What Do You Want Me to Do for You?
Introduction: May
GOD continue to empower the faithful to be of service to others and live out
their call to share in the priesthood of Jesus.
We must pray for more people to respond to GOD’s call to be of service
to the community of faith. We need ordained individuals to carry on the
sacramental ministry within the church. But we must always realize that all of
us, by virtue of our baptism, are called to share in the one and only
priesthood of Jesus Christ. We are invited, and required, to work for the
sanctification of others – their awareness of their own holiness because of the
sacrifice of Jesus on the cross and His resurrection from the dead. Let us
continue to pray for more workers (both ordained and lay) to go out in the
fields and work for the harvesting of souls as GOD intends.
The
role of Jesus in bringing GOD’s salus (healing, wholeness, salvation) to the
people is central to our readings today. The prophet Jeremiah proclaims GOD’s
Word and the fulfillment of GOD’s promise that GOD will come and lead the
people to freedom not only from being in exile but freedom from illness and
blindness. The psalm is the prayer of those returning from exile and their
joyful acknowledgment of GOD’s doing great things for them. In the Letter to
the Hebrews, the author continues his explanation of how the priesthood of
Jesus surpasses the priesthood of the Jewish tradition. In the Gospel, Jesus
makes His final approach to Jerusalem where He will undergo His suffering and
death. Part of the journey to Jerusalem has Jesus passing through Jericho and
includes opening the eyes of one who is blind, but who has faith.
First Reading; Jeremiah 31:7-9: I will guide them by a smooth path
where they will not stumble
Commentary: The most remarkable feature of this
prophecy of Jeremiah is that Jeremiah spoke it when the destruction of
Jerusalem was certain. The city was about to collapse and its inhabitants were
dragged into captivity across the desert on meat hooks. Yet Jeremiah proclaims
that the Lord has saved his people! It is so certain that Jeremiah can speak of
it in the perfect tense: it has virtually already happened. Amid disaster, he
declares that the Lord is a father to Israel, and Israel his cherished
first-born son! Even the blind (ready for the gospel miracle!) and the lame
will be gathered in. They will have to wait for the fulfilment, but the promise
remains a beacon of hope. There are times in everyone’s life when everything
goes wrong and an irremediable disaster strikes. In those dark moments, we know
that the same promise holds for us. In the Spirit, we can still cry out ‘Abba,
Father’. The household of the Lord is a Church composed entirely of first-born
sons. According to the Law of Israel only sons had a right of inheritance, so
even the daughters of the Church are rightly described as first-born sons.
Responsorial Psalm 126: What marvels the Lord worked for us! Indeed,
we were glad.
The
psalm is the joyful hymn sung by the exiles as they return from their time in
Babylon. They praise GOD for all the great experiences GOD has provided in
bringing about the salus of the people. Not only are the exiles rejoicing and
acknowledging GOD’s greatness, but also all nations join in the praise of the
GOD Who does great deeds.
Second Reading; Hebrews 5:1-6: 'You are a priest of the order of
Melchizedek, and forever'
Commentary: ‘He can sympathize with those who are
ignorant or uncertain’. To single out these two characteristics and to grant
that Jesus could be uncertain or ignorant is a bold assertion of Jesus’ full
humanity. Yet ignorance and the ability to learn is a condition of humanity:
the child Jesus must have learned how to deal with fire and knives and other
dangers, and there is no way of learning so sure as initially getting it wrong.
Similarly, uncertainty is a crucial human condition, at once an openness to
learning and a reminder of humility. How certain was Jesus of what would happen
in his Passion? He must have known that ‘his head was in the noose’, but the
detailed predictions of the Passion are surely subsequently phrased in the
light of the actual events. The two unique elements of his priesthood are
his total ability to sympathize with us, and his unmediated link to his
Father. These make his priesthood, his representation of ourselves to the
Father, and his whole-hearted offering of himself in obedience to the Father,
far more immediate than any formal priesthood, such as that of the priestly
line of Aaron, could ever be.
Gospel, Mark 10:46-52: Go; your faith has saved you
Commentary: There are several remarkable things
about this story. Firstly, the scene is just when Jesus is leaving Jericho.
Jericho is about three hours walk from Jerusalem, up a great, rocky canyon.
When you leave Jericho you know you are just about coming to Jerusalem. It is
the last village on the way, and the excitement of the great revelation of
Jesus at the Passion is already upon them. The cured beggar dances on the way
with them. Secondly, he is the only person in Mark to call Jesus ‘Son of
David’, drawing attention to Jesus’ messianic ancestry, ready for his messianic
entry into Jerusalem. Thirdly, in Mark Jesus says ‘Your faith has cured you’
only twice. The first time was to the woman with a haemorrhage, who had shown
her faith with great courage by daring to touch Jesus’ garment in the crowd.
Now Bartimaeus shows the same stubborn courage in carrying on shouting despite
the attempts to silence him. So, they both show with courage that they really
do put their trust in Jesus and are confident that he will help. If our faith
is to save us, it needs to be real, courageous, and stubborn. Lukewarm,
tentative faith is not enough.
Reflection: Have you ever encountered a
once-in-a-lifetime 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 needs. He knew who Jesus was and had
heard of his fame for healing, but until now had no opportunity to make direct
contact with the Son of David, a clear reference and title for the Messiah.
Seeking Jesus with effort and persistence pays off: It
took a lot of "guts" (courage) 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. Why was the crowd annoyed with the blind man's
persistent shouts? 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.
Goodness and mercy follow those who put their trust in God: 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 conversation and his audience. Jesus showed that acting was more important
than talking. This man was in desperate need and Jesus was ready to respond to
his need, 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.
What do you want Jesus to do for you? Why
did Jesus put a question to Bartimaeus - "What do you want me to do for
you?" Jesus wanted to draw out of him a personal response of faith and
trust in his power to heal and make whole. Jesus commends Bartimaeus for
recognizing who he is with the eyes of faith and grants him physical sight as
well. Do you recognize the Lord Jesus with "eyes of faith" as your
merciful Lord and healer? Ask the Lord Jesus to strengthen your faith that you
may draw near to him and receive his grace and mercy.
Lord
Jesus, may I never fail to recognize my need for your grace and mercy.
Strengthen my faith and trust in you that I may seek your presence daily and
listen to your word with a readiness to follow you who are my All
Daily Quote from the Early Church Fathers: Your Word will enlighten and save me, by
Clement of Alexandria, 150-215 A.D. "The commandment of the Lord shines
clearly, enlightening the eyes. Receive Christ, receive power to see, receive
your light, that you may plainly recognize both God and man. More delightful
than gold and precious stones, more desirable than honey and the honeycomb is
the Word that has enlightened us (Psalm 19:10). How could he not be desirable,
who illumined minds buried in darkness, and endowed with clear vision 'the
light-bearing eyes' of the soul? ... Sing his praises, then, Lord, and make
known to me your Father, who is God. Your Word will save me, your song instruct
me. I have gone astray in my search for God; but now that you light my path,
Lord, I find God through you, and receive the Father from you, I become co-heir
with you, since you were not ashamed to own me as your brother. Let us, then,
shake off forgetfulness of truth, shake off the mist of ignorance and darkness
that dims our eyes, and contemplate the true God, after first raising this song
of praise to him: 'All hail, O light!' For upon us buried in darkness, imprisoned
in the shadow of death, a heavenly light has shone, a light of a clarity
surpassing the sun's, and of a sweetness exceeding any this earthly life can
offer." (excerpt from EXHORTATION TO THE GREEKS 11.8)
An eye-opening novena: “‘Rabboni,’ the
blind man said, ‘I want to see.’ Jesus said in reply, ‘Be on your way! Your
faith has healed you.’ Immediately he received his sight and started to follow
Him up the road.” —Mark 10:51-52
To
live God’s Word (see Jas 1:22), we must pray God’s Word. I invite you to pray a
novena to be free from spiritual blindness. For nine days, pray: “I want to
see” (Mk 10:51).
Most
Christians believe that other people, including their spouses, family members,
neighbors, and fellow workers, need to see much better spiritually. The sin,
injustice, abortion, racism, and oppression in our culture of death prove that
we live in an epidemic of spiritual blindness. Nevertheless, we find it
difficult to believe that we are spiritually blind or even that we have planks
in our eyes while others may have only specks in theirs (Mt 7:5). We are
tempted to react like the Pharisees when they said to Jesus: “You are not
calling us blind, are You?” (Jn 9:40)
You
may be so holy that you are not spiritually blind. Yet are you certain that you
have 20/20 vision spiritually? If you’re blind to being blind, you are trapped.
If you’re not sure you have 20/20 spiritual vision, pray the novena to be freed
from spiritual blindness. Try to go to Mass daily or as often as possible. Go
to Confession. Pray daily: “I want to see.” Invite others to join you. Write
and tell us the good news.
Prayer: Father, in this
novena teach me about myself. “I will gather them from the ends of the world,
with the blind and the lame in their midst.” —Jer 31:8. Praise Jesus, our risen
Lord and Love! Alleluia!
The personal action for today: What are my
thoughts as I realize that I share in the priesthood of Jesus? In what ways can
I bring salus (wholeness and holiness) to others so that they can experience
the Good News of Jesus? What areas in my life need to be healed? How can I be
more of a servant to others?
Saint of the Day: Blessed Bartholomew of Vicenza: Dominicans honor one of their own today,
Blessed Bartholomew of Vicenza. This was a man who used his skills as a
preacher to challenge the heresies of his day. Bartholomew was born in Vicenza
around 1200. At 20, he entered the Dominicans. Following his ordination, he served
in various leadership positions. As a young priest, he founded a military order
whose purpose was to keep civil peace in towns throughout Italy.
In
1248, Bartholomew was appointed a bishop. For most men, such an appointment is
an honor and a tribute to their holiness and their demonstrated leadership
skills. But for Bartholomew, it was a form of exile that had been urged by an
antipapal group that was only too happy to see him leave for Cyprus. Not many
years later, however, Bartholomew was transferred back to Vicenza. Despite the
antipapal feelings that were still evident, he worked diligently—especially
through his preaching—to rebuild his diocese and strengthen the people’s
loyalty to Rome.
During
his years as bishop in Cyprus, Bartholomew befriended King Louis IX of France,
who is said to have given the holy bishop a relic of Christ’s Crown of Thorns.
Bartholomew died in 1271 and was beatified in 1793.
Despite
opposition and obstacles, Bartholomew remained faithful to his ministry to
God’s People. We face daily challenges to our faithfulness and duties as well.
Perhaps Bartholomew could serve as an inspiration in our darker moments.
Servants of the Gospel: