His Word Today: Saint Bartholomew

Statue of Saint Bartholomew
by Marco D'Agrate, 1562
inside the Duomo of Milan

Good morning everyone,

Today, the Roman Catholic Church celebrates the Feast of Saint Bartholomew, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus.  Bartholomew is named as one of the apostles in each of the three Synoptic gospels (Mt 10:3; Mk 3:18 and Lk 6:14).  There is no mention of Bartholomew in the gospel of John.  Instead, the writer refers to a figure by the name of Nathanael (Jn 1:45), which some scholars believe to be the apostle Bartholomew.

After the Ascension of Jesus (Lk 24:50-53), it is believed that Bartholomew went on a missionary tour to India where he visited the region of Bombay where he described his own interpretation of the holy city of Jerusalem (cf Rev 21:9-14) and left behind a copy of the gospel of Matthew. Other traditions hold that he served as a missionary in Ethiopia, Mesopotamia, Parthia and Lyaconia, as well as Greater Armenia.

Bartholomew is believed to have been martyred while in India.  At the age of 50 years, it is believed that his skin was removed from his body while he was still alive and that he was beheaded by order of the king.  His relics made their way back toward Italy, where they are currently housed in the Basilica of San Bartolomeo in Benevento.  Some relics have also been moved to Rome (where they are housed in the Basilica of San Bartolomeo sul'Isola), the Frankfurt Cathedral (officially known as the Imperial Cathedral of Saint Bartholomew, located in Frankfurt, Germany) and the Canterbury Cathedral located in Canterbury, Kent, England.

May the zeal of this holy apostle inspire us today to follow faithfully in the footsteps of Jesus.

Have a great day.