Feast Day: August 24^th | Patronage: Neurological Diseases, Skin Diseases, Butchers, Tanners,  | Iconography: Bearded as an Apostle; Wearing Tunic and Cloak (often red for a martyr); Carrying Book of Scroll because he brought St. Matthew’s Gospel to Mesopotamia, Parthia, Lycaonia, and Ethiopia; Holding Knife or otherwise indication of his being flayed alive.

One quick clarification first of all: Bartholomew and Nathanael have always been considered two names for the same apostle from the earliest ages of the Church. Bartholomew is a family name (“Bar” [“Son of”] “Tolmai”), so it would make sense that he would be called by another name as well, and since St. John’s Gospel closely link Nathanael and Philip (whereas the Synoptic Gospels link Bartholomew and Philip), it is evident these two names are for the same man.

The Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) tell us that Bartholomew was one of the Twelve, but tell us little more. St. John’s Gospel gives us a fuller account of his call. Recall that Jesus first called Andrew (one of John the Baptist’s disciples) who then brought to Jesus his brother Simon (Peter). Then Our Lord calls Philip, also from Bethsaida, and it was Philip who convinced Nathanael that he had found the Messiah:

The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” [John 1:43-51]

Now, this is a famously cryptic passage! What does it mean that Nathanael was “under the fig tree”, and why does Jesus’ knowledge of this convince him so suddenly to become Christ’s disciple (especially given his unenthusiastic response to Jesus being from Nazareth. Here is a place where we have to know the Old Testament in order to understand the New Testament because the references that hearken back to God’s covenant with Israel are rampant!

Just to focus on three (skipping past all the ways Philip recognized that Jesus fulfilled the writings of Moses and the Prophets): Jesus immediately calls Nathanael “an Israelite … in whom there is no deceit!” Now, this comment refers back to the fact that Israel is the new name given to Jacob in Genesis 32 after he wrestled with God [“Israel” means “he strives with God”], whereas his birth name, “Jacob”, means “he takes by the heel”, which is exactly what he did to his brother Esau when the twin sons of Isaac and Rebekah were born, but it also has the connotation of someone who cheats or backstabs, which was something that Jacob did consistently in stealing the birthright and blessing meant for Esau, as well as in his dealings with Laban, his father in law. Back to Nathanael, who Jesus says is an Israelite without deceit; unlike so many of us, this is a man who does not connive to get his own way, doesn’t fall to mixed motives in his relationships or faith. What a beautiful grace Jesus sees in him!

But, of course, there is more! Nathanael, puzzled at this soul-reading, asks Jesus “How do you know me?”, and Jesus responds with the tremendous line, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” What does this mean?! It refers back to the prophecy of Micah about the age of the Messiah: 

Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore; but they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid, for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken. For all the peoples walk each in the name of its god, but we will walk in the name of the Lord our God forever and ever. [Micah 4:3-5]

Why do countries, or individuals, strive and scheme against each other? Because we all operate out of fear, I guess deep down a fear that we will not have enough, or be enough. But what if we lived entirely in confidence on our Heavenly Father ? His Love could replace those fears within us with the fruits of His Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, self-control, etc. Notice that this was what the Lord worked to instill in Jacob, and what Jesus recognized in Nathanael, and for this reason, what happened to Jacob in Genesis 28 – when he had a vision of heaven with the angels descending towards him, and back to Heaven – is offered in even greater abundance to Nathanael, and every disciple of Christ. “Truly, truly, I say to you [you all], you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

– Fr. Dominic is still facing catching up on email, articles, visits, and everything else after his trip to World Youth Day. More to come about that pilgrimage, for this week I am praying for those fears to be supplanted by the faithful love of God.

At all of our Sunday Masses, except during the seasons of Advent and Lent, the Church invites us, after having acknowledged our sins, to raise our hearts in praise to God as we sing the Gloria.  That movement strikes me as something that is quite profound.  It is a reminder to us that we, who are weighed down by our sinfulness, have been given the gift of Jesus to save us from our slavery to sin.  This is the very message that the angel of the Lord delivered to the shepherds on the night that Christ was born in Bethlehem: 

Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord.  And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.” (Luke 2:10-12)

The very next line provides the scriptural foundation for the angels intoning this great hymn that we sing at this point of the Mass: “And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” (Luke 2:13-14)

I find this transition from sorrow for sin to immediately giving glory to God a helpful reminder to us to not be so down on ourselves when it comes to our sinfulness.  Sure, it is appropriate to have a proper sadness for our lack of correspondence to God’s will.  But thanks be to God for the gift of Jesus and the infinite mercy He offers to us out of His love for us.  The society in which we live would have us fixated on ourselves, how we do not measure up, how we miss the mark.  But the Church, as a loving mother, does not want us to wallow in self-pity, but invites us to raise our hearts to the glory of God, whose “light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:5)

In a previous article, I wrote about the importance of joining our hearts and voices to the praise of God during the times of the liturgy when the Church invites us to sing.  This is especially true in the Gloria!  How unfortunate if we choose to remain silent during this great hymn in which we glorify the God who has saved us.  The only reason I can think we do not join in this hymn is that we are stuck in being too focused on ourselves and not on God.  “I can’t sing.”  “I don’t want to sing.”  “I don’t know the music.”  This past Sunday I was talking with a former parishioner from my first assignment as a priest.  She told me that she is not a good singer, but she at least whispers along because she wants to join in the music, limited as her musical ability may be.  I found that to be a beautiful expression!  Even if we do not have a good singing voice, or know how to sing, we can all at the very least whisper as we join the song of the angels in giving glory to God for saving us from our sins.  So at the next Mass you attend where we sing or recite the Gloria, sing, speak, or even whisper.  If we are truly aware of God’s goodness to us and the mercy He offers to us, then we think of the words of that familiar song: “How can I keep from singing?”

Feast Day: August 14^th | Patronage: Families, Prisoners, Amateur Radio Operators, Journalists, Political Prisoners, Pro Life Movement, Recovery from Drug Addiction | Iconography: Gray Beard, Franciscan Habit and Cord, Nazi Concentration Camp Uniform, Holding Crucifix, Rosary or Image of Our Lady, White Crown for Purity, Red Crown for Martyrdom, Palm of Martyrdom, Newsletter of Militia Immacolata.

Last week we reached the critical moment of Fr. Kolbe’s life. 10 prisoners are destined to die. He is not one of them. Yet this was the man who, as a child, had a mystical encounter with Our Lady, who offered him either the crown of purity or the crown of martyrdom, to which he asked for both. He had been assigned to the worst work-details and had barely survived a second bout of tuberculosis in the Invalid’s Block a week before, usually a death sentence. Routinely inviting others into prayer and offering confession to his fellow prisoners, he had suffered patiently a double-dose of the guards hatred. 

Francis Gajowniczek sobs “My wife and my children”, now assigned to starvation and death. But then there is a disturbance in the ranks. A prisoner pushes forward from the back. Rifles are raised. The dogs strain against their leashes. Capos shout for him to stop. Fritsch reaches for his weapon. Fr. Kolbe steps out of line, his face firm, serene. “I want to talk to the commander.” Marvelously he is not shot as he continues forward. He looks Fritzsch straight in the eye, “Herr Kommandant, I wish to make a request, please.” Fritzsch is further stupefied as Kolbe continues “I want to die in place of this prisoner. … I have no wife or children. Besides, I’m old and not good for anything.” “Who are you?” Asks the incredulous German. “A Catholic Priest” replies Prisoner #16770. Silence blankets the parade ground. 

“Request granted.”

Gajowniczek marvels that he is allowed back in line and can only thank Maximilian Kolbe with his eyes, “I, the condemned, am to live and someone else willingly and voluntarily offers his life for me – a stranger.” Br. Ladislaus saw the ten victims marched away. “I saw that Father Kolbe was staggering under the weight of one of the others as he upheld this man who could not walk with his own strength.” Wotjkowski, barely surviving the day himself, is rooted to the spot, “I’ve just seen a saint made.” Mleczko, though unable to witness Fr. Kolbe’s final days directly, recalls that the other prisoners kept a prayer vigil for their ten condemned brothers, walking past the slit through which little could be seen of their undergrown starvation bunker. Others heard the guards coming and going from the cell, checking who had perished, screaming at Kolbe to not watch them with his piercing gaze, troubled by his patience and prayerfulness as death approached. He survived for two weeks and was finally murdered by an injection of carbolic acid. Starvation and dehydration were taking too long and the cell was needed for others. And thus, on the evening of August 14^th, as the Catholic Church began its celebration of Our Lady’s Assumption into Heaven, another saint entered the panoply of those who lived lives with a love like Christ’s.

Gajowniczek would survive the war and return to his wife and two sons. He was present at Fr. Kolbe’s beatification and canonization, and his memory of St. Maximilian Kolbe is a fitting final word, and a reminder to all of us of the simple choices that led this simple priest to an extraordinary final choice: “I observed him [at] evening in the Block praying fervently and inviting others to join him – a very dangerous activity. I participated in prayer sessions he organized, and once was among his listeners at a conference he gave right outside the Block. Another day a bunch of us were shoveling manure out of a pit. Father Kolbe was beaten very cruelly by an SS guard who hit him many times in the face while his attack dog also assaulted Father, biting him seriously. Father Kolbe bore all this not just with patience but with dignity. … I recall that when he was put down for a better work squad – that of washing potatoes in the kitchen – he expressed his happiness openly to us and his gratitude toward God and the intercession of the Virgin Mary.”

– Fr. Dominic has loved St. Maximilian Kolbe ever since reading a child’s biography of the saint on multiple family car-rides. The dramatic eyewitnesses that tell his final hours to us this week (and next) are collected in Patricia Treece’s captivating biography, A Man for Others: Maximilian Kolbe, Saint of Auschwitz, in the Words of Those Who Knew Him.

A couple of years ago, I came across a book that helps the reader to pray the Mass more intentionally.  The title of the book is: A Biblical Way of Praying the Mass: The Eucharistic Wisdom of Venerable Bruno Lanteri, written by Father Timothy Gallagher, O.M.V.  Father Gallagher is best known for his writings on Ignatian spirituality, but he has also done much research and writing on the founder of his community (Oblates of the Virgin Mary), Venerable Bruno Lanteri.  In this book on the Mass, Father Gallagher writes:

For each part of the Mass, Venerable Bruno urges us to “seek the sentiments and the heart” of some biblical figure.  In a later version of this text, he invites us to pray the Mass “with special attention to its principle parts so as to enkindle sentiments in keeping with each,” again presenting these biblical figures. (p. 25 of Kindle version of book)

When Venerable Bruno approaches the Penitential Act, the biblical figure that he invites us to emulate is the tax collector in the story of the Pharisee and the tax collector.  We know the story and the key line of the passage for us is this: “But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, ‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’” (Lk 18:13)

We know that earlier in this story, one of the faults of the Pharisee is his focusing more on the faults of the tax collector as opposed to his own.  When we come to Mass, we cannot help but notice those who are around us at Mass.  We might notice how somebody is dressed, or how they may be talking before Mass.  We might see somebody with whom we have had a disagreement.  The temptation can be there to criticize what we perceive to be lacking in our neighbor, which is always easier than acknowledging what is lacking within ourselves.  But if we take on the attitude of the tax collector, we come before the Lord aware of our need for God’s mercy, not where we think our neighbor needs God’s mercy.

As I wrote in a previous article, spending some time before Mass in prayer, doing an examination of conscience, is the best way to actually pray this brief, though important, part of the Mass.  It is when we are aware of our lowliness and our need for God that we will come to the Eucharist with hearts open to conversion.  If we do not foster that spirit of humility and our need for God’s mercy, remaining convinced of our righteousness like the Pharisee, then we set ourselves up for an experience of prayer that will not be of maximum benefit to us, not because the Mass is in any way lacking, but because our hearts are not open to receive the fruits of this great prayer.

In the past year or so, there is a line from Psalm 51 that has been coming to mind more frequently when I think about this part of the Mass.  As a reminder, Psalm 51 was composed by David right after his adulterous affair with Bathsheba.  As David becomes aware of the gravity of his sin, he assumes a posture of humility not unlike that of the tax collector and he writes these words: “A clean heart create for me, God;

renew within me a steadfast spirit.” (Ps 51:12)  So David could be another biblical figure we seek to emulate in our hearts as we acknowledge our sins and so prepare to enter the sacred mysteries that follow.

Feast Day: August 14^th | Patronage: Families, Prisoners, Amateur Radio Operators, Journalists, Political Prisoners, Pro Life Movement, Recovery from Drug Addiction | Iconography: Gray Beard, Franciscan Habit and Cord, Nazi Concentration Camp Uniform, Holding Crucifix, Rosary or Image of Our Lady, White Crown for Purity, Red Crown for Martyrdom, Palm of Martyrdom, Newsletter of Militia Immacolata.

I turn to a variety of fellow prisoners of the Nazi Concentration Camp of Auschwitz to recount for us the dramatic self-sacrifice of the (up till then an extraordinary evangelist and charismatic) Conventual Franciscan Father, Maximilian Kolbe whom we celebrate this week:

Francis Mleczko, a fellow laborer from Block 14 who had been imprisoned since 1940 and, as a polish government official, often took the brunt of the Gestapo’s wrath, recounted: “We were working digging gravel (to be used in building more Blocks) outside the camp when suddenly, about three in the afternoon, the sirens began to wail and shriek. That was a terrible sign. It meant there had been an escape. At once the German sentries lifted their guns, counted us, and began to keep an extra strict watch. … it even reached the villages outside the fifteen-mile penal zone, warning the police to set up roadblock and watch for the poor fugitive. The thoughts of all of us were not on him, however, but ourselves; for if the escapee was from our Block, we knew ten to twenty of us would die in reprisal. So I prayed, and I imagine everyone else was doing the same: “Oh please don’t let him be from my Block. Let him be from Block 3 or Block 8 but not from 14.” But when we returned to camp, the worst proved true – the missing man was from Block 14.”

A Palatine Brother, Ladislaus Swies (who had been packed into the same boxcar with Fr. Maximilian two months earlier) recalled that night: “After work the whole camp stood at attention until we were dismissed to go to bed. No one got even a bit to eat. But the following morning, after just coffee, we had to go to another hard day’s work – except for Block 14, which had the missing prisoner. They were again put on the parade ground to stand all day in the sun.” Ted Wojtkowski, a 21 year old university student (half of Fr. Kolbe’s age, who would survive Auschwitz and eventually move to Chicago) stood with the other 600 prisoners from Block 14: “We stood at attention in the sun – boiling – from morning until late afternoon, with our only break at noon when we were given our soup ration. Quite a few keeled over and were left lying however they fell.”

Br. Swies stood about 50 feet away as the deputy-commander of Auschwitz, Karl Fritzsch, began to walk along the ten parallel lines of men from Block 14. Wojtkowski is in the very middle of the pack, being of middling height, and desperately hopes that those banished to the death cell will have bene chosen by the time Fritzsch gets to the eighth row. Mleczko is in the fifth row, near the end, and can only pray as the acting commandant strides back and forth, “The fugitive has not been found. In reprisal for your comrade’s escape, ten of you will die by starvation. Next time it will be twenty.” As he saunters down each line, he stares at each man, deciding whether to send him to starvation or not. Mleczko recounts the demonic game: “As he came closer and closer my heart was pounding. “Let him pass me, let him pass me, Oh pass, pass,” I was praying. But no. He stopped directly before me. With his eyes, he examined me from my head to my feet, then back again. A second complete up and down. I saw the [secretary] pose his pencil to write my number. Then, in Polish, Fritsch orders, “Open your mouth.” I open. He looks. He walks on. I breathe again.”

Wojkowski recounts a similar torture: “I am thinking my luck is okay. [Most of the quota had been filled.] Then suddenly he points down the row at me and calls “You!” I freeze in terror and can’t move. Since I don’t put my foot forward, my neighbor decides Fritsch is calling him. Unsure, he puts one foot slight out. “Not you, dummkopf Polish swine,” Fritsch snarls, and points at me again. Then suddenly, in a split second, he changes his mind and, as my neighbor starts to step back, he orders him forward and takes him instead of me.” As the guards check the list of the condemned, Francis Gajowniczek sobs “My wife and my children.” He is ignored by the Nazi’s. He is not ignored by Fr. Maximilian Kolbe.

– Fr. Dominic has loved St. Maximilian Kolbe ever since reading a child’s biography of the saint on multiple family car-rides. The dramatic eyewitnesses that tell his final hours to us this week (and next) are collected in Patricia Treece’s captivating biography, A Man for Others: Maximilian Kolbe, Saint of Auschwitz, in the Words of Those Who Knew Him.