Daily word, 24 Aug 18

Feast of St. Bartholomew (24 Aug 2018)

Rv 21. 9b-14; Ps 145; Jn 1. 45-51

Homily of Fr. Paul Panaretos, S.J. on 8-day Directed Retreat

Introducing

I can easily miss God’s fidelity to me. Jesus embodied God’s fidelity for us. The Book of Revelation is about God’s fidelity—even contrary to appearances. Risen Jesus began the Book of Revelation: on Patmos John received visions for both the eye and ear. John heard risen Jesus speak to him about churches he had known before being exiled; risen Jesus encouraged John to write letters to the churches. All that happened to John was for the people in those churches, to console them.

We celebrate the Feast of St. Bartholomew with a fulfillment-passage from the Book of Revelation. It showed me God’s fidelity again. God’s messenger spoke to John, saying, “Come…I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” The angel took me in spirit to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem.” That happens for us on retreat. We desire a share in God’s life for us: we retreat for God to offer it anew or again; God begins meeting our desires. It may take more time to unfold than we’d like. Yet God is faithful; nothing is lost on retreat.

Continue to meet God. Pray for the grace of meeting. Know that God will find you because God creates us and knows us with a glance. Jesus knew Nathaniel Bartholomew on seeing him under the fig tree. Being known by Jesus opened a new way of knowing for Nathaniel; we may call it God-recognition. It was clear and deep: someone from a place scripture had never extolled Nathaniel recognized as Rabbi…Son of God…King of Israel. Retreat-recognition is simultaneously God-recognition and graced self-recognition. It is also power, power to help us introduce others to the God we meet.

_________

Wiki-image Nathaniel under the fig tree PD-US