of names of the Apostles from the very beginning. We just do not know much about him personally.
That might bother some people.
However, the New Testament scriptures do not spend a lot of time talking about anyone other than Jesus. We actually know very little about His mother, Mary, and even less about His foster father, Joseph. Other Apostles were relegated to mere mentions as well.
That does not mean that they were not important.
Not at all.
They were vital in spreading the Good News.
They were the foundations of the early Church.
Without them, their work, their passion, their dedication, their sacrifice, we would not have a Church today.
Think about it.
Is it really important that we know everything there is to know about Bartholomew?
I think you would agree that we do not need to know.
And therein lies the reminder for us to be faithful as well.
Some day, some year, down the line, people may not know a thing about us. Let us hope, however, that they know our name — that they know that we, like Bartholomew, were associated with the Lord and that we accomplished our job of spreading the Good News as well.
FAITH ACTION: There are many times that we do things only to be recognized. Today, try to do some good anonymously. They only one that needs to know is God.