February 19, 2025
Wednesday of the
Sixth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 337
Reading 1
At the end of forty days Noah opened the hatch he had made
in the ark,
and he sent out a raven,
to see if the waters had lessened on the earth.
It flew back and forth until the waters dried off from the earth.
Then he sent out a dove,
to see if the waters had lessened on the earth.
But the dove could find no place to alight and perch,
and it returned to him in the ark,
for there was water all over the earth.
Putting out his hand, he caught the dove
and drew it back to him inside the ark.
He waited seven days more and again sent the dove out from the ark.
In the evening the dove came back to him,
and there in its bill was a plucked-off olive leaf!
So Noah knew that the waters had lessened on the earth.
He waited still another seven days
and then released the dove once more;
and this time it did not come back.
In the six hundred and first year of Noah’s life,
in the first month, on the first day of the month,
the water began to dry up on the earth.
Noah then removed the covering of the ark
and saw that the surface of the ground was drying up.
Noah built an altar to the LORD,
and choosing from every clean animal and every clean bird,
he offered burnt offerings on the altar.
When the LORD smelled the sweet odor, he said to himself:
“Never again will I doom the earth because of man
since the desires of man’s heart are evil from the start;
nor will I ever again strike down all living beings, as I have done.
As long as the earth lasts,
seedtime and harvest,
cold and heat,
Summer and winter,
and day and night
shall not cease.”
Responsorial Psalm
R. (17a) To you, Lord, I will offer a
sacrifice of praise.
or:
R. Alleluia.
How shall I make a return to the LORD
for all the good he has done for me?
The cup of salvation I will take up,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD.
R. To you, Lord, I will offer a sacrifice of praise.
or:
R. Alleluia.
My vows to the LORD I will pay
in the presence of all his people.
Precious in the eyes of the LORD
is the death of his faithful ones.
R. To you, Lord, I will offer a sacrifice of praise.
or:
R. Alleluia.
My vows to the LORD I will pay
in the presence of all his people,
In the courts of the house of the LORD,
in your midst, O Jerusalem.
R. To you, Lord, I will offer a sacrifice of praise.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
enlighten the eyes of our hearts,
that we may know what is the hope
that belongs to his call.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
When Jesus and his disciples arrived at Bethsaida,
people brought to him a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him.
He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village.
Putting spittle on his eyes he laid his hands on the man and asked,
“Do you see anything?”
Looking up the man replied, “I see people looking like trees and walking.”
Then he laid hands on the man’s eyes a second time and he saw clearly;
his sight was restored and he could see everything distinctly.
Then he sent him home and said, “Do not even go into the village.”
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/021925.cfm
Commentary on
Genesis 8:6-13,20-22
We read today of the end of the Flood, as the rain stops and
the waters recede. In the meantime, every living thing on land was
totally wiped out. Of course, the underwater creatures survived and perhaps
even thrived in the flood conditions given there was likely so much dead
carrion available! But in myth stories one does not quibble about such
details. What matters is the central meaning of the story.
After the 40 days, God remembered Noah and his family, and
all the living things that were with him in the ark. Then, a drying wind
blew, the outlets for water in the earth and the “windows” in the vault of the
heavens through which rain came were closed, and the waters began to
recede. But it was not until 7 months and 17 days later that the ark came
to rest on the mountains of Ararat, in present-day Turkey, and it was only in
the 10th month that the tops of the mountains began to appear.
And it was not until 40 days after that (in other words,
they were in the ark for the best part of a year) that Noah sent out a
raven. It flew back and forth until, eventually, the waters had dried up
from the earth. Then it never came back, possibly because it feasted on
dead bodies it found everywhere. The raven could represent one of the unclean
animals on board the ark.
Then a dove (probably regarded a clean animal—and a
vegetarian!) was sent out, but when the dove could not find any place to land,
it returned to the ark. After another seven days the dove was sent out
again and this time it returned with a freshly plucked olive leaf in its beak—a
clear sign that the waters had receded a good deal. Olive trees do not
grow at high altitudes. The dove with the olive branch has ever since
become the universal sign of peace and flourishing life.
After another seven days the dove was sent out again and
this time it did not return—it had found a place to live. Noah knew that
he, his family, and all the animals could now safely leave the ark. He
opened the entrance hatch of the ark, looked out and saw that the face of the
earth was drying up again. It was only when it was completely dry that he
gave the order to leave the ark.
After they had all disembarked, Noah built an altar and
offered burnt offerings (a holocaust) from each of the clean animals that had
been in the ark (this could be done because seven pairs of each kind of clean
animal had been taken into the ark). This offering was in thanksgiving to
God for their being saved. God was pleased with the “pleasing odour” of
this sacrifice, and pledged never to curse the earth again because of the sins
of humanity, nor would he destroy all living creatures again, although
individuals might be punished. This was because:
…the inclination of the human heart is evil from youth…
The “heart” is the centre of all religious awareness and
morality—the source of both virtue and sin. And the tendency to sin did
not lessen after the Flood.
The reading ends with a verse which seems to have been a
popular proverb or saying:
As long as the earth endures,
seedtime and harvest, cold and heat,
summer and winter, day and night
shall not cease.
In other words, as long as our world endures, the rhythm of
nature and of the seasons will never be disrupted in this way again.
In fact, over the centuries this pledge has been kept,
although from time to time there have been massive calamities which have
brought death and destruction and often changed the face of a particular region
forever. Our main concern nowadays is not from natural calamities which,
ironically, can sometimes also bring benefits in the long term. Rather, we
should be concerned about the disasters which may arise from our misuse and
abuse of the earth’s resources and the danger of irreversible damage to the
delicate balance of nature. Each one of us can play a positive role in reversing
this trend.
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Commentary on Mark
8:22-26
We are approaching a high point in Mark’s Gospel. And
it is preceded by today’s strategically placed story. At first glance it
looks like a simple healing story of a blind man but, as in most of Mark’s
miracles, there is a deeply symbolic meaning inside.
People bring a blind man to Jesus so that Jesus could apply
his healing touch (how much of our touching is healing—or are we afraid of
physical touch?). Jesus takes the man aside away from the crowds.
He puts spittle on the man’s eyes and asks:
Can you see anything?
The man, who is beginning now to see, says he can see
people:
…but they look like trees, walking.
Jesus lays his hands on the man’s eyes again and now:
…his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.
Jesus tells him to go directly home, not through the
village. He wants no misplaced sensationalism about who he is. The truth
of that is going to be revealed very soon.
The story is clearly linked with other events that have just
been taking place. We have seen the blindness of the Pharisees unable to
recognise the power of God in the words and works of Jesus. We can see
the blindness of his own disciples when he asked them in the boat:
Do you still not perceive or understand? Do you have eyes
and fail to see? Do you have ears and fail to hear?
(Mark 8:17-18)
This story, coming where it is, is a parable about the
gradual opening of the disciples’ eyes as it begins to dawn on them just who
Jesus is. We will see in tomorrow’s Gospel a giant step in their seeing and
understanding, while at the same time being aware that they still have a long
way to go.
Our understanding of Jesus is also a gradual process and it
never ends. Many seem to settle into a complacent level of understanding beyond
which they never go. As a result, their spiritual growth is blocked, and
also their ability to have a growing faith enrich their lives.
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Wednesday, February 19, 2025
Ordinary Time
Opening Prayer
God our Father, You have promised to remain forever with
those who do what is just and right. Help us to live in Your presence. We ask
this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and
the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Gospel Reading -
Mark 8: 22-26
When Jesus and his disciples arrived at Bethsaida, people
brought to him a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. He took the blind man
by the hand and led him outside the village. Putting spittle on his eyes he
laid his hands on the man and asked, “Do you see anything?” Looking up the man
replied, “I see people looking like trees and walking.” Then he laid hands on
the man’s eyes a second time and he saw clearly; his sight was restored, and he
could see everything distinctly. Then he sent him home and said, “Do not even
go into the village.”
Reflection
• The Gospel today
gives an account of the cure of a blind man. This episode of a cure constitutes
the beginning of a long instruction from Jesus to the disciples (Mk 8: 27 to
10: 45) and then ends with the cure of another blind man (Mk 10: 46-52). In
this broader context, Mark suggests to the readers that those who are truly
blind are Peter and the other disciples. All of us are blind! They do not understand
the proposal of Jesus when He spoke about the suffering and the cross. Peter
accepted Jesus as the Messiah, but not as a suffering Messiah (Mk 8: 27-33). He
was also affected by the belief of the time which only spoke of a messiah as a
glorious king. Peter seemed to be blind. He understood nothing but wanted Jesus
to be as he imagined.
• The Gospel today
indicates how difficult it was to cure the first blind man. Jesus had to cure
this man in two different stages. The cure of the disciples was also difficult.
Jesus had to give a long explanation concerning the significance of the cross
to help them understand, because what
really
produced blindness in them was the cross.
• In the year 70,
when Mark was writing, the situation of the communities was not easy. There was
much suffering, many crosses. Six years before, in 64, the Emperor Nero had
decreed the first great persecution, and many Christians were killed. In the
year 70, in Palestine, the Romans were destroying Jerusalem. In the other
countries, a great tension between the converted Jews and the non-converted
Jews was beginning. The greatest difficulty was the cross of Jesus. The Jews
thought that a crucified person could not be the Messiah who was so awaited by
the people, because the law affirmed that all those crucified should be
considered persons condemned by God (Deut 21: 22-23).
• Mark 8: 22-26: The
cure of a blind man. They brought a blind man, asking Jesus to cure him. Jesus
cured him, but in a different way. First, He took him outside the village. Then
He put some spittle on the eyes, He placed His hands on him and asked, “Do you
see something?” The man answered, “I see men; in fact, they seem like trees
that walk!” He could see only in part. He exchanged trees for people, or people
for trees! Only in a second moment does Jesus cure the blind man and forbids
him to enter the village. Jesus did not want any easy advertising! As it has
been said, this description of the cure of the blind man acts as an introduction
to the long instruction from Jesus to cure the blindness of the disciples, and
at the end He finishes with the cure of another blind man, Bartimaeus. In
reality the blind man was Peter. We are all blind. Peter did not want the
commitment of the Cross! Do we understand the significance of suffering in
life?
• Between the two
cures of the blind men (Mk 8: 22-26 and Mk 10: 46-52), is found a long
instruction on the Cross (Mk 8: 27 to
10:45). It seems a catechism, made of sayings from Jesus Himself. He speaks about
the Cross in the life of the disciple. The long instruction consists of three
announcements regarding the Passion. The first one is Mark 8: 27-38. The second is Mark 9:30-37. The third
one is in Mark 10: 32-45. Between the first one and the second, there is a series
of instructions which indicate the type of conversion that should take place in
the life of those who accept Jesus, Messiah Servant (Mk 9: 38 to 10: 31):
• Mk 8: 22-26: the cure of a blind man.
• Mk 8: 27-38: first announcement of the cross.
• Mk 9: 1-29: instructions to the disciples on the Messiah
Servant.
• Mk 9: 30-37: second announcement of the cross.
• Mk 9: 38 to 10: 31: instructions to the disciples on
conversion.
• Mk 10: 32-45: third announcement of the cross.
• Mk 10: 46-52: the cure of the blind man Bartimaeus.
• The whole of this
instruction has as a background the journey from Galilee to Jerusalem. From the
beginning to the end of this long instruction, Mark tells us that Jesus is on
the way to Jerusalem where He is going to suffer His death (Mk 8: 27; 9: 30,
33; 10: 1, 17, 32). The full understanding of following Jesus is not achieved
by theoretical ideas, but by practical commitment, walking like Him
along the way of service, from Galilee up to Jerusalem.
Anyone who insists on keeping the idea of Peter, that is, of a glorious Messiah
without the cross, will understand nothing and will never be able to have the
attitude of a true disciple. He will continue to be blind, exchanging people
for trees (Mk 8: 24), because without the cross it is impossible to understand
who Jesus is and what it means to follow Jesus. The journey of following is a
road of the gift of self, of abandonment, of service, of availability, of
acceptance of conflict, knowing that there will be resurrection. The cross is
not an accident on the way, but forms part of this road. Because in a world organized around egoism, love and service
can exist only crucified! Anyone who makes his life a service to others,
disturbs and bothers those who live attached to privileges, and therefore
suffers.
Personal Questions
• All believe in
Jesus. But some understand Him in one way and others in another. Today, which
is the most common Jesus according to the way people think? How does popular
belief interfere in the way of seeing Jesus? What do I do so as not to be drawn
by the deceit of these popular ideas?
• What does Jesus ask
of people who want to follow Him? Today, what prevents you from recognizing and
assuming the plans of Jesus?
Concluding Prayer
Lord, who can find a home in Your tent, who can dwell on
Your holy mountain?
Whoever lives blamelessly, who acts uprightly, who speaks
the truth from the heart. (Ps 15: 1-2)
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