The apostle Bartholomew has a feast day today yet the gospel text is about Nathaniel. What is going on? The companion of Philip in Matthew, Mark and Luke is named Bartholomew; in the Gospel of John, Nathaniel. Are they the same person? The short answer is: we don’t know. That tells us something about being an apostle. We have what we call an “apostolic faith,” that is, one we have inherited from the apostles, the first followers of Jesus. The apostles are essential, but who they were as individuals has been lost in the mists of history. So with us — we are absolutely essential if the good news of Jesus is to get into the world but not because of our wonderful qualities as individuals.
