Through our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ the gates of heaven has been opened to us. And if we set our sights on heaven and embrace all that is Holy then our eyes will be opened to this reality. Have we not had a foretaste of this? A glimpse? At our baptism? Confirmation? At every Eucharistic Celebration? Have we not felt His liberating grace upon us after every sacrament of reconciliation as He lifted us up high once again?Our souls are laid bare before our Lord and God, there is nothing about us He does know or lays hidden from Him. By uniting ourselves more fully to Him through discerning His Word and Will for us; the mysteries and wonders of the Heavenly Kingdom that awaits us is unraveled a little more, till the day we are fully united with Him in His resurrection. AmenSt Bartholomew pray for us….
First reading
Apocalypse 21:9-14 ·
He showed me Jerusalem, the holy city, coming down from God out of heavenThe angel came to speak to me, and said, ‘Come here and I will show you the bride that the Lamb has married.’ In the spirit, he took me to the top of an enormous high mountain and showed me Jerusalem, the holy city, coming down from God out of heaven. It had all the radiant glory of God and glittered like some precious jewel of crystal-clear diamond. The walls of it were of a great height, and had twelve gates; at each of the twelve gates there was an angel, and over the gates were written the names of twelve tribes of Israel; on the east there were three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. The city walls stood on twelve foundation stones, each one of which bore the name of one of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
Gospel
John 1:45-51
You will see heaven laid open, and the Son of ManPhilip found Nathanael and said to him, ‘We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, the one about whom the prophets wrote: he is Jesus son of Joseph, from Nazareth.’ ‘From Nazareth?’ said Nathanael ‘Can anything good come from that place?’ ‘Come and see’ replied Philip. When Jesus saw Nathanael coming he said of him, ‘There is an Israelite who deserves the name, incapable of deceit.’ ‘How do you know me?’ said Nathanael. ‘Before Philip came to call you,’ said Jesus ‘I saw you under the fig tree.’ Nathanael answered, ‘Rabbi, you are the Son of God, you are the King of Israel.’ Jesus replied, ‘You believe that just because I said: I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.’ And then he added ‘I tell you most solemnly, you will see heaven laid open and, above the Son of Man, the angels of God ascending and descending.’
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