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Fellow Pilgrims in Christ,

When we celebrate the feast of Saint Bartholomew the Apostle, we remember not only one of the Twelve who walked with Christ, but also a man praised by Our Lord Himself for his purity of heart. In the Gospel of John, Bartholomew is often identified with Nathanael, the friend of Philip. When Philip announced that he had found the Messiah—Jesus of Nazareth—Nathanael’s skeptical reply was, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:46).

Yet when Nathanael came to meet Christ, Jesus greeted him with astonishing words: “Here is a true Israelite; there is no duplicity in him.” (John 1:47). These words cut to the heart. Christ saw Bartholomew as he truly was: honest, direct, without deceit. This moment of encounter transformed a skeptic into a disciple, showing us that doubt can open the door to a deeper faith when we are willing to meet Christ face-to-face.

After Pentecost, Bartholomew, filled with the Holy Spirit, carried the Gospel far beyond the Holy Land. Ancient traditions tell us he journeyed through Mesopotamia, Persia, and even India, planting the seeds of faith. He is especially honored in Armenia, where he is remembered as one of the nation’s founding apostles. His missionary life was marked by boldness and tireless preaching, always proclaiming Christ crucified and risen.

Bartholomew’s end was as heroic as his life. Tradition holds that he was flayed alive and then beheaded for refusing to renounce Christ in Armenia. Because of this, Christian art often depicts him holding a knife, the instrument of his torture, or even his own skin. It is a shocking image, but one that reminds us of the cost of discipleship and the courage of a man who gave everything for Christ.

The Church remembers him as the patron saint of butchers, tanners, leather workers, and those suffering from nervous or neurological diseases—all linked to the manner of his death. But his deeper legacy is spiritual: he is the model of a heart without guile, a soul transparent before God.

Saint Bartholomew challenges us to live with honesty, integrity, and courage. In a world full of masks and pretenses, his life shows us the beauty of being transparent before Christ. He reminds us that the Lord sees who we really are—and loves us.

So let us pray on his feast: Saint Bartholomew, Apostle and Martyr, pray for us, that we too may follow Christ with a pure heart, without duplicity, and with courage unto the end.