August 24, 2004
Bartholomew
Bartholomew was probably as surprised as the next guy when Jesus chose him as an apostle.
Nevertheless, there he was, without a miter to his name, charged with a nonstipe job to heal sick and raise dead Jewish dropouts, including cleansing any who were leprous and exorcising any demons that got in the way. It was a tough and dirty job, but it was one that Simon, the Samaritan sorcerer, was willing to die for and more than likely wished he had (Mt 10; Acts 8).
It all helped start what we get so carried away with that we call it “apostolic succession,” but with more trappings and fewer exorcisms. We seem to prefer and claim the mainstream and pretty well forget the creeks and rivulets where the other itinerant mendicants who loved their Lord prayed and preached and simply settled for a little apostolic success here and there, now and then.
They did, however, most of them, end up with a red-letter day on the calendar. But whatever that’s worth, it cost them a bundle.
(This is a rerun from St Bart’s Day’s OoN of a year ago. There’re no plans to issue it as a DVD, however.)