Today is the feast of St Bartholomew, one of the Twelve apostles.

Jesus said "Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!" "Where did you get to know me?"
Nathanael was startled by Jesus’ uncanny knowledge.
“Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.”
Jesus said to me “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree?

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊

Revelation 21: 9b-14

Then one of the seven angels

Came to me, one of those with the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues. And he said, “Come, I am going to show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” He took me up in a spiritual vision to a very high moun­tain and he showed me the holy city Jeru­salem, coming down out of heaven from God.

It shines with the glory of God, like a precious jewel with the color of crystal-clear jasper.  Its wall, large and high, has twelve gates; stationed at them are twelve angels. Over the gates are written the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel. 

Three gates face the east; three gates face the north; three gates face the south and three face the west. The city wall stands on twelve foundation stones on which are written the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

 

Ps 145:10-11, 12-13, 17-18

Your friends make known, ＯLord, the glorious splendor of your kingdom.

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊ 

John 1:45-51

 Philip found Natha­nael and said to him, “We have found the one that Moses wrote about in the Law, and the prophets as well: he is Jesus, son of Joseph, from Nazareth.”

 Nathanael replied, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” When Jesus saw Nathanael coming, he said of him, “Here comes an Israelite, a true one; there is nothing false in him.” Nathanael asked him, “How do you know me?” And Jesus said to him, “Before Philip called you, you were under the fig tree and I saw you.”

 Nathanael answered, “Master, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” But Jesus replied, “You believe because I said: ‘I saw you under the fig tree.’ But you will see greater things than that.

 Truly, I say to you, you will see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”

 

Gospel Reflection：

Omniscient Jesus

What was Nathanael (Bartholomew) doing under the fig tree? We do not know for sure. However, there are hints in the Old Testament. When God establishes His kingdom of peace, people “shall all sit under their own vines and under their own fig trees” (Mic 4:4), indicating a time of peace and trust, freedom from fear.

It was not an unusual practice for the scholars to read and study the law under fig trees, and rarely, even to pray. Scholar AI Garza points out that the Syriac dictionary carries a mention of Nathanael’s mother laying him under a fig tree to save him when Herod was on a rampage killing infants to get rid of baby Jesus.

Jesus, in his infinite wisdom, knew the intimate link between the fig tree and Nathanael, and no wonder the latter’s rigid stereotypes about anything good in Bethlehem would immediately burst and he would recognize.