Memorial of the Apostle Bartholomew of Canaa of Galilee. His body is kept in the church of St. Bartholomew on Tiber Island, in Rome, which has become the memorial place for the "New Martyrs." Memorial of Jerry Essan Masslo, a South African refugee who came to Italy and was welcomed by the Community of Sant'Egidio. He was killed by robbers in 1989. With him we remember all refugees. Read more
Memorial of the Apostle Bartholomew of Canaa of Galilee. His body is kept in the church of St. Bartholomew on Tiber Island, in Rome, which has become the memorial place for the "New Martyrs." Memorial of Jerry Essan Masslo, a South African refugee who came to Italy and was welcomed by the Community of Sant'Egidio. He was killed by robbers in 1989. With him we remember all refugees.
Reading of the Word of God
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
If we die with him, we shall live with him,
if with him we endure, with him we shall reign.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
John 1,45-51
Philip found Nathanael and said to him, 'We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph, from Nazareth.' Nathanael said to him, 'From Nazareth? Can anything good come from that place?' Philip replied, 'Come and see.' When Jesus saw Nathanael coming he said of him, 'There, truly, is an Israelite in whom there is no deception.' Nathanael asked, 'How do you know me?' Jesus replied, 'Before Philip came to call you, I saw you under the fig tree.' Nathanael answered, 'Rabbi, you are the Son of God, you are the king of Israel.' Jesus replied, 'You believe that just because I said: I saw you under the fig tree. You are going to see greater things than that.' And then he added, 'In all truth I tell you, you will see heaven open and the angels of God ascending and descending over the Son of man.'
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
If we die with him, we shall live with him,
if with him we endure, with him we shall reign.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Today the Church celebrates the apostle Bartholomew. He was from Cana in Galilee, and the fourth Gospel identifies him by the name Nathanael (meaning "God has given"). His friend Philip called him and brought him to Jesus, who looking at him said: "Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit." But meeting the young prophet from Nazareth--like for Andrew and Philip--was a turning point for Nathanael. He decided to change his life. He left his home and family and followed Jesus, who would call him to join the Twelve. Tradition has it that Bartholomew went and preached the Gospel in India and Armenia after Pentecost, and that he died in Armenia, skinned alive as a martyr. His body rests in the Roman Basilica of St. Bartholomew on Tiber Island which became the memorial place of the New Martyrs of the 20th century. This passage tells us about his encounter with Jesus. Philip--who had already met the prophet from Nazareth--told Nathanael about the extraordinary power of this young prophet. Nathanael replied with the prejudice and realism of those who do not expect anything good from life: "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip did not make any attempt to solve Nathanael's doubt, instead he invited him to meet Jesus. Faith is not the result of an argument, but of a personal encounter with Jesus. While Nathanael was going closer he heard good words about himself by Jesus. That young prophet from Nazareth made him understand he was already loved by him, before meeting him: "I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you." Jesus illuminated that righteous but lonely man's heart-- he felt deeply known and said: "Rabbi, you are the Son of God!" Jesus, hearing this confession of faith promised him he would see greater things than that. The angels who "ascend and descend upon the Son of Man", the ancient dream of Jacob (Gen 28:12) are Jesus' dream on his disciples and they remind the Nathanael-Bartholomew and the disciples of any time that the dream of God on humanity is not over. Every time we let our heart be touched by the word of the Gospel the heavens open again over this world.
Prayer is the heart of the life of the Community of Sant'Egidio and is its absolute priority. At the end of the day, every the Community of Sant'Egidio, large or small, gathers around the Lord to listen to his Word. The Word of God and the prayer are, in fact, the very basis of the whole life of the Community. The disciples cannot do other than remain at the feet of Jesus, as did Mary of Bethany, to receive his love and learn his ways (Phil. 2:5).
So every evening, when the Community returns to the feet of the Lord, it repeats the words of the anonymous disciple: " Lord, teach us how to pray". Jesus, Master of prayer, continues to answer: "When you pray, say: Abba, Father". It is not a simple exhortation, it is much more. With these words Jesus lets the disciples participate in his own relationship with the Father. Therefore in prayer, the fact of being children of the Father who is in heaven, comes before the words we may say. So praying is above all a way of being! That is to say we are children who turn with faith to the Father, certain that they will be heard.
Jesus teaches us to call God "Our Father". And not simply "Father" or "My Father". Disciples, even when they pray on their own, are never isolated nor they are orphans; they are always members of the Lord's family.
In praying together, beside the mystery of being children of God, there is also the mystery of brotherhood, as the Father of the Church said: "You cannot have God as father without having the church as mother". When praying together, the Holy Spirit assembles the disciples in the upper room together with Mary, the Lord's mother, so that they may direct their gaze towards the Lord's face and learn from Him the secret of his Heart.
The Communities of Sant'Egidio all over the world gather in the various places of prayer and lay before the Lord the hopes and the sufferings of the tired, exhausted crowds of which the Gospel speaks ( Mat. 9: 3-7 ), In these ancient crowds we can see the huge masses of the modern cities, the millions of refugees who continue to flee their countries, the poor, relegated to the very fringe of life and all those who are waiting for someone to take care of them. Praying together includes the cry, the invocation, the aspiration, the desire for peace, the healing and salvation of the men and women of this world. Prayer is never in vain; it rises ceaselessly to the Lord so that anguish is turned into hope, tears into joy, despair into happiness, and solitude into communion. May the Kingdom of God come soon among people!
For the sick, in memory of the dead, for peace
