The week begins with the feast of St Bartholomew, the Apostle traditionally identified with Nathanael in the Gospel for the day (John 1:45-51). It was to him that Philip issued the invitation: “Come and see.” He it was who, on being called by Jesus, made the confession of faith: “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” The meditation for this day, by Fr Jacques Philippe of the Community of the Beatitudes, dwells on the gift of God’s call.
“Calling and gift are two complementary faces of the same reality: the act by which God infuses us with rich, abundant and fruitful life whose potential is unfolded by our free consent. Openness to the call is openness to the fullness of life. Not only natural, physical, emotional and intellectual life, but also the life realised through relationships, love, communion and, ultimately, participation in divine, supernatural life. Every call is a call to love more and find fulfilment by participating in the purity and ardour of divine love.”
