When the apostles are listed by name Philip and Bartholomew are always together. It is somewhat surprising that in St. John’s Gospel the associate of Philip is Nathaniel. Are Bartholomew and Nathaniel the same person? We know how important the apostles are for the Church. We have an “apostolic” faith according to our creeds since it was only through the apostles that we know of Jesus. They are the foundation stones of faith according to the Book of Revelation. The fact that we are not exactly sure of the names of the Twelve has an important spiritual lesson for our vocation as modern-day apostles. Apostles are absolutely essential for the work of God … but at the same time completely unimportant since God gives the growth.
