THIRTIETH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
28 OCTOBER 2018
For
the past few Sundays in the Gospel of Saint Mark, Jesus has been walking with
his disciples on the way to Jerusalem.
On the way, he has called people to follow him. One young man responded with enthusiasm and
asked what he needed to do to belong to the Kingdom. Jesus looked at him with love. But, when Jesus told him to give away all his
wealth, the young man went away sad. He
could not see the benefits of giving his wealth away and trusting the spiritual
riches open to him through Jesus Christ.
Those
disciples who had left everything continued to follow Jesus. On the way, he has
been teaching them that the promised Messiah would not be a conquering hero
bringing great honor and prestige and power.
Instead, he is the Suffering Servant promised by the Prophet
Isaiah. Once they reach Jerusalem, he
would be rejected, betrayed, and crucified like a criminal. The disciples could not hear this
message. In fact, James and John displayed
their blind ambition by asking him to sit on his right and left in the Kingdom
Today,
Jesus and his disciples reach Jericho to begin their ascent to the Holy City of
Jerusalem. As they leave town, a blind
beggar starts yelling. He has obviously
heard of Jesus, because he calls him the son of David, a title indicating his
true nature. He asks for mercy, much as
we asked the Lord for mercy at the beginning of Mass. Just as the disciples had tried to silence
the children who were drawn to Jesus, they try to silence Bartimaeus. Just as Jesus had called the children and
used them as examples of how to trust, he calls Bartimaeus and asks what he wants. Unlike James and John, Bartimaeus does not
want power and prestige and honor. He
just wants to see. Unlike the wealthy
young man, he trusts so much in the Son of David that he leaves his only
possession, the cloak which kept him warm at night, to run toward Jesus. Bartimaeus becomes a true disciple and
follows Jesus on the way to Jerusalem.
Bartimaeus
has much to teach us about being intentional disciples of Jesus Christ. We may not be physically blind, but we all
have plenty of blind spots. The
divisions in our Church and our country can close our eyes to the person of
Jesus Christ in the pain of other people, in those most vulnerable members of
our society, or even in those who drive us crazy. We may not be in the 1% of the nation’s
wealthy people, but we tend to cling tightly to our possessions and status. Bartimaeus teaches us to acknowledge that we
cannot save ourselves. We need to cry
out to the Son of David for mercy. He
teaches us that we can see more clearly with the eyes of faith. He teaches us to let go of what we think will
save and protect us and follow him on the way.
At the
10:00 Mass this morning, we celebrate the Rite of Acceptance for a number of
people who have never been baptized and the Rite of Welcome for those who have
been baptized in another Christian community and want to be in full communion
with the Catholic Church. Each person
has heard the Lord Jesus calling them.
Each of them have let go of their free time on Tuesday evenings to join
us for prayer, catechesis, and formation.
Today, they take the first formal step toward encountering Jesus Christ
in the Sacraments of Initiation at the Easter Vigil. We pray for them, support them, and join them
in learning the lessons of Bartimaeus.
He followed Jesus to the cross and experienced the resurrection. Together with our Catechumens and Candidates
for Full Communion, we continue to walk the way of discipleship through our
crosses to share in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
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