On August 24, the Catholic Church celebrates the feast of the Apostle Saint Bartholomew, also known in the Bible as Nathanael. The Apostle received special gifts that made the demons feel terror and fear in his presence.
Saint Bartholomew preached in India and, according to the blessed Dominican Santiago de La Vorágineupon arriving in that region he went to a temple of Astaroth. The sick believed that this idol healed them, but in reality there was a demon inside the image that deceived them.
Receive the main news from ACI Prensa by WhatsApp and Telegram
It is increasingly difficult to see Catholic news on social media. Subscribe to our free channels today:
The evil one stopped doing his misdeeds and many sick people went to seek “improvement” in another city, where Berith was worshiped. They asked that “deity” what was happening with Astaroth, and the demon who lived there responded that his companion was bound with chains of fire and in silence, after the arrival of Bartholomew.
Given the insistence of these people to know who that man was and how to identify him, the evil spirit described that he was “a friend of the Almighty God,” who for 26 years had worn a white tunic with a white cloak and the same sandals. But none of these objects had been mistreated or stained.
He also indicated that Bartolomé was always in the company of angels “who prevent him from getting tired no matter how much he walks and from feeling hungry or thirsty.” Likewise, he warned them that he knew what was going to happen, that he understood all the languages and that at that moment he was listening to what he was telling them.
Furthermore, he pointed out that they would find him only if Bartholomew wanted them to and asked them to beg him not to go to their city. The demon wanted to avoid being disabled by the Apostle’s angels. The sick people went to look for Bartholomew, but they did not find him.
One day a demon possessed person rebuked Saint Bartholomew that his prayers were tormenting him, but the saint ordered him to be silent and expelled him from that person’s body.
The king of the region found out and asked that Bartholomew be brought to him. The Apostle went to the court and saw that the king’s daughter was chained. He ordered them to release her from her saying that he had the demon that afflicted her firmly tied up. When she was released, the girl was cured.
Later, the saint witnessed the pagan cult in the temple near the palace and the demon of that idol began to scream in torment because it had been tied. Bartholomew ordered the evil one to leave. He obeyed and destroyed all the idols in the place.
The saint began to pray and all the sick people present were cured. An angel appeared and showed the people the demon that had deceived them. He was some kind of dark monster who had his hands tied behind his back with chains of fire.
The angel told the devil that he would free him for having obeyed the Apostle, but that he must remain in the desert until the end of time. Finally, the evil spirit left screaming, while the king, his family and all the people received Baptism.
Abel Camasca
Journalist graduated from the Communication Sciences degree at the University of Lima. He has been part of the ACI Prensa journalistic team since 2014. Between 2016 and 2022 he was in charge of the production of the television program EWTN Noticias and Más que Noticias, a World Catholic Radio program. He often writes articles about the lives of saints.