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30th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Jesus asked the same question in today’s gospel passage as he asked in last week’s passage; “What do you want me to do for you?” Last week the question was directed to the brothers James and John, today the question is directed to the blind man Bartimaeus. How different are the answers! James and John were filled with self-centered ambition, they were blinded by the pursuit of greatness. Their answer to Jesus was “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” The answer of Bartimaeus revealed that his eyes of faith was active and attuned to Christ. He was well aware of his blindness and so he simply asked Jesus for his sight. “Master, I want to see.” In addressing Bartimaeus, Jesus confirmed him to be a man of faith, for this blind man could already see Jesus through the eyes of faith before his physical sight was restored.
The gospel tells us that immediately after receiving his sight, Bartimaeus followed Jesus on the way. This great miracle is seen as fulfilling the prophecy of Jeremiah in the first reading. It is a hymn of praise and rejoicing thanking God for what he will do for his people. “I will gather them from the ends of the world, with the blind and the lame in their midst…I will lead them to brooks of water on a level road, so that none shall stumble.” That Bartimaeus followed Jesus on the WAY is a play on words. First, ‘on the way’ was the earliest term to describe Christians; the early followers of Jesus were known as people of the Way. The term ‘Christian’ came only later and from Syrians. Second, ‘following him’ is most unusual in a story of curing and it reminds one of the words of Jesus, “…one must carry his cross and follow me”. Thirdly, miracle-working by Jesus in the midst of teaching his disciples emphasizes the meaning of ‘carrying the cross’ (8, 31 – 10,52), which is the end of our story. Putting this story as closure is thought to emphasize that, if one can only see by faith, one will follow Jesus.
What can we learn from this encounter between Jesus and Bartimaeus? The blind man was well aware of what was wrong with him, and he desired to be cured. Therefore, when he cried out to Jesus and was rebuked by the crowd, he did not become silent but shouted louder. He showed great courage to keep professing his faith in Jesus despite the hostile crowd. His courage, faith, and the quality of hearing can teach us that when we publicly proclaim our faith we too might invite scorn. A second lesson we can learn is that even though Bartimaeus was blind, Jesus did not approach him, Jesus allowed Bartimaeus to approach him. If he really desired healing, Bartimaeus would find a way to enter the presence of Jesus. It was clear to all that Bartimaeus was blind and yet Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” He has to clearly name his problem, and do so himself. When we need to be cured of blindness of any kind, then we need to approach Jesus and tell him what’s wrong. We actually have to NAME it. Certainly, Jesus already knows our needs yet he tells us “Ask and you will receive.” “Your heavenly Father will surely give to those who ask.” A third lesson we can learn from this encounter is that once Bartimaeus was called by Jesus, “He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus.” The old cloak could be a symbol of his past, his suffering and darkness. In throwing of the old cloak, he stepped out in faith, and Jesus did not disappoint him. This poor blind man knew what he wanted, and knew who could help him. May we come to know the same.
28th Sunday in Ordinary Time
In our Gospel passage this Sunday, we read about an unnamed man who approaches Jesus and asks what he should do to inherit eternal life. [It is common enough at this time that such famous teachers as Jesus would be met by a person asking for help; the terminology ‘to do’ and to ‘inherit eternal life’ are typical Jewish ways of looking at the obedience necessary to reach eternal life. To obey is ‘to do’ and ‘to inherit’ recalls that one is a child of God, and therefore an heir.] Jesus gives the expected answer: keep the commandments.
Now the story takes a turn. When the man says that he has done all this (and thus apparently, he wants to know if he should do more), Jesus looks at him, ‘loves’ him and urges the man to follow him. The man refuses Jesus’s offer and is sad to do it. Such is this story, a story which is really about this one person only. Why does Mark recite this story since it treats the invitation to one person only? [If the man says ‘no, thanks’, does that mean he will not inherit eternal life? Jesus has already indicated, it seemed, that keeping the Mosaic Law is what is required for salvation’; is he now adding ‘follow me’ as a new requirement to inherit eternal life? Is that the meaning of Jesus’s words, “One thing is lacking to you”? There is no answer to this question, but then we recall that this is a story, not about all people, but just one – only one is asked to follow Jesus physically. If indeed a new requirement for salvation is introduced by Jesus, it is asked only of this man. But one can press further. If the man refuses to follow Jesus, is he lost? It seems not, since it does not presume anything but that he lost a precious opportunity to aid his salvation; he still can be saved, even if he refuses this offer.] What we do know is that Jesus loved him, and that redeeming love would never cease or be in vain.
Mark’s point in telling his audience about this man lies in the one phrase, “Go, sell what you have…he went away sad, for he had many possessions.” The purpose for Mark’s telling this story looks to the obstacle that kept the man from following Jesus to eternal life. ‘Possessions’ are an obstacle in that the man could not give them up to wander with Jesus to offer salvation to Israel. ‘Possessions’ are not disappointing and failing; the man is disappointing and failing, because he preferred something else to going with Jesus.
In our day what does following Jesus mean for us in Gospel terms? To follow Jesus is to realize that there is more to being an authentic human being than having possessions. We must live like Jesus lived. We must be people of compassion and mercy, a healer and reconciler, someone who loves and embraces the broken and the poor like Jesus does the man in today’s gospel. We must live for others.
When we approach the Lord, as the man in the gospel did, when we seek out the Lord and enter into a personal relationship with him, he will call out to us too. His call to us will probably not be the precise call the man in today’s gospel received. However, his call to us will have something in common with that man’s call. It will always be a call to give ourselves more fully to the Lord’s way, and to let go of whatever it is that is holding us back from living according to the values of the gospel that Jesus proclaimed and lived. His call to us will be a call to go and do whatever it is we need to do in order to walk in the Lord’s way more wholeheartedly. There will be moments when we will hear that call very strongly — perhaps when we are least expecting to hear it. If the particular call that the Lord is addressing to us seems daunting, we can find reassurance in the Lord’s words to his disciples in the gospel, ‘everything is possible for God.’ What we cannot do on our own, we can do with the Lord’s help. The Lord’s grace at work within us can empower us to live as he is calling us to live.
27th Sunday in Ordinary Time
This Gospel reading leads us into a clearer understanding of Jesus and those Pharisees who opposed him. The Pharisees, estimated to be about 6000 or so at the time of Jesus, were totally dedicated to obeying the Law of Moses and its Traditions deduced from the Law. Jesus differed from these Pharisees in two fundamental ways. First, he did not agree always with their understanding of Moses’s Law, and secondly, he did not think the Traditions, which are not the Law but rather drawn from the Law, to be as important as did the Pharisees.
Today’s Gospel is a good example of the challenge the Pharisees were to Jesus. Indeed, the Pharisees of the moment hope to trap Jesus and show him to be in error. The question of the moment has to do with allowing divorce. Does Jesus understand God to allow this, or no? The religious leaders at the time of Jesus earnestly debated the question of divorce. As Jesus responds to this question he reaches back to the original intent of God. The text that Jesus quotes forms one of the most foundational passages in sacred scripture. It is the second account of the creation story in Genesis 2 [which forms part of the first reading]. This passage affirms that God, the author of all life, created the world and, in particular, the human person out of love. Alone among the beauty of creation, the human, male and female, is created in God’s own image (Gn 1:26-27).
The first reading shows that humans are like God, because men and women are capable of choice and of a quality of love reflected in God’s own immense and creative love. We as humans are to also share in God’s love for all creation. This passage shows the uniqueness of the human dignity and its responsibility in sharing in God’s authority to name the animals God has created. Since humans enjoy a great capacity to love as God loves they are called to leave their parents’ home to become “one flesh”. Marital love is so deep and so powerful that husband and wife become “one flesh”. This passage that Jesus sites in his response to the Pharisees has nothing to do with divorce but a vision of the human person’s capacity for love and fidelity.
The Church has always understood that marriage is for life. In marrying, even couples who do not share our faith generally anticipate that their love will last; permanent marriage is their ideal and hope. Thus, Jesus' teaching on the permanence of marriage, far from arbitrarily burdening His disciples, wonderfully confirms the mutual love of a Christian bride and groom: what they want is exactly what God has provided for them. Since by baptism they are members of Christ's body, their one-flesh marital communion is in Jesus, and their marriage's indissolubility signifies His indivisible union with the Church.
Many Catholics who have divorced and civilly remarried, feel that the Church does not understand them or care about their problems. The reality is that the Church does care and continues to recognize such persons as members of the Body of Christ. John Paul II wrote that The Church does not cease to “invite her children who find themselves in these painful situations to approach the divine mercy by other ways ... until such time as they have attained the required dispositions” (Apostolic Exhortation Reconciliatio et Paenitentia, n. 34). Pastors “are called to help them experience the charity of Christ and the maternal closeness of the Church, receiving them with love, exhorting them to trust in God’s mercy and suggesting, with prudence and respect, concrete ways of conversion and participation in the life of the community of the Church” (Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church concerning the Reception of Holy Communion by Divorced and Remarried Members of the Faithful, 14 September 1994, n. 2). The Lord, moved by mercy, reaches out to all the needy, with both the demand for truth and the oil of charity.
25th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Today’s gospel passage places Jesus and his disciples in the northern province of Galilee, however, Jesus did not wish anyone to know. Why was this? Because Jesus is entering the final stages of his life here on earth, thus he desires to spend more time with his disciples and less time with the crowds. Today we hear for the second time Jesus’s forecasting of his Passion, Death, and Resurrection. And there will be a third prediction to come. Recall in last week’s gospel passage that Jesus had predicted his suffering and death and Peter responded rather strongly, but Jesus reacted more strongly and said to Peter; “Get behind me, Satan. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.” Naturally at the second prediction of his passion the disciples remain quiet not wanting perhaps to be rebuked by Jesus. They were still trying to figure out how their messiah could face such a disturbing end!
In our day we take the passion of Christ as simply the path in which Jesus was born to travel. This same Jesus, who healed the sick, raised the dead, fed the hungry and forgave sinners. Certainly, Jesus was seen as a good person, yet he predicted that his enemies would kill him. The enemies of Jesus are personified by the wicked in the first reading; “Let us beset the just one, because he is obnoxious to us; he sets himself against our doings, reproaches us for transgressions of the law and charges us with violations of our training.” The first lesson we should glean is that to be a Christian, a follower of Christ, we must live lives of service to others. And we must be aware that our good deeds will not always go unpunished. Precisely because of our good deeds and faithfulness to the Gospel we will experience pain and rejection. Like Jesus we must learn to be gentle and endure such trials, for they will lead us to glory. The disciples struggled with this notion of suffering and so do we. Jesus predicted that he would be “handed over”, all who follow will be handed over, John the Baptist was handed over to Herod, Jesus was handed over by Judas to the Jewish authorities, they in turn handed him over to the Romans whom they hated. Later, the disciples will be handed over to kings and rulers. But let us not forget that in every Eucharist, the Body of Christ is handed over for us to break and to share. We then must become what we consume at mass.
The second half of today’s gospel passage brings us to our second lesson in being good Christian servants. Jesus asked his disciples what they had been discussing on the way? They remined silent because after hearing Jesus’ prediction of his death, a power struggle had already started about who would succeed him. Every time the disciples travelled with Jesus, they are on the “way”, for Jesus is the Way, he is the Truth and Life. So, Jesus naturally asked them what they were doing on the Way. Even though they were on the Way, their hearts were elsewhere, they were seeking power and glory.
To be a servant is to be on the Way, but we must seek to serve, to be the greatest we must humble ourselves. Christians have struggled with the correct notion of service from the very beginning. Our second reading points out the conflict among the early Christians; “Where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder…Where do the wars and where do the conflicts among you come from? Is it not from your passions that make war within your members?”
And so, who is the greatest in the Church? Is it the Pope? Bishop? Priest? Lay people? One of the titles of the Pope is the “servant of the servants of God”. It is reminder to him and to us that by virtue of our baptism we are all called to serve, to be humble. Even amidst the great splendor of the papal coronation in years gone by, he was reminded three times during the procession through St. Peter’s Basilica in the Latin chant; “SIC TRANSIT GLORIA MUNDI” thus passes the glory of the world, that such splendor served a higher purpose. Jesus took a little child in his arm to remind his disciples and us of the price of service. The child represents a person who is powerless, has no say, no influence; a person who can easily be controlled, abused, neglected and who has little redress. We must welcome such people if we are to welcome Christ in our lives. To welcome is to respect and to serve, it is to be concerned about the well-being of another person; the focus is on them rather than one’s perceived dignity or status.
Jesus, himself, is our model. He came not to be served, but to serve (Matthew 20:28). Paul the Apostle states that Jesus emptied himself and took the form of a servant (Philippians 2:7). Jesus lowered himself (he whose place is at the right hand of God the Father) and took on our lowly nature that he might raise us up and clothe us in his divine nature.
24th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Jesus poses the ultimate question to his disciples in the gospel today. In fact, throughout the first half of Mark’s gospel this most important question is posed time and time again. Many people had their own answers about who Jesus was for some Jesus was a man under suspicion, a blasphemer [Mark 2:7], whose disciples observe neither the Sabbath [2:24] nor the traditions of the elders [7:1-23], a man possessed by the devil [3:22]. Jesus already knew these answers whether they were said aloud or whispered in the silence of people’s hearts. The disciples were also aware of the mixed verdict about the character of Jesus. Our Lord was not interested in these particular answers but only in the views of the multitudes that sought to seek his face and live. They were troubled by the negative attitude of the scribes and Pharisees and were also confused because they assumed he was a great prophet, perhaps John the Baptist? Elijah?
Today’s first reading from the prophet Isaiah gives us a glimpse of Jesus. This passage is one of four poems called “Songs of the Suffering Servant”. The person described in these poems is rather mysterious, he undergoes torments, yet his attachment to God’s will in the midst of suffering is unwavering. He is convinced that he will see his righteousness recognized and rewarded. Because of this the Christian tradition has always viewed this ‘just one’, persecuted and then exalted by God, as one of the most striking figures of Christ. [Days of the Lord vol.5]
The intimate friends of Christ struggled with his identity even after the resurrection. And yet we know from history that they all came to believe who Jesus was for many of them gave their lives for the sake of Christ. Like Peter we so often acknowledge the Lord with our lips and our faith is held hostage by our perceived notion of how Christ should act in and through us. For Peter, the Messiah should not have been a suffering servant but a triumphant king who conquers all in his way.
Peter’s challenge is still our challenge today. So often we may be disappointed in Jesus precisely because of our preconceived notion of what Jesus should be for us. What I have found helpful is to view Jesus as he appeared in the Emmaus story, walking with me, and enlightening my faith, sharing with me the scriptures, and breaking the bread before me so that I might become convinced of who Jesus really is. Certainly, the Christian life is one of pilgrimage, a journey, which takes, so many turns, filled with missed opportunities and disappointments but also hope and joy. Our hopes and joy can only be realized when we allow Christ to walk with us and invite him under our roof so that in the breaking of bread, we become firm believers of his person.
We must all in our lives become more and more convinced of whom Jesus is, and we all have the benefit of the liturgy to teach us, to mold us and to assure us on our pilgrimage of faith. When we follow Jesus, we certainly will win the crown but let us remember the first crown he wore was a crown of thorns as he took up his cross to lead us to salvation. How do we most effectively follow Jesus? We can listen to the words of Saint John of the Cross that he wrote in his spiritual classic, the Ascent to Mount Carmel: “Strive always to prefer, not that which is easiest, but that which is most difficult; Not that which is most attractive, but that which is most unpleasant; Not that which gives most pleasure, but rather that which gives least…”
Earlier today the Church celebrated the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. The Church prays in the preface of the feast: “For you placed the salvation of the human race on the wood of the Cross, so that, where death arose, life might again spring forth and the evil one, who conquered on a tree, might likewise on a tree be conquered…” This prayer is beautifully illustrated in a stain glass window, where in the lower panel the tree of life is depicted with Adam and Eve and the serpent. In the upper panel the same tree stretches into the cross of Christ, defeating Satan at last. Here then is another image of who Christ should be for us, the answer to the great tragedy of sin and death.
Jesus must be for us someone who is real, for when the question is posed, ‘it is no longer a question of reporting what others think, we must make a personal choice, a personal commitment, we must move beyond opinion to a faith decision, state what we really believe instead of relying solely on what we have heard or read in a book. For us Jesus is word and sacrament, real food, and real drink. May we become more convinced of this not only in receiving but allowing the Eucharist to transform us day after day.
23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Today’s gospel passage of healing recalls the words of Pope Francis, turning from a culture of indifference to a culture of engagement stands at the heart of an authentic Christian spirit. So, too, is the mission to heal. Jesus is no longer in Israel but is in pagan territory. What this geography means is that, with this story, Jesus shows his desire to preach beyond Israel, to the Gentiles. Mark uses this information to show his readers Jesus’s fuller intention to preach to all nations repentance and the coming of the kingdom of the true God.
As in other stories in Mark’s gospel, people brought the sick to Jesus. In this story, we must presume that the people knew enough about Jesus and his powers to expect a cure from him. Their begging for a cure is further sign of a certain favorable attitude toward Jesus. In asking for a cure, the crowd looks for a laying on of hands as the method of healing. But what did Jesus do? [Recall that Jesus was outside of Israel and was aware how the healing process worked in pagan territory]. Instead, He took the man away from the crowd, put His divine finger into the man’s ears, touched the man’s tongue with His own sacred saliva and the man was cured. At first, the act of putting your finger into someone else’s ear and touching their tongue with your own saliva may seem repulsive. Normally it would be. To understand these two actions, we must understand the symbolism.
The image of a finger is used a number of times in the Scriptures to refer to God’s power. In the Book of Exodus after the plague of the gnats, Pharaoh’s magicians said that this was clearly done “by the finger of God” (Exodus 8:19). On the mountain when Moses received the Ten Commandments, we know that it was also God’s finger that wrote them (Exodus 31:18). In the book of Daniel, a finger appeared and wrote a prophetic message on a wall (Daniel 5:5). In the New Testament, Jesus cast out a demon “by the finger of God” (Luke 11:20) and in today’s Gospel He healed this man’s hearing with His finger. The “finger of God” is understood as the power of God and an action of the Holy Spirit. Thus, by using His sacred finger to heal, Jesus was symbolically revealing that He fully exercised the power of God and acted in perfect union with the Holy Spirit and the Father.
The image of saliva is also interesting. Perhaps you have noticed that when an animal has a wound it often licks that wound. This is a natural instinct but also one that makes sense. Saliva has a certain medicinal power of healing. It contains antibacterial agents. Therefore, since normal saliva can help heal a wound, Jesus’s saliva is able to heal in a supernatural way. Recall, also, that Jesus healed a blind man by spitting on the ground and then smearing the mud on his eyes (John 9:6).
Did Jesus need to use His finger and His saliva to heal this man? Certainly not. He could have done it with a mere thought. But He chose to use His body as an instrument of His healing power. Doing so reveals to us that Jesus’ humanity became the source of unity between God and man. Even His finger and His saliva unite us to God. Everything about the Son of God in His human form dispensed grace, healing, and mercy. Even that which may, at first, seem most repulsive.
When the man’s life is restored and he is able to hear and to speak the crowds are overwhelmed at Jesus’ healing power: “He has done all things well. He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.” As followers of Jesus, we too are called to be healers and are empowered to do so. Healing in the Gospels include physical and psychological healing. And so, it embraces the work of all medical professionals. Our call to heal includes our respect and empathy towards those who suffer, our efforts to relieve the plight of those who hunger and thirst. Therefore, every act which promotes human dignity contributes to the healing mission of Jesus.
We are called today to deepen our belief in this Jesus. We do this by listening and following the message of today’s gospel. Yes, we are often deaf and we are often dumb. We have lost the capacity both to hear and to speak. We have lost the ability to recognize the voice of God calling to us in the many changing situations, both good and bad, of our society. God is shouting at us through the happenings in our society today. So, let us pray today for the gift of hearing, to hear the voice of God calling to us in everything that will happen this day. Let us pray for the gift of speech, that is, to be so filled with the liberating experience of knowing Jesus that we simply cannot refrain from sharing that experience with all those around us.