Homily for Tuesday Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 24th August, 2021. Feast of St. Bartholomew

 Homily for Tuesday Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 24th August, 2021. Feast of St. Bartholomew

Readings: Rev. 21:9-14, Ps. 145, John 1:45-51 

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

THE WORLD IS NEED OF PEOPLE OF INTEGRITY LIKE ST. BARTHOLOMEW, CAN YOU BE ONE OF SUCH?

In our society today, morals and virtuous acts are no longer valuable and fashionable as the society seems to be living, promoting and celebrating artful deception, dishonesty, corruption and fraudsters. Integrity has become virus to be eliminated as quickly as possible while heroes of deception and fraudsters are honored and celebrated. 

Today we are called to change this ugly attitude and learn from St Bartholomew whose feast we celebrate today. A man of integrity whom Jesus in our Gospel passage gave a great compliment when he met him and said “Behold an Israelite in whom there is no guile.” For there was no deception in him. Jesus could see right away that he was forthright, honest, open, plainspoken, straightforward, innocent and unpretentious.

Bartholomew is commonly known as Nathaniel in the Gospel according to John. A name which means “gift of God” and tradition has it that he preached the Gospel to Armenia, where he embraced martyrdom by being skinned alive before being beheaded. He is now known to be the patron of butchers, plasterers, tanners and he is also invoked to intercede in cases of convulsions. 

Bartholomew thought that nothing good can come out of Nazareth, but when he encountered Jesus, he exclaimed, “Rabbi you are the son of God” and Jesus acknowledge his faith and promised him that he will see the heaven opened angels ascending and descending. Just like the angel revealed in our first reading saying: ‘Come here and I will show you the bride that the Lamb has married.’ In the spirit, he took me to the top of an enormous high mountain and showed me Jerusalem, the holy city, coming down from God out of heaven. It had all the radiant glory of God and glittered like some precious jewel of crystal-clear diamond. This teaches us that we should not underrate people because of their humbled background. But like Phillip who introduced Jesus to Nathaniel, we are called to share our experience of Jesus with those we encounter in life no matter their background and ideology.

Dear friends, the world needs people of integrity like that of St Bartholomew and today we are called to imitate him, and be that sign of integrity in a world full of corruption and deceit. Let our everyday encounter with Jesus help to transform us, and by so doing we can transform the ugly situation in our societies and the world at large through our witnessing. Therefore, let us like Bartholomew be courageous and exemplary in our actions, so that, living by our faith and doing what the Lord has commanded us to do, we may become great instrument that will win more people and save many more souls for the Lord. 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, today we are reminded of the need to live a life of integrity and witnessing in a world full of deception and corruption. Grant us through the intercession of St Bartholomew, the grace to embrace your word and experience your presence in our lives and so change our ugly and sinful ways of life. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Wishing you uncommon favour from the Lord this week.