Homily OT (B) 30th Sunday - Bartimaeus' Joy

Bartimaeus’ Joy

Core Message:

FOR THE MIND: What do I want them to KNOW?

· If you trade worldly securities for trust in Jesus, he will give you vision, light, clarity, a road, a destiny.

FOR THE HEART: What do I want them to FEEL?

· My Joy is in Jesus! (The fruit of trust is joy.)

I. Introduction

Stuck in a rut? CRY OUT!

Are you stuck in rut?

· Some walk by the road; some sit by it.

· Where’s my life going? Not married? Coasting in a job you don’t care about? Dried up in your spiritual life? The zest of life evaporated some time ago? [My intro goes here]

Bartimaeus, a pitiful picture

· There sits a beggar by the roadside. Pause and check him out. His clothes and skin are soiled; his hair disheveled, but he is oblivious and unconcerned about these matters. After all, he’s blind. Being blind has made him a man of little importance. He was never educated, and his manners are crude.

· But he heard of Jesus. He let the news of his power penetrate his heart. He let hope grow in his soul. Jesus was passing by. Would he let this chance pass him by? Would his sedimentary state collide with Christ’s caravan? Not unless he cries out!

· If you’re languishing. If you’re stuck…in a relationship, in a job, in your spiritual life…cry out to Jesus.

· Call him by name. We’re called to know our Lord like this. He is Savior…and brother, and friend.

· It will be hard: a thousand voices will tell you to SHUT UP. Voices outside you. Voices inside you. Don’t make a scene. He won’t hear you. He’s too far away. Why should he care about little you? You’re just going to get yourself hurt if you get your hopes up. Take heart, he’s calling you.

· And this is the central line for me: he threw off his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus.

II. Body

Throw Off

What am I clinging to for my security and comfort?

My image, my bank account, my good job? Do I take satisfaction in sulking? Have I gotten used to my misery? Am I resigned to stay as I am: a blind beggar? Am I comfortable in my victimhood?

Throw off that security blanket.

What’s amazing to me is that he throws off the blanket BEFORE he is healed. I could imagine him throwing it away after Jesus worked the miracle. But he acts in FAITH, and for this he is rewarded: your faith has saved you!

Spring Up

Hope is imaged here. There is joy in hope. Have you lost joy. When is the last time you really put your trust in God? If joy is lacking, maybe God is inviting you, to take a leap of faith.

Come to Jesus

This is the image of Christian discipleship. The disciple is the one who comes to Jesus. Then he followed him on the way. What a beautiful phrase: the early Christian community remembered this man, even by name.

The rich young man went away sad. Go to Jerusalem with Jesus. We remember Bartimaeus name. The rich young man WHO?

III. Conclusion

Subtitle

My conclusion goes here

Readings

Sunday, October 25, 2015 | Ordinary Time

Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Year B | Roman Missal

First Reading Jeremiah 31:7–9

Response Psalm 126:3

Psalm Psalm 126:1–6

Second Reading Hebrews 5:1–6

Gospel Acclamation 2 Timothy 1:10

Gospel Mark 10:46–52

Index of Readings

First Reading

Jeremiah 31:7–9

7 For thus says the Lord:

Shout with joy for Jacob,

exult at the head of the nations;

proclaim your praise and say:

The Lord has saved his people,

the remnant of Israel.

8 Look! I will bring them back

from the land of the north;

I will gather them from the ends of the earth,

the blind and the lame in their midst,

Pregnant women, together with those in labor—

an immense throng—they shall return.

9 With weeping they shall come,

but with compassion I will guide them;

I will lead them to streams of water,

on a level road, without stumbling.

For I am a father to Israel,

Ephraim is my firstborn.

Response

Psalm 126:3

3 The Lord has done great things for us;

Oh, how happy we were!

Psalm

Psalm 126:1–6

1 A song of ascents.

When the Lord restored the captives of Zion,

we thought we were dreaming.

2 Then our mouths were filled with laughter;

our tongues sang for joy.

Then it was said among the nations,

“The Lord had done great things for them.”

3 The Lord has done great things for us;

Oh, how happy we were!

4 Restore our captives, Lord,

like the dry stream beds of the Negeb.

5 Those who sow in tears

will reap with cries of joy.

6 Those who go forth weeping,

carrying sacks of seed, [FADL1]

Will return with cries of joy,

carrying their bundled sheaves.

Second Reading

Hebrews 5:1–6

1 Every high priest is taken from among men and made their representative before God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2 He is able to deal patiently with the ignorant and erring, 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. 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”;

6 just as he says in another place:

“You are a priest forever

according to the order of Melchizedek.”

Gospel Acclamation

2 Timothy 1:10

10 but now made manifest through the appearance of our savior Christ Jesus, who destroyed death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,

Gospel

Mark 10:46–52

46 They came to Jericho[FADL2] . And as he was leaving [FADL3] Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd[FADL4] , Bartimaeus[FADL5] , a blind man, the son of Timaeus, sat by the roadside [FADL6] begging. 47 On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus[FADL7] , son of David[FADL8] , have pity [FADL9] on me.” 48 And many rebuked [FADL10] him, telling him to be silent. But he kept calling out all the more[FADL11] , “Son of David, have pity on me.” 49 Jesus stopped [FADL12] and said, “Call [FADL13] him.” So they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take courage; get up, he is calling you.” 50 He threw aside his cloak[FADL14] , sprang [FADL15] up, and came to Jesus[FADL16] . 51 Jesus said to him in reply, “What [FADL17] do you want me to do for you?” The blind man replied to him, “Master, I want to see.” 52 Jesus told him, “Go your way[FADL18] ; your faith has saved [FADL19] you.” Immediately [FADL20] he received his sight and followed him on the way. [1]

Liturgy

THIRTIETH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

Entrance Antiphon [Cf. Ps 105 (104):3–4]

Let the hearts that seek the Lord rejoice;

turn to the Lord and his strength;

constantly seek his face.

Collect

Almighty ever-living God,

increase our faith, hope and charity,

and make us love what you command,

so that we may merit what you promise.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, for ever and ever.

Prayer over the Offerings

Look, we pray, O Lord,

on the offerings we make to your majesty,

that whatever is done by us in your service

may be directed above all to your glory.

Through Christ our Lord.

Communion Antiphon [Cf. Ps 20 (19):6]

We will ring out our joy at your saving help

and exult in the name of our God.

Or: [Eph 5:2]

Christ loved us and gave himself up for us,

as a fragrant offering to God.

Prayer after Communion

May your Sacraments, O Lord, we pray,

perfect in us what lies within them,

that what we now celebrate in signs

we may one day possess in truth.

Through Christ our Lord.[2]

Question and Answer

Subtitle

What is a question I have?

Answer or Notes go here

Hahn’s Homily Help

Today’s Gospel turns on an irony--it is a blind man, Bartimaeus, who becomes the first besides the apostles to recognize Jesus as the Messiah. And His healing is the last miracle Jesus performs before entering the holy city of Jerusalem for His last week on earth.

The scene on the road to Jerusalem evokes the joyful procession prophesied by Jeremiah in today’s First Reading. In Jesus this prophecy is fulfilled. God, through the Messiah, is delivering His people from exile, bringing them back from the ends of the earth, with the blind and lame in their midst.

Jesus, as Bartimaeus proclaims, is the long-awaited Son promised to David (see 2 Samuel 7:12-16; Isaiah 11:9; Jeremiah 23:5). Upon His triumphal arrival in Jerusalem, all will see that the everlasting kingdom of David has come (see Mark 11:9-10).

As we hear in today’s Epistle, the Son of David was expected to be the Son of God (see Psalm 2:7). He was to be a priest-king like Melchizedek (see Psalm 110:4), who offered bread and wine to God Most High at the dawn of salvation history (see Genesis 14:18-20).

Bartimaeus is a symbol of his people, the captive Zion which we sing of in today’s Psalm. His God has done great things for him. All his life has been sown in tears and weeping. Now, he reaps a new life.

Bartimaeus, too, should be a sign for us. How often Christ passes us by--in the person of the poor, in the distressing guise of a troublesome family member or burdensome associate (see Matthew 25:31-46)--and yet we don’t see Him.

Christ still calls to us through His Church, as Jesus sent His apostles to call Bartimaeus. Yet how often are we found to be listening instead to the voices of the crowd, not hearing the words of His Church.

Today He asks us what He asks Bartimaeus, “What do you want me to do for you?” Rejoicing, let us ask the same thing of Him--what can we do for all that He has done for us?

ePRIEST

We Have to Leave Our Cloaks Behind

Why does St Mark give so much attention to the blind man’s cloak?

St Mark makes a point of explaining that Bartimaeus “threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus.”

What’s the meaning of this seemingly insignificant detail?

To get at it, we need first of all to understand the role of the cloak in ancient Palestine.It was heavy and thick, and it was also the most versatile item of Palestinian clothing at the time.It was protection against the rapid and frequent temperature changes, insulationagainst the harsh Judean winds, and at night it doubled as a blanket, especially for the poorer residents of the Holy Land, like Bartimaeus.For these reasons, and because St Mark highlights it so clearly, the Fathers of the Church have seen in this cloak a symbol of self- sufficiency, a symbol of ourdeep-seated tendency to think that we are capable of solving all of our problemson our own.The cloak symbolizes all those things that we wrongly depend on for happiness, that we tend to idolize: good looks, intelligence, athletic ability, money, good education, success, popularity...Following Christ, obeying his commandments and teachings, means putting theseother things – good and valuable though they may be – into second place and trusting that friendship with God alone is the real source of the fulfillment we most yearn for.

Even before the blind man leaves his cloak behind, he shows that he has learned this lesson by his faith-filled persistence.

Everyone was discouraging him from putting his trust in God, but Bartimaeus refused to be silenced, and the heart of Christ didn’t let him down.

Then, when he hears the Lord’s call, he doesn’t hesitate to cast off his cloak and spring forward, teaching us all that our only sufficiency should be Jesus Christ.

General Audience on Psalm 126 – B16

Wednesday, 17 August 2005

Psalm 126[125]

“Deliver us, O Lord”

Evening Prayer—Wednesday of Week Three

1. Listening to the words of Psalm 126[125], one has the impression of seeing before one’s eyes the event of the “new Exodus” that is sung of in the second part of the Book of Isaiah: the return of Israel from the Babylonian Exile to the land of her fathers after the edict of the Persian King Cyrus in 538 B.C. It was thus a repetition of the joyful experience of the first Exodus, when the Jewish people were released from slavery in Egypt.

This Psalm acquired special significance when it was sung on the days when Israel felt threatened and afraid because she was once again being put to the test. Effectively, the Psalm contains a prayer for the return of the captives of that time (cf. v. 4). Thus, it became a prayer of the People of God in their historical wanderings, fraught with dangers and trials but ever open to trust in God the Saviour and Liberator, the support of the weak and the oppressed.

2. The Psalm introduces us into an atmosphere of exultation: people were laughing, celebrating their new-found freedom, and songs of joy were on their lips (cf. vv. 1–2).

There is a twofold reaction to the restored freedom.

On the one hand, the heathen nations recognized the greatness of the God of Israel: “What marvels the Lord worked for them!” (v. 2). The salvation of the Chosen People becomes a clear proof of the effective and powerful existence of God, present and active in history.

On the other hand, it is the People of God who profess their faith in the Lord who saves: “What marvels the Lord worked for us!” (v. 3).

3. Our thoughts then turn to the past, relived with a shudder of fear and affliction. Let us focus our attention on the agricultural image used by the Psalmist: “Those who are sowing in tears will sing when they reap” (v. 5). Under the burden of work, their faces are sometimes lined with tears: the sowing is laborious, perhaps doomed to uselessness and failure. But with the coming of the abundant, joyful harvest, they discover that their suffering [FADL21] has borne fruit.

The great lesson on the mystery of life’s fruitfulness that suffering can contain is condensed in this Psalm, just as Jesus said on the threshold of his passion and death: “Unless the grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat. But if it dies, it produces much fruit” (Jn 12:24).

4. Thus, the horizon of the Psalm opens to the festive harvest, a symbol of joy born from the freedom, peace and prosperity that are fruits of the divine blessing. This prayer, then, is a song of hope to turn back to when one is immersed in moments of trial, fear, threats and inner oppression.

But it can also become a more general appeal to live one’s days and make one’s decisions in an atmosphere of faithfulness. In the end, perseverance in good, even if it is misunderstood and opposed, always reaches a landing place of light, fruitfulness and peace.

This is what St Paul reminded the Galatians: “If [a man] sows in the field of the flesh, he will reap a harvest of corruption; but if his seed-ground is the spirit, he will reap everlasting life. Let us not grow weary of doing good; if we do not relax our efforts, in due time we shall reap our harvest” (Gal 6:8–9).

5. Let us end with a reflection on Psalm 126[125] by St Bede the Venerable (672/3–735), commenting on the words by which Jesus announced to his disciples the sorrow that lay in store for them, and at the same time the joy that would spring from their affliction (cf. Jn 16:20).

Bede recalls that “Those who loved Christ were weeping and mourning when they saw him captured by his enemies, bound, carried away for judgment, condemned, scourged, mocked and lastly crucified, pierced by the spear and buried. Instead, those who loved the world rejoiced … when they condemned to a most ignominious death the One of whom the sight alone they could not tolerate. The disciples were overcome by grief at the death of the Lord, but once they had learned of his Resurrection, their sorrow changed to joy; then when they had seen the miracle of the Ascension, they praised and blessed the Lord, filled with even greater joy, as the Evangelist Luke testified (cf. Lk 24:53).

“But the Lord’s words can be applied to all the faithful who, through the tears and afflictions of this world, seek to arrive at eternal jubilation and rightly weep and grieve now, because they cannot yet see the One they love and because they know that while they are in the body they are far from the Homeland and the Kingdom, even if they are certain that they will reach it with their efforts and struggles. Their sorrow will change into joy when, after the struggle of this life, they receive the reward of eternal life, as the Psalm says: ‘Those who are sowing in tears will sing when they reap’ (Homily on the Gospel, 2, 13: Collana dei Testi Patristici, XC, Rome, 1990, pp. 379–380).

At the end of his Catechesis, the Holy Father expressed his deep sorrow at the death of Bro. Roger Schutz, founder of the Taizé Community, who was stabbed on Tuesday, 16 August, by a woman.

We have talked together of sorrow and joy. In fact, this morning I received some very sad, tragic news.

At Vespers yesterday evening [Tuesday, 16 August], beloved Bro. Roger Schutz, Founder of the Taizé Community, was stabbed and killed by a woman who was probably insane.

This news is an especially heavy blow because only yesterday I received a very touching and friendly letter from Bro. Roger. In it, he wrote that in the depths of his heart he was intending to tell me that “we are in communion with you and with those who have gathered in Cologne”. He then wrote that because of his health he would unfortunately be unable to come in person to Cologne, but would be present in spirit, with his brethren.

At the end of this letter he told me that he wanted to come as soon as possible to Rome to meet me and tell me that “our Community of Taizé wants to journey on in communion with the Holy Father”. And he then wrote in his own hand: “Holy Father, I assure you of my sentiments of deep communion. Bro. Roger of Taizé”.

At this moment of grief, we can only entrust to the Lord’s goodness the soul of this faithful servant of his. We know that joy will be born from sorrow—as we have just heard in the Psalm: Bro. Roger Schutz is in the hands of eternal goodness, eternal love; he has arrived at eternal joy.

He recommends to us, he urges us always to be faithful workers in the Lord’s vineyard, even in sorrowful situations, certain that the Lord accompanies us and will give us his joy.

To the English-speaking pilgrims

I extend a warm welcome to all the English-speaking visitors here today. I greet particularly the following groups: the Franciscan Hospitaller Sisters of the Immaculate Conception; from Malta, the parents of altar servers assisting in St Peter’s Basilica; from Nigeria, pilgrims to several shrines of Europe and the Holy Land; from Japan, a group of Salesian Sisters; and from the United States of America, a youth pilgrimage from Saint Paul’s Parish, Houston, Texas. I invite you to join me during these days in praying for the success of the World Youth Day in Cologne. I wish you all a happy stay and invoke upon you the grace and peace of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!

The Holy Father then led the prayer of the “Our Father” and imparted the Apostolic Blessing.[3]

[1] Catholic Lectionary. (2009). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.

[2] The Roman Missal: Renewed by Decree of the Most Holy Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, Promulgated by Authority of Pope Paul VI and Revised at the Direction of Pope John Paul II. (2011). (Third Typical Edition., p. 490). Washington D.C.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

[3] Benedict XVI. (2013). General Audiences of Benedict XVI (English). Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana.

[FADL1]The Psalmist sees that the burden that makes us weep prepares a rich harvest of joy

[FADL2]Is it significant that this miracle story took place where the walls came tumbling down (through faith)?

[FADL3]What might Jesus have done in Jericho that Bartimaeus Heard about him?

[FADL4]“With” Jesus are two concentric circles, disciples and crowd, neither of which Bartimaeus is part. What was life like for this outcast?

[FADL5]Why Bartimaeus? Why not the blind beggar from Jericho? Who outside Jesus’ immediate circle is known by name? It seems that there are few; many peripheral figures are referred to generically: Syrophoenician woman, Samaritan woman, Centurion, Rich Young Man.

[FADL6]Are roads meant to sit by? What could “sitting by the road” mean on a spiritual level? Have I stopped advancing, growing, moving? Is my spiritual life stagnant?

[FADL7]Who else called Jesus by his name? The Samaritan Woman called him Sir. The Rich Young Man called him Good Teacher. The Canaanite woman said, “Lord, Son of David.” The Good Thief said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.

[FADL8]What does he mean by this title? Is he saying Jesus is King of the Jews and Messiah?

[FADL9]What could he have known about Jesus that he should ask him for pity?

[FADL10]Is this me? Am I upset about being inconvenienced by the needy? Do I hate being detained while moving along the road?

[FADL11]Is this desperation or virtue? Fortitude? Perseverance? Overcoming human respect? Hope? What will Jesus say? Faith

[FADL12]Shift in momentum. Jesus was moving on the road. As he stops, he sets Bartimaeus in motion. Was the prayer of this beggar so powerful as to stop a God in motion?

[FADL13]Why doesn’t Jesus fetch him himself? Is he trying to soften the uncompassionate hearts of his disciples?

[FADL14]What would a cloak mean for a blind man? Am I willing to cast aside my security blanket in exchange for God’s gift for my life?

[FADL15]Do I rejoice at the prospect of meeting Christ and being transformed by him?

[FADL16]Is this the essence of Christian prayer?

[FADL17]Doesn’t he know already? Why ask? Certainly not for his sake, but for ours. What does he want to work in us as we express our hearts desires to him?

[FADL18]Why doesn’t Jesus command him? Instead he invites him to freedom: Bartimaeus can choose HIS own way. Yet, he follows on THE way because this is what he wants.

[FADL19]What did Jesus mean? Physical healing or spiritual saving?

[FADL20]Do I delay for lack of faith and love?

[FADL21]Suffering is the condition, not the cause, of fruitfulness