August 24, St. Bartholomew

Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom. — Psalm 145:12

Mass Readings: Revelation 21:9-14 / John 1:45-51 

Vice Posing as Virtue 

Scripture scholars believe the Nathanial in today’s Gospel is the apostle Bartholomew. His attitude is one that’s familiar to us: scoffing at “those people.” “Can anything good come from Nazareth” is a first-century equivalent of “Those hicks!” Even so, he went to find out more about Jesus for himself and Our Lord had an interesting way of describing, and apparently complimenting, him: “There’s no duplicity in him.” In other words, he says what he really thinks. 

That kind of honesty is still a virtue if we don’t use it as an excuse for being petty or mean. We’ve all met someone who makes nasty comments and then falls back on the excuse of “I just tell it like it is.” That’s vice posing as virtue. That’s . . . duplicitous. 

Prayer: Help me be honest and kind, Lord.