OCTOBER 25, 2015 : THIRTIETH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 149

Reading 1JER 31:7-9

Thus says the LORD:
Shout with joy for Jacob,
exult at the head of the nations;
proclaim your praise and say:
The LORD has delivered his people,
the remnant of Israel.
Behold, I will bring them back
from the land of the north;
I will gather them from the ends of the world,
with the blind and the lame in their midst,
the mothers and those with child;
they shall return as an immense throng.
They departed in tears,
but I will console them and guide them;
I will lead them to brooks of water,
on a level road, so that none shall stumble.
For I am a father to Israel,
Ephraim is my first-born.

Responsorial Psalm PS 126:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6

R. (3) The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
When the LORD brought back the captives of Zion,
we were like men dreaming.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with rejoicing.
R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
Then they said among the nations,
"The LORD has done great things for them."
The LORD has done great things for us;
we are glad indeed.
R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
Restore our fortunes, O LORD,
like the torrents in the southern desert.
Those that sow in tears
shall reap rejoicing.
R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
Although they go forth weeping,
carrying the seed to be sown,
They shall come back rejoicing,
carrying their sheaves.
R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.

Reading 2HEB 5:1-6

Brothers and sisters:
Every high priest is taken from among men
and made their representative before God,
to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.
He is able to deal patiently with the ignorant and erring,
for he himself is beset by weakness
and so, for this reason, must make sin offerings for himself
as well as for the people.
No one takes this honor upon himself
but only when called by God,
just as Aaron was.
In the same way,
it was not Christ who glorified himself in becoming high priest,
but rather the one who said to him:
You are my son:
this day I have begotten you;
just as he says in another place:
You are a priest forever
according to the order of Melchizedek.

Alleluia CF. 2 TM 1:10

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Our Savior Jesus Christ destroyed death
and brought life to light through the Gospel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GospelMK 10:46-52

As Jesus was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd,
Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus,
sat by the roadside begging.
On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth,
he began to cry out and say,
"Jesus, son of David, have pity on me."
And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. 
But he kept calling out all the more,
"Son of David, have pity on me."
Jesus stopped and said, "Call him."
So they called the blind man, saying to him,
"Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you."
He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus. 
Jesus said to him in reply, "What do you want me to do for you?" 
The blind man replied to him, "Master, I want to see." 
Jesus told him, "Go your way; your faith has saved you." 
Immediately he received his sight
and followed him on the way.

www.usccb.org

30^th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle B

Note: Where a Scripture text is underlined in the body of this discussion, it is recommended that the reader look up and read that passage.

1^st Reading - Jeremiah 31:7-9

Jeremiah was the second of the four great prophets of Israel, a contemporary of Zephaniah, Nahum & Habakkuk. He was born around the year 645 B.C., almost a century after Isaiah. He came from a priestly family in Anathoth, a town about three miles northeast of Jerusalem, in the southern kingdom of Judah.

God called him to be a prophet in 626 B.C., when he was 19 years old. By express order of Yahweh he remained unmarried (Jeremiah 16:2), embracing celibacy with generosity. God’s call came to him at a time when the kingdom of Judah was about to collapse. Although he preferred a quiet family life and small-town friendships, he realized he could not contain the sentiments God had placed in his heart. For more than 40 years, up to his death, he remained faithful to his vocation and prophesied until after the fall of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. When Jerusalem fell, Jeremiah was forcibly taken to Egypt by his fellow Judahites. In Egypt, Jeremiah prophesied against idolatrous Jews, and probably died soon after, either stoned or starved to death by those same men, who could not take his criticism.

Jeremiah’s book tells of his calling to be a prophet and chronicles the downfall of Judah through mistaken covenants and broken covenants. He reminds his hearers that God is a just judge who takes covenants very seriously. He then goes on to prophesy about the restoration of the northern and southern kingdoms (Israel and Judah). Today’s reading talks about the restoration of Israel and the new exodus.

⁷  [ T]hus says the LORD: 

The prophet wants everyone to know whose message he is delivering. Jeremiah uses the phrase 132 times (New American Bible) [150 times in the Revised Standard Version, 148 in the King James Version].

Shout with joy for Jacob, exult at the head of the nations; proclaim your praise and say: The LORD has delivered his people, the remnant of Israel. 

God has bestowed salvation on His people (Isaiah 12:6; 44:23). These people are called the ‘remnant’ – the small number who escaped when the northern kingdom was conquered by

the Assyrians in 721 B.C. and have been purified through their exile to constitute the new Israel, faithful to her God.

⁷  Behold, I will bring them back from the land of the north; I will gather them from the ends of the world, 

This is synonymous with the north (Assyria), where they have been kept captive (see Isaiah 43:5-6).

with the blind and the lame in their midst, The mothers and those with child; they shall return as an immense throng.

The caravan is composed of weak people, a sign of the miraculous nature of the event (see Isaiah 35:5-6).

⁸  They departed in tears, 

A contrast to returning in joy (Psalm 126 uses this same contrast in describing the return from exile.

but I will console them and guide them; I will lead them to brooks of water, 

An allusion to the “rock” incidents of the first exodus (17:1-7; Numbers 20:1-13) but now it is constantly flowing (Isaiah 35:6-7).

on a level road, so that none shall stumble. 

Accentuates how easy the march will be, in contrast to the first exodus (Isaiah 35:8; 40:4).

For I am a father to Israel, 

The notion of the fatherhood of Yahweh toward Israel (“Israel is my firstborn”) is sporadic in the Old Testament. It serves to define their covenant relationship (Exodus 4:22; Deuteronomy 32:6). The Israel referred to here is not necessarily the northern kingdom, but the original single kingdom which was formed by the people of the original exodus.

Ephraim is my first-born.

Ephraim was the second son of Joseph whom Israel (Jacob, twin brother of Esau and son of Isaac) gave the blessing instead of the older brother Manasseh (Genesis 48:17-20). The blessing can be traced from Noah to Shem (his first-born, Genesis 9:26), Isaac to Jacob (Genesis 27:26), and now Jacob (Israel) to Ephraim. Although the blessing, by Hebrew tradition went to the first-born, it is interesting that, in the history of God’s people, the second-born has usually proven more righteous than the first-born and has received the blessing. The notable exceptions are Shem and Abraham.

2^nd Reading - Hebrews 5:1-6

As we continue on with our study of the book of Hebrews let’s look at its location in the New Testament. The New Testament epistles (wisdom books) are located after the legal books (gospels) and the historical book (Acts) and before the book of prophecy (Revelation). The wisdom books are further divided by author (Paul, James, Peter, John, and Jude), and within each author by length with the longest appearing first. The author of Hebrews is unknown. As recently as 1914 the Pontifical Biblical Commission reaffirmed that the Church has not decided that St. Paul is the author. That is why the reading is simply announced as “from the letter to the Hebrews.” The book is located in the New Testament after the epistles of Paul and before those of Peter; quite possibly because of its length. 

The basic teaching of the Letter to the Hebrews centers on showing the superiority of the Christian religion over Judaism. This argument develops in three stages:

1)  Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of God, is superior to the angels, although He became less than the angels to lead us by example.

2)  Christ is superior to Moses. This is the reading the Episcopalians and Lutherans heard 2 weeks ago.

3)  Jesus, the Son of God, is the great high priest. His priesthood is of the order of Melchizedek, superior to the priesthood of Aaron, from whom the Levitical priesthood is derived.

Who is this Melchizedek? We know very little of him through what is recorded in Holy Scripture, but the Jewish targums [Aramaic translations and paraphrases of the Old Testament which came into use after the exile (586 B.C.)] and other writings make it very clear that Jewish tradition identifies him as Noah’s firstborn son, Shem. Melchizedek is his throne name (just as John Paul II is the throne name of Karol Wojtyla).

“When Abraham returned from the war, Shem, or, as he is sometimes called, Melchizedek, the king of righteousness, priest of God Most High, and king of Jerusalem, came forth to meet him with bread and wine” [see Genesis 14:17-18] (Ginzberg, Louis, Legends of the Bible, Jewish Publication Society of America, Philadelphia, 1956, page 106).

How can this be? Noah lived many years before Abraham. After all, it was Noah and his descendants who repopulated the world after the flood and there are lots of people around when Abraham is living. Let’s look at Genesis 11:10-26 for a few minutes. This passage traces the genealogy of Abraham (or Abram as he was known before God changed his name) from Shem, Noah’s firstborn son. From this passage, if we do the math, we find that Shem lived for six hundred years; and in fact, outlived Abraham, who himself lived to be 175, by 35 years. Did people really live that long back then? We don’t know, but the sacred author certainly wants us to be able to see the connection between ShemMelchizedek and Abraham.

Why is this connection important? Because it traces the priesthood of the family. As

we follow the blessing through Scripture we find that in Genesis 9:1, 9 Noah is blessed by God and in Genesis 9:26 Shem is blessed by Noah. The next mention of the blessing is in Genesis 14:19 where Abram is blessed by Melchizedek. Later, Isaac is blessed and then Isaac passes the blessing on to Jacob instead of Esau, as he had intended. When he finds that he has been deceived, Isaac tells Esau that the blessing cannot be taken back and describes the effect of this priestly ordination “I have already appointed him your master, and I have assigned to him all his kinsmen as his slaves” (Genesis 27:37). This is the priesthood of the order of Melchizedek, the priesthood of the family.

¹  Every high priest is taken from among men and made their representative before God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. 

This is the duty of the high priest (Leviticus 16:20-22). Jesus, as high priest, makes these offerings in heaven on our behalf. Some commentators have postulated, wrongly I believe, that “gifts” refers to grain offerings while “sacrifices” refers to animal offerings. As chapter 9 shows, the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) rite is the Old Testament rite with which the author is principally concerned – it is atonement for the sins of the people, not individual sin (Leviticus 16:30, 34).

²  He is able to deal patiently 

The Greek term translated here as “deal patiently” appears nowhere else in the Bible. It is a term signifying the right mean between passion and lack of feeling.

with the ignorant and erring, 

The only sins for which sacrificial atonement was impossible were those designated in Numbers 15:30 as sins committed with a “high hand”. These sins are probably sins perpetrated of set purpose, rather than those into which man “fell” through human weakness.

for he himself is beset by weakness ³ and so, for this reason, must make sin offerings for himself as well as for the people. 

Being beset by weakness is concupiscence. The weakness that leads to sin. Everyone, including the priest, is a sinner. On the day of atonement, the high priest, before entering the Holy of Holies, offered a sin offering for his own sins as well as those of the people (Leviticus 16:3, 6, 11; Hebrews 9:6-14).

⁴ No one takes this honor upon himself but only when called by God, just as Aaron was. ⁵ In the same way, it was not Christ who glorified himself in becoming high priest, but rather the one who said to him: “You are my son; this day I have begotten you”;

Psalm 2:7 (Hebrews 4:14).

⁶ just as he says in another place: “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”

Genesis 14:18 and Psalm 110:4. Unlike Levitical priests, who began their apprenticeship at age 25, were ordained at age 30, and were required to retire at age 50, Shem-Melchizedek kept the blessing for over 400 years before passing it on to Abraham. Once the blessing was conferred, the father continued in his position as elder of the family until he died, but the one who received the blessing had the responsibility for the well-being of the family. Jesus is not a Levitical (Aaronite) high priest but a pre-golden calf high priest (first-born son) through His Father’s blessing; just like Melchizedek. Since He is a pre-golden calf priest, He does not have to prove His genealogy and is not subject to a time limit on the exercise of His priesthood. We will look more at Melchizedek next week.

Gospel - Mark 10:46-52

Last week we heard Jesus’ third instruction on Christology and discipleship. These three instructions can briefly be summarized as follows:

1)  Jesus must suffer and die and in 3 days he will rise.

2)  The disciple must forsake all earthly impediments and depend totally upon God. Trust and serve like a child.

The humble disciple will receive earthly rewards for his service – including persecution. The persecution will help form his spirit in reparation for entering the kingdom of God.

This week we hear of the healing of blind Bartimaeus. In Mark 8:22-26 an unnamed blind man is brought to Jesus, has his sight restored gradually, and is told to keep his healing a secret. In today’s story, Bartimaeus actively seeks out Jesus, is healed immediately, and becomes a disciple on the way. This second story, the last before Mark begins his description of Passion Week, illustrates some progress in faith. It is as much a call story as a healing story. Bartimaeus’ reaction to Jesus and his willingness to follow Him on the way of discipleship contrast with the disciples’ misunderstanding and blindness during the journey.

⁴⁶ [ A]s he [Jesus] was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd, 

Jericho is 15 miles northeast of Jerusalem and 5 miles west of the Jordan River. The journey which began in Caesarea Philippi is reaching its destination in Jerusalem.

Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus, sat by the roadside begging. 

Bartimaeus is the Aramaic form, the explanation “son of Timaeus” is the Greek translation.

It is unusual for Mark to name the person to be healed.

“Mark has recorded both the name of Bartimaeus and of his father, a circumstance which scarcely occurs in all the many cases of healing which had been performed by the Lord. ... Consequently there can be little doubt that this Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, had fallen from some position of great prosperity, and was now regarded as an object of the most notorious and the most remarkable wretchedness, because, in addition to being blind, he had also to sit begging” [Saint Augustine of Hippo (ca. AD. 400), The Harmony of the Evangelists, 2,65].

⁴⁷  On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.” 

This is the first public application of the messianic title “Son of David” to Jesus. It is also the first recognition (apart from Peter) of Jesus’ true identity by a human being rather than a demon. The title “Son of David” designates Jesus as the heir of the promise made to David through Nathan (2 Samuel 7:12-16; 1 Chronicles 17:11-14; Psalm 89:29-38).

⁴⁸  And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. 

In Mark 3:12 and 8:30, Jesus commands silence, but here Jesus shows no displeasure over Bartimaeus’ acclamation.

But he kept calling out all the more,

Emphasizes the acclamation

“Son of David, have pity on me.” ⁴⁹ Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take courage; get up, he is calling you.” ⁵⁰ He threw aside his cloak, 

May have been a garment but could also have been a cloth spread out to receive offerings. The suggestion is that Bartimaeus was putting aside the old order to be able to put on the new (baptismal imagery).

sprang up, and came to Jesus. ⁵¹ Jesus said to him in reply, “What do you want me to do for you?” 

Jesus’ question is the same as to James and John (Mark 10:36). Their request for seats of honor contrasts with Bartimaeus’ humble request. The blind man has already received a spiritual healing and “sees” the nature of Jesus’ kingly authority; it stoops to serve.  

The blind man replied to him, “Master, I want to see.” ⁵² Jesus told him, “Go your way; your faith has saved you.” 

Faith is the necessary prerequisite for a miracle and an essential demand of Jesus’ preaching. Before the resurrection it could not, however, have meant an act of belief in Christ as a divine person. During Jesus’ ministry it would have meant a receptivity to God’s healing word proclaimed by Jesus, together with a confident self-abandonment to God whose saving power was being exercised in and through Jesus.

Immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way.

Actually walked in His footsteps. A follower accompanied Jesus on His journey. Bartimaeus may well have joined in Jesus’ passion experience; he had received a spiritual and physical healing.

“So let us follow Him as our pattern: offering Him for our ransom, receiving Him as our Eucharistic food and waiting for Him as our endless and exceeding great reward” [Saint Augustine of Hippo (between A.D. 391-430), Sermons on the Liturgical Seasons, For the Easter Season, (No. 231,2)].

St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church, Picayune, MS  http://www.scborromeo.org

Meditation: "What do you want me to do for you?"

Have you ever encountered a once in a life-time opportunity you knew you could not pass up? Such a moment came for a blind and destitute man, named Bartimaeus. He was determined to get near the one person who could meet his need. He knew who Jesus was and had heard of his fame for healing, but until now had no means of making contact with the Son of David, a clear reference and title for the Messiah. It took a lot of "guts" and persistence for Bartimaeus to get the attention of Jesus over the din of a noisy throng who crowded around Jesus as he made his way out of town. 

Make every effort to seek God's merciful grace and help
Why was the crowd annoyed with the blind man's persistent shouts to get the Lord's attention? He was disturbing their peace and interrupting Jesus' discourse. It was common for a rabbi to teach as he walked with others. Jesus was on his way to celebrate the Passover in Jerusalem and a band of pilgrims followed him. When the crowd tried to silence the blind man he overpowered them with his emotional outburst and thus caught the attention of Jesus. His persistence and earnest plea for help and healing paid off. Jesus heard his cry, opened his eyes, and welcomed him into the company of his fellow travelers and companions.

This incident reveals something important about how God interacts with us. The blind man was determined to get Jesus' attention and he was persistent in the face of opposition. Jesus could have ignored or rebuffed him because he was disturbing his talk and his audience. Jesus showed that acting was more important than talking. This man was in desperate need and Jesus was ready, not only to empathize with his suffering, but to relieve it as well. A great speaker can command attention and respect, but a man or woman with a helping hand and a big heart is loved more. Jesus commends Bartimaeus for recognizing who he is with the eyes of faith and grants him physical sight as well. Do you recognize your need for God's healing grace and do you seek Jesus out, like Bartimaeus, with persistent faith and trust in his goodness and mercy?

"Lord Jesus, may I never fail to recognize my need for your mercy and grace. Help me to take advantage of the opportunities you give me to seek your presence each day and to listen attentively to your word."

www.dailyscripture.net

THIRTIETH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 25, MARK 10:46-52
(Jeremiah 31:7-9; Psalm 126; Hebrews 5:1-6)

KEY VERSE: "Master, I want to see" (v 51).
TO KNOW: As Jesus and his disciples journeyed to Jerusalem, they passed through Jericho, the city of Israel's triumphant victory over their enemies through God's intervention (Joshua 6:20). Jesus had been teaching his disciples about the necessity of renunciation and of his sacrificial death (Mk 9:43-10:45). But they still did not understand the meaning of Jesus' words and were blind to his message and mission. As they entered Jericho, a blind beggar cried out to Jesus for pity, according him the Messianic title "Son of David." Although some people ordered him to be quiet, Bartimaeus called out all the more. His faith was rewarded when Jesus beckoned him to come. Casting aside his cloak, his sole position, Bartimaeus rushed to Jesus for healing, and he was cured immediately. Indeed, the blind man had greater faith than Jesus' disciples, and he followed him on "the way" (v 52, an early name for the Christian faith).
TO LOVE: What prevents me from seeing Jesus today?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, open my eyes to your presence in my life. 

PRIESTHOOD SUNDAY

Priesthood Sunday, the last Sunday of October, is a special day set aside to honor the priesthood in the United States. It is a day to reflect upon and affirm the role of the priesthood in the life of the Church as a central one. Priesthood Sunday sends a message to all that the sins of a few do not reflect the innocent majority, and that the parish priest, as the instrument of Christ's ministry on earth, is loved and respected by those in the parish community.This nationwide event is coordinated by the USA Council of Serra International. It is sponsored by the USA Council of Serra International and the Serra International Foundation.

www.togetherwithgodsword.com

Sunday 25 October 2015

SUN 25TH. 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Jeremiah 31:7-9. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy—Ps 125(126). Hebrews 5:1-6. Mark 10:46-52.

Readings

The Lord has done great things for us. 

The throng of Israel, returning: returning from exile. Longing for a return to their houses, to celebrate and turn again to God. Their sacrifices on the road seemed glib and hollow crying out for the love of David’s guidance: their work was toil. ‘Perhaps, as this valley ends’, they say, ‘we will see the land the Lord has promised us, so that we can tend fruitful fields and see the spring come.’ Now we have returned—yet still the harvests are not our own. The Lord sends rain and grows the grain: who then can claim the fruits?

‘No one takes this honour upon himself; he must be called by God, as Aaron was’, says Paul. ‘So Christ also did not take upon himself the glory of becoming a high priest.’ The blind Bartimaeus sought him out: ‘Son of David, have mercy upon me!’ Even after restoration, we are still guests, still the guests of the Lord.

www.pray.com.au

MINUTE MEDITATIONS 

Three in One

Many Christians are comfortable with God the Father and Jesus the Son but fear the power of the Holy Spirit. Invite the Holy Spirit into your life and into your day, daily. He is God. He is the most important person in your life. He is pure love.

— from Tweet Inspiration 

October 25
St. Antônio de Sant’Anna Galvão
(1739-1822)

God’s plan in a person’s life often takes unexpected turns which become life-giving through cooperation with God’s grace.

Born in Guarantingueta near São Paulo (Brazil), Antônio attended the Jesuit seminary in Belem but later decided to become a Franciscan friar. Invested in 1760, he made final profession the following year and was ordained in 1762.

In São Paulo, he served as preacher, confessor and porter. Within a few years he was appointed confessor to the Recollects of St. Teresa, a group of nuns in that city. He and Sister Helena Maria of the Holy Spirit founded a new community of sisters under the patronage of Our Lady of the Conception of Divine Providence. Sister Helena Maria’s premature death the next year left Father Antônio responsible for the new congregation, especially for building a convent and church adequate for their growing numbers.

He served as novice master for the friars in Macacu and as guardian of St. Francis Friary in São Paulo. He founded St. Clare Friary in Sorocaba. With the permission of his provincial and the bishop, he spent his last days at the Recolhimento de Nossa Senhora da Luz, the convent of the sisters’ congregation he had helped establish.

He was beatified in Rome on October 25, 1998, and canonized in 2007.

Comment:

Holy women and men cannot help calling our attention to God, to God’s creation and to all the people whom God loves. The lives of holy people are so oriented toward God that this has become their definition of "normal." Do people see my life or yours as a living sign of God’s steadfast love? What might have to change for that to happen?

Quote:

During the beatification homily, Pope John Paul II quoted from the Second Letter to Timothy (4:17), "The Lord stood by me and gave me strength to proclaim the word fully," and then said that Antônio "fulfilled his religious consecration by dedicating himself with love and devotion to the afflicted, the suffering and the slaves of his era in Brazil." The pope continued, "His authentically Franciscan faith, evangelically lived and apostolically spent in serving his neighbor, will be an encouragement to imitate this ‘man of peace and charity.’"

www.americancatholic.org

LECTIO DIVINA: 30TH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME (B)

Lectio: 

 Sunday, October 25, 2015 - 18

Jesus heals Bartimaeus, the blind man from Jericho
The blind see! Let those who see not be deceived!
Mark 10:46-52

1. Opening prayer

Lord Jesus, send your Spirit to help us to read the Scriptures with the same mind that you read them to the disciples on the way to Emmaus. In the light of the Word, written in the Bible, you helped them to discover the presence of God in the disturbing events of your sentence and death. Thus, the cross that seemed to be the end of all hope became for them the source of life and of resurrection.
Create in us silence so that we may listen to your voice in Creation and in the Scriptures, in events and in people, above all in the poor and suffering. May your word guide us so that we too, like the two disciples from Emmaus, may experience the force of your resurrection and witness to others that you are alive in our midst as source of fraternity, justice and peace. We ask this of you, Jesus, son of Mary, who revealed to us the Father and sent us your Spirit. Amen.

2. Reading

a) A key to the reading:

This Sunday’s Gospel tells the story of the healing of Bartimaeus, the blind man from Jericho (Mk 10:46-52). This story includes a long instruction from Jesus to his disciples (Mk 8:22 to 10:52). Mark places the healing of the anonymous blind man at the beginning of this instruction (Mk 8:22-26), then, at the end, he tells us of the healing of the blind man from Jericho. As we shall see, the two healings are symbols of what went on between Jesus and his disciples. They point to the process and purpose of the slow learning by the disciples. They describe a starting point (the anonymous blind man) and an end point (Bartimaeus) of Jesus’ instruction to his disciples and to all of us.
As we read, we shall try to look at the attitudes of Jesus, the blind Bartimaeus and the people of Jericho, and to all that each of them says and does. As you read and meditate the text, think that you are looking into a mirror. Which image is it reflecting of you: that of Jesus, of the blind Bartimaeus, of the people?

b) A division of the text as a help to the reading:

Mark 10:46: The description of the context of the episode
Mark 10:47: The cry of the poor
Mark 10:48: The reaction of the people to the cry of the poor
Mark 10:49-50: Jesus’ reaction to the cry of the poor
Mark 10:51-52: The conversation between Jesus and the blind man and his healing

c) Text:

46 They reached Jericho; and as he left Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus -- that is, the son of Timaeus -- a blind beggar, was sitting at the side of the road. 47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout and cry out, 'Son of David, Jesus, have pity on me.' 48 And many of them scolded him and told him to keep quiet, but he only shouted all the louder, 'Son of David, have pity on me.'
49 Jesus stopped and said, 'Call him here.' So they called the blind man over. 'Courage,' they said, 'get up; he is calling you.' 50 So throwing off his cloak, he jumped up and went to Jesus. 51 Then Jesus spoke, 'What do you want me to do for you?' The blind man said to him, 'Rabbuni, let me see again.' 52 Jesus said to him, 'Go; your faith has saved you.' And at once his sight returned and he followed him along the road.

3. A moment of prayerful silence

so that the Word of God may penetrate and enlighten our life.

4. Some questions

to help us in our personal reflection.

a) What pleased you most in this text? Why?
b) What is Jesus’ attitude: what does he say and do?
c) What is the attitude of the people of Jericho: what do they say and do?
d) What is the attitude of the blind Bartimaeus: what does he say and do?
e) What lesson can we learn from the healing of the blind Bartimaeus?

5. For those who wish to go deeper into the theme

a) The context of Jesus’ long instruction to his disciples:

The healing of the anonymous blind man at the beginning of the instruction, takes place in two phases (Mk 8:22-26). In the first phase the blind man begins to intuit things, but only just. He sees people as if they were trees (Mk 8:24). In the second phase, after the second trial, he begins to understand better. The disciples were like the anonymous blind man: they accepted Jesus as Messiah, but they could not accept the cross (Mk 8:31-33). They were people who saw people as trees. Their faith in Jesus was not strong. They continued to be blind! When Jesus insisted on service and the giving of ones life (Mk 8:31;34; 9:31; 10:33-34), among themselves they insisted on knowing who was the most important (Mk 9:34), and they continued to ask for the first places in the Kingdom, one on the right and the other on the left of the throne (Mk 10:35-37). This shows that the dominant ideology of the time had taken deep root in their mentality. After living with Jesus for a number of years, they had not yet been renewed enough to see things and persons. They looked at Jesus with the eyes of the past. They wanted him to be what they imagined he should be: a glorious Messiah (Mk 8:32). But the aim of Jesus’ instruction was so that his disciples might be like the blind Bartimaeus who accepted Jesus as he was, a faith that Peter did not have as yet. Thus Bartimaeus is a model for the disciples of Jesus’ time and for the community of Mark’s time as well as for all of us.

b) A commentary on the text:

Mark 10:46-47: The description of the context of the episode: The cry of the poor
At last, after a long walk, Jesus and his disciples come to Jericho, the last stop before going up to Jerusalem. The blind Bartimaeus is sitting by the side of the road. He cannot take part in the procession that accompanies Jesus. He is blind, he can see nothing. But he shouts, calling for the Lord’s help: “Son of David! Have pity on me!” The expression “Son of David” was the most common title that people ascribed to the Messiah (Mt 21:9; cf Mk 11:10). But Jesus did not like this title. He criticized and questioned the attitude of the doctors of the law who taught the people that the Messiah would be the Son of David (Mk 12:35-37).

Mark 10:48: The reaction of the people to the cry of the poor
The cry of the poor feels uncomfortable, unpleasant. Those who were following the procession with Jesus try to keep Bartimaeus quiet. But “he shouted all the louder!” Today too the cry of the poor feels uncomfortable. Today there are millions who shout: migrants, prisoners, hungry people, sick people, those marginalized and oppressed, those unemployed, without wages, without a home, without a roof, without land, who never feel loved! Their shouts are silenced, in our homes, in the churches, in world organizations. Only those who open their eyes to what is happening in the world will listen to them. But many are those who have stopped listening. They got used to the situation. Others try to silence the cries, as they tried with the blind man from Jericho. But they cannot silence the cry of the poor. God listens to them (Ex 2:23-24; 3:7). God says: “You will not ill-treat widows or orphans; if you ill-treat them in any way and they make an appeal to me for help, I shall certainly hear their appeal!” (Ex 22:21).

Mark 10:49-50: Jesus’ reaction to the cry of the poor

What does Jesus do? How does God hear this cry? Jesus stops and orders the blind man to be brought to him. Those who wanted to silence him, to silence the uncomfortable cry of the poor, now, at Jesus’ request, see themselves bound to act in such a way as to bring the poor to Jesus. Bartimaeus leaves everything and goes to Jesus. Not that he possessed much, just a cloak. It is all he has to cover his body (cf. Ex 22:25-26). It is his security, his solid land!

Mark 10:51-52: The conversation between Jesus and the blind man and his healing
Jesus asks: “What do you want me to do for you?” It is not enough to shout. One must know what one is shouting for! The blind man answers: “Rabbuni! Let me see again!” Bartimaeus addressed Jesus in a manner not at all common, even, as we have seen, with the title “Son of David” that Jesus did not like (Mk 12:35-37). But Bartimaeus has more faith in Jesus than in the ideas and titles concerning Jesus. Not so the others present. They do not see what is necessary, like Peter (Mk 8:32). Bartimaeus knows how to give his life by accepting Jesus without any conditions. Jesus says to him: “Go! Your faith has saved you!” At once his sight was restored. He leaves everything and follows Jesus (Mk 10:52). His healing is the result of his faith in Jesus (Mk 10:46-52). Now healed, Bartimaeus follows Jesus and goes with him up to Jerusalem and to Calvary! He becomes a model disciple for Peter and for all of us: to put our faith more in Jesus than in our ideas about Jesus!

c) Further information:

The context of the journey to Jerusalem

Jesus and his disciples are on the way to Jerusalem (Mk 10:32). Jesus goes before them. He is in a hurry. He knows that they will kill him. The prophet Isaiah had foretold this (Is 50:4-6; 53:1-10). His death is not something that will come about through blind destiny or an established plan, but as a consequence of an assumed duty, of a mission received from the Father together with those excluded of his time. Jesus warns the disciples three times concerning the torture and death that await him in Jerusalem (Mk 8:31; 9:31; 10:33). The disciple must follow his master, even to suffering with him (Mk 8:34-35). The disciples are taken aback and go with him full of fear (Mk 9:32). They do not understand what is happening. Suffering was not part of the idea they had of the Messiah (Mk 8:32-33; Mt 16:22). Not only did some of them not understand, but they kept on cherishing personal ambitions. James and John ask for a place in the glory of his Kingdom, one on the right hand and one on the left of Jesus (Mk 10:35-37). They want to go above Peter! They do not understand Jesus’ plan. They are only concerned with their own interests. This reflects the fights and tensions that existed in the communities of Mark’s time and that exist even now in our communities. Jesus reacts decisively: “You do not know what you are asking!” (Mk 10:38) He asks them if they are capable of drinking the cup that he will drink and receive the baptism that he will receive. The cup is the cup of suffering, and the baptism is the baptism of blood. Jesus wants to know whether rather than a place of honour they will be willing to give their lives even to death. They answer: “We can” (Mk 8:39). This seems to be an answer that comes from their lips because a few days later they abandon Jesus and leave him alone at the hour of suffering (Mk 14:50). They have but a little critical conscience, they do not see his personal reality. In his instruction to the disciples, Jesus stresses the exercise of authority (cf. Mk 9:33-35). In those days, those who held power paid no attention to the people. They acted according to their ideas (cf. Mk 6:17-29). The Roman Empire controlled the world and kept it submissive by force and thus, by means of tributes, taxes and customs, was able to concentrate the wealth of the people in the hands of a few in Rome. Society was characterized by the exercise of repression and the abuse of power. Jesus thinks otherwise. He says: “Among you this is not to happen. No, anyone who wants to become great among you must be your servant!” (Mk 10:43). He tells them to avoid privileges and rivalry. He turns the system upside-down and stresses service as a means of overcoming personal ambition. Finally he gives his own life in witness of what he said: “The Son of man himself came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mk 10:45).

Faith is a force that transforms people

The Good News of the Kingdom says that Jesus is like a fertilizer. He makes the seed of life grow in people, a seed hidden like fire under the embers of observance, lifeless. Jesus blows on the embers and the fire glows, the Kingdom is revealed and people rejoice. The condition is always the same: faith in Jesus.
When fear takes hold of a person, faith disappears and hope is extinguished. During his moment of torment, Jesus scolds his disciples for their lack of faith (Mk 4:40). They do not believe, because they are afraid (Mk 4:41). Jesus could not work miracles in Nazareth because people there did not believe (Mk 6:6). They did not believe because Jesus did not measure up to their ideas of how he should be (Mk 6:2-3). It is precisely lack of faith that prevents the disciples from driving out the “dumb spirit” who ill-treats a sick child (Mk 9:17). Jesus criticizes them: “Faithless generation!” (Mk 9:19). Then he tells them how to re-enkindle faith: “This is the kind that can only be driven by prayer” (Mk 9:29).

Jesus urged people to have faith in him and consequently created trust in others (Mk 5:34.36; 7:25-29; 9:23-29; 10:52; 12:34.41-44). Throughout Mark’s Gospel, faith in Jesus and in his word is like a force that transforms people. It enables people to have their sins forgiven (Mk 2:5), to overcome suffering (Mk 4:40), to have the power to heal and purify themselves (Mk 5:34). Faith obtains the victory over death, as when the twelve-year-old daughter of Jairus enkindles in her father faith in Jesus and his words (Mk 5:36). Faith makes Bartimaeus jump for joy: “Your faith has saved you!” (Mk 10:52) If you say to the mountain: “Be pulled up and thrown into the sea”, the mountain will fall into the sea, but one must not doubt in one’s heart (Mk 11:23-24). “Because all things are possible for those who believe!” (Mk 9:23).

“Have faith in God!” (Mk 11:22). Thanks to his words and actions, Jesus arouses in people a dormant force that people are not aware of possessing. This is what happens to Jairus (Mk 5:36), to the woman with the haemorrhage (Mk 5:34), to the father with an epileptic son (Mk 9:23-24), to the blind Bartimaeus (Mk 10:52), and to many other people because of their faith in Jesus they enabled a new life to grow in them and in others.

The healing of Bartimaeus (Mk 10:46-52) clarifies a very important aspect of Jesus’ long instruction to his disciples. Bartimaeus had called Jesus by his messianic title of “Son of David!” (Mk 10:47). Jesus did not like this title (Mk 12:35-37). But even though he called Jesus by a title that was not quite correct, Bartimaeus had faith and was healed! Not so Peter who no longer believed in the ideas of Jesus. Bartimaeus changed his idea, was converted, left everything behind and followed Jesus on his journey to Calvary! (Mk 10:52).

A full understanding of the following of Jesus is not obtained through theoretical instruction, but through a practical commitment,journeying with him along the way of service from Galilee to Jerusalem. Anyone who tries to hang on to Peter’s idea, that is, that of the glorious Messiah without the cross, will not understand Jesus and will never be truly a disciple. Anyone who wants to believe in Jesus and is willing “to give his/her life” (Mk 8:35), accept “to be last” (Mk 9:35), “drink the cup and carry the cross” (Mk 10:38), like Bartimaeus, even with ideas that are not entirely correct, will have the power “to follow Jesus along the way” (Mk 10:52). It is in the certainty of being able to walk with Jesus that we find the source of courage and the seed of the victory of the cross.

6. Praying with a Psalm 31 (30)

In you, Yahweh, I have taken refuge!

In you, Yahweh, I have taken refuge,
let me never be put to shame,
in your saving justice deliver me, rescue me,
turn your ear to me, make haste.
Be for me a rock-fastness,
a fortified citadel to save me.

You are my rock, my rampart;
true to your name, lead me and guide me!
Draw me out of the net they have spread for me,
for you are my refuge;
to your hands I commit my spirit,
by you have I been redeemed. God of truth,
you hate those who serve useless idols;
but my trust is in Yahweh:
I will delight and rejoice in your faithful love!
You, who have seen my misery,
and witnessed the miseries of my soul,
have not handed me over to the enemy,
but have given me freedom to roam at large.

Take pity on me, Yahweh, for I am in trouble.
Vexation is gnawing away my eyes,
my soul deep within me.
For my life is worn out with sorrow,
and my years with sighs.
My strength gives way under my misery,
and my bones are all wasted away.

The sheer number of my enemies makes me contemptible,
loathsome to my neighbours,
and my friends shrink from me in horror.
When people see me in the street they take to their heels.
I have no more place in their hearts than a corpse,
or something lost.
All I hear is slander -- terror wherever I turn --
as they plot together against me,
scheming to take my life.

But my trust is in you, Yahweh;
I say, 'You are my God,'
every moment of my life is in your hands,
rescue me from the clutches of my foes who pursue me;
let your face shine on your servant,
save me in your faithful love.

I call on you, Yahweh,
so let disgrace fall not on me,
but on the wicked.
Let them go down to Sheol in silence,
muzzles on their lying mouths,
which speak arrogantly against the upright in pride and contempt.

Yahweh, what quantities of good things you have in store
for those who fear you,
and bestow on those who make you their refuge,
for all humanity to see.
Safe in your presence you hide them,
far from human plotting, shielding them in your tent,
far from contentious tongues.

Blessed be Yahweh
who works for me miracles of his faithful love (in a fortified city)!
In a state of terror I cried,
'I have been cut off from your sight!'
Yet you heard my plea for help when I cried out to you.

Love Yahweh, all his faithful:
Yahweh protects his loyal servants,
but he repays the arrogant with interest.
Be brave, take heart,
all who put your hope in Yahweh.

7. Final Prayer

Lord Jesus, we thank for the word that has enabled us to understand better the will of the Father. May your Spirit enlighten our actions and grant us the strength to practice that which your Word has revealed to us. May we, like Mary, your mother, not only listen to but also practice the Word. You who live and reign with the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.

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