Over the past several weeks, we have been journeying with Jesus and his disciples from Galilee to Jerusalem. During this time with Jesus, the disciples seem to have become incredibly thick headed (stubborn). To each of Jesus’ three passion predictions, they make inappropriate responses—Peter scolding Jesus; the disciples arguing who is the greatest; and James and John requesting places of special honor in the Kingdom.
And, if you were to take a moment now, how might you describe your relationship to Jesus? Are you a humble disciple putting aside self-interest, being a servant of all? Are you willing to fully embrace the Cross, the clearest expression of Jesus’ mission? Are you willing to give up your life for others, or are you more concerned about your reputation? These are difficult questions and it is hard to be completely honest with ourselves, isn’t it? We pray that we can be all we hope to be in the eyes of Jesus. But, can we truly embrace what Jesus is asking of us? (pause)
So, to more fully appreciate the grace within today’s gospel, I encourage you, if you feel comfortable, to close your eyes for a moment and use your IMAGINATION to put yourself walking along with Jesus……… It is going to be a warm day and it is good the group got off to an early start….The crowd is larger than the day before; you are excited about getting on to the next town, Jerusalem….there seems to be a commotion ahead; we need to press forward, crowds are gathering in the next town…. you brush the blind beggar aside…..Jesus stops, only concerned about what was just said to him; you are astonished that he would stop for a blind beggar when you know crowds are waiting to see Jesus. This dirty, unkempt blind man wants Jesus’ attention….does Jesus really need to stop for every beggar on the road? Should this one person be Jesus’ priority? (pause)
O.K. let’s wake up! Putting yourself in the gospel stories or other scripture stories is a wonderful way to pray with the Scriptures. So, what can we say about the gospel event, and for that matter about all of today’s readings?
For Jeremiah, the prophet of gloom, there is joy. God is gathering the faithful remnant of Israel. The people of God will return to their homes, to their place of worship in the holy city of Jerusalem. In the second reading, God glorifies Jesus as high priest. The Responsorial psalm sums it up pretty well, “The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.” There is joy, hopefulness, kindness, conversion, and commitment.
In reflecting on today’s gospel, I want to go back to last week’s gospel for a moment. Remember, James and John approach Jesus and ask him that one sit on the right and one on the left of Jesus in his glory. And, Jesus replies that to be great one must become a servant of all. In today’s reading, Bartimaeus asks not for glory, but for healing and Jesus responds in love.
Now, James, John and Bartimaeus were all God loving people but what they asked of Jesus came from very different motives and intentions. I really like Bartimaeus. I can relate to him. You know that of all the healing narratives in the New Testament this is the only story that tells us the response of the person healed. After the healing, Jesus says, “Go on your way; your faith has saved you!” But, Bartimaeus doesn’t leave. He becomes a follower and disciple of Jesus.
Like James and John and the other disciples, WE must overcome our stubborn, deep-seated spiritual blindness. WE like James, John and Bartimaeus are God loving people, but so often we are blind to what it means to live the Good News of Jesus—to really live it in our daily lives. Unless WE ask Jesus for the light of faith (over and over again!), WE will remain in darkness far more disabling than Bartimaeus’ lack of sight. But, have hope! There is always hope—for example…..
It took some time for the Catholic Church despite its tradition of love and justice to embrace what we know call human dignity. In the 19th century, human rights were regarded as nonsense by those in power, including Popes and many Catholics. It was not until Pacem en Terris (Peace on Earth), the 1963 encyclical of St.John XXIII, that human rights gained respectability in Catholic discourse and practice. This encyclical also stresses the importance of individual conscience and the common good—two underpinnings of our Catholic faith that Pope Francis has brought back into our Catholic discourse.
And, I believe, Pope Francis’ Ladauto Si will become the go-to resource Christians and other religious communities will look to when discerning the multi-layered relationships of all of God’s creation-our earth, human dignity and the common good.
However committed we may be in promoting the Kingdom of God, we all retain some blind spots and pockets of resistance. We can so easily fall into the behavior of the disciples walking with Jesus as they try to slip past Bartimaeus, the blind beggar. To help overcome these temptations we need our prophets, the people who see new aspects of the Kingdom of God. We need the shared vision of Pope Francis, of Saint John XXIII, the vision of the prophets Jeremiah and Isaiah, and the commitment of Jesus himself….We need a shared vision here at St Hubert for how we are to live in South Whidbey and how we share ourselves, share this faith community with all those around us?
We probably don’t expect to encounter Jesus anytime soon. This may be due to a lack of faith, or more simply to a lack of imagination in our prayer life (something for all of us to work on). We all have something in our lives that needs healing. I suspect each of us could write an extensive to-do list for Jesus should he show up on our doorstep with his healing power in hand. But remember, each of us also have the potential to be the healing power to others.
Some of us may have friends whose marriages are crumbling. Members of our family who are sick. People we know who can’t find work. Someone we love suffers from depression, grief, rage, or loss of faith. With scripture as our witness, God can, does and has chosen to heal people. Jesus is the hope of the ALL hopeless. If you think all is lost, guess again. Jesus has come to find what is lost. I can attest to this very clearly three times in my life. Each time, I was blinded by anger, hurt, rage, depression…and each time Jesus re-entered my life through others who cared for me. I was healed again…and again…and again. Bartimaeus always gives me hope. Like Bartimaeus, once healed, we become Jesus’ disciples—yes, healing others. It is in that joyful moment as we receive the Eucharist that we become one with Jesus in serving others. We sing for joy as we receive Eucharist not only for our own salvation, but we sing for joy for each of those around us who have once again joined themselves to Jesus Christ.
Jesus says it very clearly. “Go your way; your faith has saved you.” Faith is essential, but more is expected of us. Again, Bartimaeus is our guide. He doesn’t leave grateful for his sight. No, he follows Jesus. He puts himself at the service of others. He becomes other oriented. As God’s healing words are proclaimed, let us be mindful of our own need for healing and forgiveness. Let us be mindful of those who we can serve, those who need our embrace, our care, our presence. Let us begin to immerse ourselves in God’s mercy as we journey together toward the Holy Year of Mercy.