20260824 OVERCOMING PREJUDICES
24 August 2026, Monday, St Bartholomew, Apostle
First reading |
Apocalypse 21:9-14 |
He showed me Jerusalem, the holy city, coming down from God out of heaven
The 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 the 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.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 144(145):10-13a,17-18 |
Your friends, O Lord, make known the glorious splendour of your reign.
All your creatures shall thank you, O Lord,
and your friends shall repeat their blessing.
They shall speak of the glory of your reign
and declare your might, O God.
Your friends, O Lord, make known the glorious splendour of your reign.
They make known to men your mighty deeds
and the glorious splendour of your reign.
Yours is an everlasting kingdom;
your rule lasts from age to age.
Your friends, O Lord, make known the glorious splendour of your reign.
The Lord is just in all his ways
and loving in all his deeds.
He is close to all who call him,
who call on him from their hearts.
Your friends, O Lord, make known the glorious splendour of your reign.
Gospel Acclamation | Jn1:49 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Rabbi, you are the Son of God,
you are the King of Israel.
Alleluia!
Gospel | John 1:45-51 |
You will see heaven laid open, and the Son of Man
Philip 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.’
OVERCOMING PREJUDICES
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Rev 21:9-14; Ps 144:10-13, 17-18; Jn 1:45-51]
We never see things as they are, but as we are. How we look at things, process information, and make judgments depends not just on the objectivity of a situation, but is deeply coloured and filtered by our life experiences. This explains why we are all conditioned. We view new events through the lens of our past: if our past experiences were positive, we tend to be more positive toward similar events; if they were negative, we tend to view them negatively. The truth, therefore, is that we are conditioned by our past, and as a result, we are all biased in some way.
This is particularly true regarding how we view race and religion–two extremely sensitive topics. If our encounters with people of other races and religions have been positive, we tend to be very open and receptive toward them. However, if those encounters were unpleasant, we tend to generalise and lump all people of a particular race or religion together. Whether we like it or not, we are shaped by our past. This explains why many people are prejudiced against Muslims, as they associate Islam with ISIS and terrorist activities. So it is with Christians: non-Christians often view Christians as aggressive, triumphalist, and intolerant of other faiths. Protestants tend to view Catholics as heretical, superstitious, and overly devotional. With media coverage on sexual abuse, Catholic priests are now unfairly associated with paedophilia.
This was the case with Nathanael in today’s Gospel. Even he had his own prejudices. When he heard from Philip that they had “found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, the one about whom the prophets wrote: Jesus son of Joseph, from Nazareth,” his immediate reaction was, “From Nazareth? Can anything good come from that place?” He was not only sceptical, but disdainful. Nathanael came from Cana, and in those days, there was strong rivalry between neighbouring towns. Thus, Nathanael did not think highly of people from Nazareth. Furthermore, nothing in Scripture mentioned the Messiah coming from Nazareth.
Indeed, life is such that we are greatly influenced by what we hear, and even more by what we see. A picture is worth a thousand words. This is why today people prefer short video clips and movies to long articles–visual media is more entertaining and requires less effort than reading, which demands deep concentration and thought. What we read, we often forget; but what we see is imprinted indelibly on our minds. This explains why life experiences–especially those that are radical or surprising–are never forgotten. Traumas and unpleasant events, unfortunately, are deeply imprinted in our subconscious, so much so that many struggle to overcome them.
Therefore, the only way to change our perception of anything is to experience it anew. Philip was wise not to enter into a philosophical or theological debate with Nathanael over Jesus’ identity. If he had, it would have ended in disagreement because each would be viewing the situation through his own lens. This is especially true regarding matters beyond human logic, such as personal taste, preferences, friendships, and faith. Such matters cannot be reduced to reason alone because the whole person–body, mind, soul, and spirit–is engaged. Faith, therefore, though reasonable, cannot be reasoned out or proven. If it could, there would be no need for faith. Faith in Christ cannot be proven mathematically; He must be encountered and experienced. As Pope Benedict XVI wrote: “We have come to believe in God’s love: in these words the Christian can express the fundamental decision of his life. Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction.” (Deus Caritas Est, 1)
The way to help someone overcome prejudice is simply to invite them, as Philip did: “Come and see!” This is the best way to convince people. Many Catholics are uncomfortable with the Charismatic Renewal, the gift of tongues, or the raising of hands in prayer. This is understandable for an ordinary Catholic raised in a traditional, solemn liturgy focused on silence and adoration with limited active participation in the liturgy, which is performed mainly by the priests, ministers and choir. Unless they are initiated into this form of prayer, they may feel overly self-conscious and end up unable to pray. Yet in every case I have seen, those who were firmly against the Charismatic movement changed their minds completely once they allowed themselves to enter into this form of worship–encountering Christ through the Holy Spirit deeply in their hearts, not just in their minds. Some even received the gift of tongues or resting in the Spirit.
However, for this transformation to occur, a person must be courageous and receptive like Nathanael. Although he was sceptical, when Philip invited him to come and see Jesus for himself, he did not shrink back. He could have dismissed Philip’s invitation and remained stuck in his opinion, but the Lord saw in him a man of great sincerity and desire to seek the truth. Jesus remarked, “There is an Israelite who deserves the name, incapable of deceit.” Indeed, Nathanael was not someone who let past biases blind him completely; he was a true seeker of truth. This is affirmed when the Lord said to him, “Before Philip came to call you, I saw you under the fig tree.” Sitting under a fig tree was a common expression for a rabbi immersed in prayer and study. Nathanael had been in deep prayer, contemplating God and the coming of the Messiah.
Nathanael’s courage and openness to meet the Lord were richly rewarded–he encountered the Lord Himself. When Jesus spoke so warmly of him, Nathanael was astonished that Jesus knew his heart. Only God knows the human heart. Recognising that Jesus could read his innermost soul gave him the confidence to proclaim, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel!” Indeed, when we encounter the Lord, we also come to know who we truly are. Jesus reveals our true identity and calling. Yet this was only the beginning. The Lord assured Nathanael: “You believe that just because I said: I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that. I tell you most solemnly, you will see heaven laid open and, above the Son of Man, the angels of God ascending and descending.”
When we are receptive, we see more. When we love, we understand better. Love, not raw intellect, is the eye of true understanding. The mind sees truth from one angle, but the heart sees truth in its full depth. That is why the best method of conversion is never purely logical or intellectual discourse. Reasoning can prepare the way, but only direct experience opens the heart. There is nothing that transforms a person’s outlook more radically than personal experience. Why do people support certain causes over others? Because they have seen–not just heard about–the suffering of others. To inspire people to give, we must let them see with their own eyes the work being done to relieve illness, poverty, and pain.
Today, as we celebrate the Feast of Saint Bartholomew (Nathanael), one of the Twelve Apostles, the Church invites us to rejoice and share in his mission of bringing others to Christ. The First Reading paints a beautiful vision of the eternal city for all humanity. Through this vision, Saint John inspires us to work together to make God’s love a reality in our lives and for all peoples.
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved
