Feast of Saint Bartholomew

Lectionary: 629​

It had a massive, high wall, with twelve gates where twelve angels were stationed

and on which names were inscribed, the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel.

We know little about the Apostle Bartholomew. Traditionally we have supposed this twelfth apostle might have had a Greek name Nathaniel; and, under that name, he makes a brief appearance in the Gospel of Saint John. Many people have different names among different groups of people, so it's a plausible explanation. 

But they might not have been the same person and we might know nothing about today's honoree.

We can reflect on that. 

Victims of torture tell us that the experience of shame, helplessness and abandonment are as painful as the physical suffering. Their tormentors' verbal abuse intensifies their suffering. That their agony is hidden to an uncaring, indifferent world makes it all the worse. It seems utterly meaningless. 

Holocaust deniers, in particular, for reasons of their own, intensify the suffering of survivors and their families. What could be more cruel to a victim than to say, "It never happened?" 

In the past year we have heard the cry of millions of women. The me-too movement has permitted many women and some men to speak up and identify both their suffering and their tormentors. They insist that their stories must be told. To deny this story with its pain, humiliation, shame and grief is to deny the woman's right to breathe and be. The dignity of every person includes her history; an unwillingness to hear the story threatens her existence. 

Bartholomew's apparent anonymity resembles the final cry of Jesus, "Why have you abandoned me?" It recalls the grotesque manner of the Baptist's death, in the pitch darkness of a dungeon. Americans in particular, who value their personal freedom above every other prize, often die in solitude. This apostle reminds us that many people -- Veterans in particular -- die with no one to notice or grieve their passing. 

As I consider that dimension of martyrdom, I am struck by the fact that Jesus "saw" Nathaniel under the fig tree, and that the young man was overwhelmed. He cried, "You are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel!" Although Bartholomew remains practically unknown to us he was known by the Lord. And that makes all the difference.