God has a Better Version of Us (St Bartholomew, Aug 24)

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There must be SOMETHING worth celebrating in EVERY HUMAN PERSON. Look carefully, access and examine without prejudice, and YOU WILL SEE THAT EVERYTHING THAT GOD CREATED IS REALLY GOOD. What is even worth celebrating about this man, Bartholomew? 

In the New Testament, Bartholomew (whose feast we celebrate today) is mentioned only once, in the list of Apostles. Some people identify him as Nathaniel, a man from Cana in Galilee, who was summoned to Jesus by Philip. But all in all, the IDENTITY of this man, Bartholomew, is almost blurred. He may not have been very much SOCIALLY relevant and known during his earthly ministry. But essentially, he was a GIANT in God's sight. What else might have made Jesus to say what He said about him in the gospel, except the fact that he (Bartholomew or Nathaniel) had his own God-given distinguishing quality of BEING AN ISRAELITE WITH NO GUILE OR DECEIT. Though his name wasn't severally mentioned as those of Peter, Paul, John and the rest, yet there was something about him which could not have been overlooked: "HE WAS AN ISRAELITE IN WHOM THERE WAS NO GUILE ".
From human standpoint, Bartholomew's scornful expression (CAN ANYTHING GOOD COME OUT OF NAZARETH?) about Jesus in the gospel (cf. John 1:46) is enough to have sent him to the backwoods of historical irrelevance. But Jesus, being God, overlooked his imperfection and feeling of superiority complex, and highlighted the GIANT that God has implanted in him: A MAN WITHOUT GUILE.

As we celebrate him today, the first reading from the Book of Revelation (21:9b-14) invites us to know that amongst the TWELVE apostles, there was no INFERIOR. All of their names were EQUALLY written on the TWELVE FOUNDATIONS of the GREAT WALL of the Holy City of Jerusalem. And this GREAT WALL of that Holy City is the FAITH that you and I profess today. What it then implies is that Bartholomew (or Nathaniel), being an apostle, was as relevant as the rest of the twelve, for THEY ALL formed part of the great foundation of our FAITH by bearing witness to Jesus even to the point of spilling their blood for His sake.

As we retell his life story, we can hold on to a certain truth. We must be aware that despite our seeming social “LITTLENESS”, God sees and highlights the “GIANT” in us. None of us created him/herself. Neither did the SOCIETY bring any of us into existence! It's GOD who created YOU and ME. And He could not have thought of creating a NONENTITY. He created us, and proportionately endowed us with rare gems of greatness and excellence. Don't focus on people's perception or version of you. Their VERSIONS about you may be BITTER. But God has a BETTER VERSION of you. Work in actualizing, developing, projecting and justifying that SPECIAL DIVINE VERSION of you.


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