Fully Seen, Fully Known, Fully Loved: Homily for the Feast Day of St. Bartholomew (Nathanael)

Gospel Reading: Jn 1:45-51

We celebrate today the Feast of St. Bartholomew, who was also known as Nathanael, one of the twelve apostles. In the Gospel reading we just heard, Philip brought Nathanael to encounter Jesus. Nathanael was very skeptical about Jesus at first. “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” What was it that changed Nathanael’s mind and heart? What caused him to believe that Jesus is the Messiah? In his encounter with Jesus, Nathanael discovered that Jesus sees him and knows him more than any mere human being could. Jesus refers to an event when Nathanael was alone. He says: “Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.” By saying this, Jesus is saying that He knows the deepest, most secret parts of our hearts and minds. He knows our thoughts and our desires. And He Himself is the answer to our deepest questions and the fulfillment of our deepest desires. This revelation of being so known by Jesus is what leads Nathanael to faith. “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel..”

Like Nathanael—Saint Bartholomew—may we realize how attentive the Lord is to every part of our hearts, every part of our lives. He sees us, and He knows us, even more than we see and know ourselves. He is the one we have been waiting for. He is the one—the only one—who can fulfill our deepest desires and expectations. Let us continue to draw near to Him. Let us “come and see.”