Feast: August 24th (Roman Rite, Traditional Calendar)
St. Bartholomew, one of the Twelve Apostles of Our Lord, is generally identified with Nathanael, whom St. Philip brought to Christ with the words: “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph” (John 1:45). Nathanael, skeptical at first, asked: “Can any good come out of Nazareth?” To which Philip replied simply: “Come and see.” When Our Lord beheld him, He said: “Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no guile” (John 1:47). This praise of Christ reveals Bartholomew’s purity and simplicity of heart.
After Pentecost, St. Bartholomew, filled with the Holy Ghost, carried the Gospel to the nations. Tradition tells us that he labored first in India, leaving behind a copy of St. Matthew’s Gospel in Hebrew. From there, he journeyed to Mesopotamia, Phrygia, and Greater Armenia, preaching Christ Crucified and working many miracles.
It was in Armenia that he crowned his apostolic labors with martyrdom. Having converted King Polymius and many of his people, he drew upon himself the wrath of the king’s brother, Astyages, a pagan prince. According to ancient tradition, Bartholomew was seized, tortured, and finally flayed alive and beheaded for his unshakable confession of Christ. Thus he received a double crown—apostolic fidelity and glorious martyrdom.
The relics of St. Bartholomew were first venerated in Albanopolis (Armenia), later transferred to the island of Lipari, and thence to Benevento in Italy. In the 10th century, the Emperor Otto III translated them to Rome, where they rest beneath the high altar of the Church of St. Bartholomew on the Tiber Island. His relics have been the source of many miracles, and his cult has been honored in both East and West from the earliest times.
Spiritual Significance
- St. Bartholomew’s “guileless heart” teaches us the virtue of simplicity and sincerity before God, which is more pleasing to Christ than worldly wisdom.
- His fearless missionary journeys show the zeal required of every Christian to bear witness to the Faith.
- His terrible martyrdom—being skinned alive—reveals the depths of his conformity to Christ, who was stripped and scourged before His Passion.
Liturgical Honor
In the Traditional Roman Breviary, his feast is celebrated with great solemnity on August 24. The Collect prays:
“Grant, O Lord, we beseech Thee, unto Thy people the grace of heavenly blessings; and as in the passion of Thy blessed Apostle Bartholomew, we do rejoice, so may we also ever rejoice in his protection.”